Private At Rest

[Aselia Verd]

The workshop sat just far enough from the main flow of Sundari's traffic that the city felt distant rather than absent. The sounds that did reach it came softened by passing engines, the occasional low rumble overhead, but nothing that pressed in. It was a place meant to work, to think, to breathe. Aselia stepped inside, the door sliding shut quietly behind her before she crossed the space with intention. She didn't stop at the center. Instead, she continued straight toward the far wall where a set of larger hangar doors were set into the structure.

Her hand found the control panel and pressed it without looking.

The doors responded with a low mechanical groan, splitting apart and sliding open to reveal the open stretch beyond enough space for a speeder to come through cleanly. Light spilled in across the floor, cutting through the dim interior in long, sharp lines. Aselia stepped back to the side, one hand resting lightly against the frame as she looked out toward Adelle. She stayed there while she guided the swoop inside, giving her the space to maneuver. Her gaze tracked the movement, following the line of the bike as it crossed the threshold and settled into the cleared section of floor.

Once it was in, Aselia reached back to the panel and hit the control; the doors slowly slid shut again, sealing the workshop off from the outside world. The light dimmed back to its steady, controlled glow, and the quiet returned just as quickly. Just the low hum of the workshop and the two of them inside it.

Aselia moved back toward the center of the space, passing her BARC as she went. It sat a few panels open where she'd been tuning it earlier, tools resting nearby. She brushed her hand along the handlebars as she passed, a brief, absent motion, before her attention shifted fully to the swoop.

"Looks good," she said. She stepped closer, one hand settling lightly along the frame, more familiar than clinical, like she was getting a feel for it rather than inspecting it. There was a faint hint of amusement in her voice when she spoke again.

"You got it here faster than I expected."

Her gaze lifted briefly to Adelle, holding there for a second before drifting back to the bike. It seemed like she might say something technical, something precise, but she didn't. Instead, she leaned lightly back against the nearby workbench, arms folding loosely. The quiet stretched, but it wasn't uncomfortable. Aselia exhaled slowly, her posture more relaxed than it had been outside, her attention drifting between the swoop and Adelle without urgency.

"You picked a good time to do this, I'm just tuning the BARC now so I can give you my undivided attention," she said after a moment, though the faint shift in her tone suggested she wasn't just talking about the bike. Her eyes settled on Adelle again, lingering just a second longer this time before she looked away, letting the moment breathe instead of forcing it forward. "Not that you need my help with the swoop.."

TAG: Adelle Bastiel
​

 

[Adelle Bastiel]

Tags: Aselia Verd

Transporting the Halberd from Kyrimorut to Sundari was a bit of a production to do, but finally getting to drive it felt good. Adelle had been looking forward to this though: modding the Halberd had been on her to-do list for a while but she’d be lying if she had said that was the only reason she looked forward to the trip. Adelle slowly guided it inside the hangar, easing into the obvious cleared space front and center in the hangar, as the doors closed behind her. The bustle of the outside world was shut out and quiet settled in the space. Adelle dismounted as Aselia made her way over.

"Looks good," she said. She stepped closer, one hand settling lightly along the frame, more familiar than clinical, like she was getting a feel for it rather than inspecting it. There was a faint hint of amusement in her voice when she spoke again.

"You got it here faster than I expected."

“What can I say?” Adelle said with a shrug and a smile. “I’ve been looking forward to this.”

For a brief moment, it looked like Aselia might say something about the swoop. But the redhead leaned against a workbench, her posture noticeably more laid-back. It was good to see Aselia relaxed. Life had been hectic lately but even a warrior society needed downtime and rest.

"You picked a good time to do this, I'm just tuning the BARC now so I can give you my undivided attention," she said after a moment, though the faint shift in her tone suggested she wasn't just talking about the bike. Her eyes settled on Adelle again, lingering just a second longer this time before she looked away, letting the moment breathe instead of forcing it forward. "Not that you need my help with the swoop.."

There it was again. Something layered but not outright spoken in Aselia’s words. Adelle busied herself with the Halberd, gently scooping a sleeping Phantom and a small blanket the spukami liked to sleep on out of the sidecar. She’d gotten used to Na’an and Leigh: everything was direct and precious little was buried behind other words. And what Na’an couldn’t say to her face, she could say in a sparring match.

This was vastly different. But it didn’t feel uncomfortable.

“Oh please,” she said with a scoff, moving towards the opposite wall. “I need all the help I can get and I know it.”

Adelle tossed the blanket onto the floor out of the way and let Phantom spill out of her arms onto it. Phantom yawned and arched before settling down onto her haunches and sleepily looking out at the hangar. <<Oh here. Safe. Good.>>

That earned a brief eyebrow raise but Adelle turned and walked back to the swoop. She rested a hand on it for just a moment. Memories hovered in the back of her mind.

“I’ve got experience in a lot of things.” Her fingers trailed off the chassis as she moved to lean against it. “But messing with swoop bikes? I’ve only done that once and even then I had help.”

She met Aselia’s gaze, blue eyes a striking contrast with her red hair.

“I’d welcome whatever input you want to give.”

 

[Aselia Verd]

Aselia's attention dipped briefly as Phantom settled on the blanket, the small creature's presence drawing a faint, almost automatic softness from her. As she stepped past, her hand lowered without thought, fingers brushing behind Phantom's ear in a light, absent scratch before she continued toward the Halberd.

When Adelle admitted she'd only worked on a swoop once and welcomed her input, Aselia didn't hesitate. She moved in beside her rather than across from her, keeping the space shared and natural instead of distant. One hand came to rest along the Halberd's frame, more deliberate this time, her posture angling just enough to give Adelle room while still guiding the moment.

"Alright," she said, her voice low but steady, slipping into something more instructive without losing that quiet warmth. "Then we'll start simple."

There was the faintest hint of amusement in her tone as she added, "I'm not going to do it for you. I'll teach you." Aselia shifted her stance slightly, bracing one hand lightly against the bike while the other gestured toward the midsection, though her eyes flicked to Adelle rather than the swoop as she spoke.

"Start here. Balance first. Everything else builds off that."

Her gaze lingered a moment longer than necessary before she looked back to the bike, though the softness in her expression didn't fully fade. The space between them remained close, easy, unforced.

"If something feels off, don't force it," she added more quietly. "Adjust it until it makes sense. Same way you ride."

A small pause followed, her hand still resting on the frame between them, her presence steady rather than pressing.

"And if you're not sure," she finished, her tone easing just slightly, "I'm right here."

TAG: Adelle Bastiel
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[Adelle Bastiel]

Tags: Aselia Verd

An old but not wholly unfamiliar pressure gripped Adelle as Aselia closed the distance, coming to stand alongside her at the Halberd and placing a hand on its body. She folded her arms across her chest, trying to pay attention to what Aselia was saying. It immediately disappeared when the redhead mentioned not doing the work for her. Adelle leveled a flat stare at Aselia, though the dry smile at the corner of her mouth belied its seriousness. The pressure returned with a flash of heat in her ears, on her neck, and in her skin when Aselia turned her blue-eyed gaze on her for what felt like minutes.

Adelle stared at the floor and tried to focus on what Aselia said over the faint ringing in her ears. She remembered this feeling, the pressure that made the air feel hot and thick. Once, with Rishii, her partner in CorSec that had helped with her physical therapy during recovery. And then again, after the dance at some elite ball for a festival on a faraway planet, with Na’an.

One had died by her hand. And the other was lost to the galaxy.

"And if you're not sure," she finished, her tone easing just slightly, "I'm right here."

“Well,” Adelle said, pushing off the swoop to stand up. She stretched her arms out in front of her before making herself face Aselia again. “Mind showing me where your tools are? I know I’m good with my hands and skilled with the Force but I think this requires actual tools.”

She fell back on humor. It brought the conversation back to more comfortable ground—safer ground. Even still, Adelle found she was unwilling to leave the shared proximity. In spite of the discomfort her body seemed determined to torment her with.

 

[Aselia Verd]

Aselia caught the shift, not in anything obvious, but in the way Adelle moved, the slight break in rhythm before she pulled herself back into something more controlled. The humor helped, but it didn't cover it entirely.

"Yeah," she said easily, pushing off the Halberd and turning toward the workbench. "That would help."

She moved past Adelle on the way, close enough that the space between them narrowed for a brief moment, her shoulder nearly brushing hers before she stepped to the tools. Her hand moved across the surface with familiarity, selecting what she needed without much thought before turning back. When she held one out, her tone had settled into something more grounded again.

"Start with this," she said. "You'll want a bit more control than your hands alone."

As Adelle took it, Aselia didn't step away. Her fingers lingered for a fraction of a second longer than necessary in the space between them before she let go, her hand settling against the edge of the workbench instead. She watched, not critically, not like she was waiting for a mistake, just attentive in a way that felt steadier than simple instruction.

"Here," she added, stepping in slightly closer and angling herself beside Adelle rather than across from her. One hand lifted, not quite touching, but close enough to guide the motion of the tool.

"Ease into it," Aselia said, her tone steady and instructive. "You're not trying to force the alignment. Just bring it in gradually."

She shifted slightly to give Adelle a clearer angle, one hand resting lightly along the frame as a point of reference.

"Start with a quarter turn," she continued. "Then check the play in the housing before you go any further. If it tightens too fast, back it off. You want it to settle, not lock."

Her gaze stayed on the adjustment, following the movement closely without reaching in to take over.

"Right there," she added after a moment. "That's where you check it."

She tapped lightly against the edge of the panel with her knuckle, indicating the exact point of tension.

"Now test it before you adjust again. If it holds, you can fine-tune from there."

TAG: Adelle Bastiel
​

 

[Adelle Bastiel]

Tags: Aselia Verd

The scent of ozone and slugthrower propellant that followed in Aselia’s wake as she moved past nearly overwhelmed Adelle but she found it far from repulsive. It did not help the thick blanket of heated pressure though. Neither did watching Aselia walk to her tool chest. Even without her signature red armor, she still walked confidently, like she had an arsenal at her beck and call.

Aselia returned with a tool, ‘to start with’ she said. The hand-off was slow and Adelle had to wonder if Aselia was distracted. The thought it might be deliberate threatened to break Adelle’s brain with the thousands of thoughts that sat behind it. She brushed it aside and brought the tool to bear on the Halberd.

The feeling of eyes on her eased as she brought her focus solely onto what was in front of her. Adelle listened to Aselia’s corrections and instructions, attempting to do what her friend was telling her. Quarter turn, check the play in the housing. Too tight, back off. Adelle started with the prescribed quarter turn and still felt a bit of slack. She tried another quarter turn but it became too tight so she loosened slowly until she felt a delicate tension.

“Think I got it,” she said at last, finally standing up from bending over the swoop. Aselia’s proximity caught her by surprise. Adelle kept the surprise off her face, even as her cheeks threatened to flush.

“You said something about fine-tuning?” Adelle hoped her voice sounded steadier than she felt. Aselia was her friend: there were a thousand reasons she couldn't—shouldn't be crushing on her friend.

 

[Aselia Verd]

Aselia didn't answer right away. Her attention lingered on the adjustment Adelle had just made, eyes tracing the set of the housing as if she were still checking the work, but the focus wasn't entirely there anymore. The words fine-tuning hung between them, and for a moment, she let them stay exactly where they were. "Yeah," she said quietly, though the tone had shifted, less instructional now, more thoughtful. "That comes after."

She stepped in closer, not by accident this time. It was deliberate, measured. The space between them narrowed until it was almost nothing, her hand settling lightly against the frame beside Adelle rather than reaching for her. "Once you know where everything actually sits."

Her gaze lifted then, meeting Adelle's, and this time it stayed there, steady, like she'd settled on something and wasn't stepping away from it.

She took in a slow breath. "I've been trying to figure something out," she said, her voice low and even, "letting it sit, seeing if it would… settle on its own." A faint breath followed. "It hasn't." Her fingers shifted slightly against the frame, grounding herself there instead of closing the last bit of distance. She didn't crowd her, just stayed. "And I don't think I want it to."

There was a brief pause, not from uncertainty, but from choosing the words carefully. "This isn't something I've had to think about before, not like this," she admitted, quiet but steady. Her eyes didn't leave Adelle's. "But I know what it is when I'm around you."

"I don't see this as just friendship anymore. I haven't for a while." There was no performance to it, just honesty, plain and direct in that way Aselia had. "I didn't say anything because I wasn't sure where it came from." She paused for a moment, the thought passing through rather than stopping her. "But I know enough now."

She held there, close but not pressing. "I needed to tell you."

TAG: Adelle Bastiel
​

 

[Adelle Bastiel]

Tags: Aselia Verd

The beating of her heart in her throat deafened Adelle as the distance between them became intimate. Adelle froze, paralyzed. Nervousness not her own prickled her skin while her own emotions swirled behind her mental shielding. Blood roared in her ears and it felt like Aselia was both talking from far away and up close. The more Aselia spoke, the less Adelle could feign ignorance. It confirmed what Adelle had already suspected. She wanted to run.

She wasn’t safe. Had never been safe for others. Adelle barely registered the sudden weight of Phantom on her shoulders. Her mom, her father, Riishi, Astra, Na’an. People she’d attacked in a fugue state. People she’d cared for. Not to mention Krayt—

"I don't see this as just friendship anymore. I haven't for a while."

A jolt iced her veins even as a thrill ran down her spine and spread heat through her chest. A not-insignificant part of her wanted to close what gap remained between them. It all felt very familiar. Cool night air and crushed grass brushed against her mind.

"We have wanted to know you for quite some time."

"I'm not so sure. In this case, the right partner just has to be willing to make a little trouble."

"I needed to tell you."

"But you should tell someone. Please."

Adelle took a deep breath, shuddering on its way out. “I-I see.”

She fidgeted with the tool in her hand, suddenly finding the floor and the tool itself visually fascinating. If she looked Aselia in the eyes, she was worried she wouldn’t get the words out of her mouth.

“Before you set your heart on this,” she said quietly, “there’s some things you should know about me.”

Phantom rubbed her head against Adelle’s temple, her purring grounding Adelle in the moment. In what was and not the what-if’s.

“I’m not human,” Adelle said after a long moment. Better to start with the easy stuff. She finally looked at Aselia, if only to see her reaction. “Not fully. I am genetically one-fourth Caamasi. And that’s— Well, it’s made things interesting. There are traits I’ve inherited that can be off-putting.”

She tapped the tool against the palm of her hand and started to pace, her feet moving of their own accord.

“For instance, the only actual hair I have is on my head. Everything else is a light layer of fur. I always smell like Corellian whiskey, even if I haven’t touched it in weeks. But…” Adelle stopped pacing and faced Aselia, gripping the tool in both hands. “The trait I’ve had trouble with the most is the memnii.”

She twisted her hands around the tool. “They're not… normal memories. They don’t fade with time. They feel like I’m reliving the moment as it happens.”

“I’ve… been through some osik. It's why I have Phantom. My past and the memnii, they don't mix well.” Adelle turned her head away. “And that doesn't include my medical conditions. They—I’ve hurt people, because of them.”

She stopped there, still not looking at Aselia. Phantom still purred on her shoulder, still did little things to remind Adelle of her presence: snuffling in her ear, rubbing her head against Adelle's temple and jaw. Maybe later, maybe one day, Adelle could tell Aselia everything.

"I don't have to feel guilty for telling you that that kind of response is starting to piss me off."

Na’an’s voice echoed in her head. Adelle had said the same thing about telling Na’an one day. It had always been maybe later, maybe one day.

"Adelle Bastiel," she said with all the patience she could muster, "The only reason either of us are anything resembling 'healthy and stable' is due to your influence. You encouraged us to open up to each other, and to you, despite our misgivings. Despite the damage each of had done, and could still do. Why is your situation so special that doing the same is out of the question?"

"My situation," Adelle snapped, bristling, "is that I have gods-damned memnii and that what I lived through was designed to break organic minds! . . . Na'an wouldn't know how to handle that."

"After everything she's told you about her life, do you really believe that?"

Adelle grimaced, her grip tightening on the tool. Leigh had been right. She hadn’t given Na’an enough credit. Now here she was, saying the same things to another friend, someone that wanted to be closer. Someone she claimed she respected.

“I-I—” Adelle took a deep breath and slowly turned back to face Aselia. Met her gaze. “I want to tell you yes. But I don’t want to hurt you.”

 

[Aselia Verd]

Aselia didn't move while Adelle spoke. Not when her voice caught, when she started pacing, or when the words came unevenly, like she was forcing them past something that didn't want to let them through. The quiet settled between them, making the workshop feel smaller now, quieter in a way that had nothing to do with the outside world and everything to do with the tension building between them.

Those blue eyes studied Adelle, the way she wouldn't look at her, the way her grip tightened around the tool, how her voice shifted when she talked about hurting people. Though Phantom moved before Aselia did, settling against Adelle, grounding her in a way that was gentle but insistent. Aselia's gaze flicked to the small creature, and something in her expression softened, not just noticing it, but understanding it. There was an underlying appreciation of the spukami.

Finally, she moved slowly, deliberately, closing the space between them without crowding it, her hand coming up to rest lightly over Adelle's where she held the tool. It was a simple gesture, just to steady the tension there, the same way Phantom had been doing in her own way.

"Hey," she said, softer than before, her voice low and grounded. Not commanding or the usual bravado. Just there and present. She waited until Adelle actually looked at her. "I'm still here."

There was no dismissal in it, no attempt to brush past what had just been said. If anything, it acknowledged it more. Her thumb shifted slightly against Adelle's hand, a small, absent motion, more instinct than thought. "I heard you," she added, quieter now. "All of it." Her gaze didn't waver, but there was something different in it now. Not just steadiness, something more open, more present than she usually allowed herself to be.

"If you thought that would scare me off, it doesn't."

A small pause, letting that land before she continued, not rushing to fill the space.

"You're worried about hurting me," Aselia said, not as a challenge, just naming it for what it was. "I get that." The faintest exhale followed. "You don't have to decide how this ends right now."

Her hand didn't tighten; it stayed, grounding rather than holding. "I don't want you to keep me safe," she continued, still quiet, still steady. "I need you to be honest with me. And you're already doing that." She held there, close but not pressing, letting Adelle feel that she wasn't being pushed forward or pulled back.

"If you want this," Aselia said softly, "then we figure it out. Together. If not? We figure that out too." And then, just as important, she didn't say anything else. She stayed, present in the space with her, letting Adelle breathe in it instead of filling it for her.

TAG: Adelle Bastiel
​

 

[Adelle Bastiel]

Tags: Aselia Verd

The silence was deafening in its emptiness. Adelle watched Aselia closely, looking for some sign or hint of what was coming. Old habits, she’d once said to the Liberator. Flippantly. Truthfully. Another old habit came into play now: bracing for the reaction. Phantom rubbed against her cheek and Adelle closed her eyes for a moment, listening to and feeling the vibrations of the spukami’s purring in her bones.

She took a breath. Aselia would react however she would and Adelle would live.

A calloused hand covered hers, gentle and warm. Adelle looked down at their hands. She hadn’t heard Aselia move closer. The fact that she had—Adelle wondered if it was because she thought whatever Adelle warned her of wasn’t as bad as she claimed, or if she understood and still came closer anyways.

"Hey," she said, softer than before, her voice low and grounded.

Soft was not what she expected. Adelle slowly lifted her mismatched eyes to Aselia and found neither judgment nor pity. Just Aselia. Softer but still Aselia.

"I'm still here."

Adelle’s heart slipped from where it had lodged in her esophagus and hammered once more against her ribcage. She looked down at where Aselia’s thumb adjusted on her skin, leaving a phantom sensation behind like she’d been branded.

"I heard you," she added, quieter now. "All of it."

She let out a shaky exhale, one she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. The look on Aselia’s face held her in place. The Verd had genuinely been listening, and not just to what Adelle had said out loud.

"If you thought that would scare me off, it doesn't."

Adelle scoffed with a laugh, looking down and off to the side as she did. Of course not. She didn’t seem to attract people it would scare off. Riishi, Astra, Na’an and Leigh, now Aselia. But as Aselia spoke, it became clearer that she wasn’t brushing off Adelle’s concerns or assuming that Adelle didn’t think she wasn’t competent enough.

"I don't want you to keep me safe," she continued, still quiet, still steady.

Her gaze snapped back to meet Aselia’s, blood roaring in her ears as Adelle felt something release. The muscles in her shoulders eased and breathing came a little easier, even as Aselia’s final words made her heart beat harder. Her lips parted as the words hung in the air, sincere and reassuring. Something solid.

“That’s… That’s not all of it. There’s more, but—” Adelle looked down at where Aselia’s hand laid on hers and shifted her grip on the tool to be one-handed, slowly turning the hand under Aselia’s over until she could hold it lightly.

“—I want to try.” The admission set her heart hammering again as she looked up at Aselia again, feeling like she was jumping off a ledge to cliff-dive into the ocean.

 

[Aselia Verd]

Aselia felt the shift in Adelle's hand the moment it happened, she let Adelle turn her hand, let her choose the contact, her own fingers adjusting only enough to meet her there. The change was small, but it landed with more weight than either of them had put into words. Her gaze dropped briefly to where their hands met, then lifted again to Adelle's face, steady and quiet and fully there.

The words settled between them, simple as they were.

I want to try.

For the first time since she had spoken, since she had let herself stop circling it and say what she actually meant, something in Aselia eased. Not all at once, but enough that the tension she carried so often seemed to lift. She took in the look on Adelle's face, the nerves still there and the uncertainty, the fact that this clearly took a lot to say, and whatever else Aselia might have felt stayed behind that understanding first.

Her thumb moved once against the back of Adelle's hand, slow and deliberate.

"Alright," she said quietly.

Aselia's other hand lifted, not quickly, or with certainty of someone assuming she had the right. But with the same care she had been using all along. Her fingers brushed lightly along Adelle's cheek, barely more than a touch at first, enough to give her room to pull away if she wanted.

"We start there," she said, her voice low and even. "That's enough."

Her eyes stayed on Adelle's, not asking her to go any faster than this. Phantom's quiet purring still filled the space between them, and Aselia's thumb shifted once near Adelle's cheek in a motion that echoed the same steady reassurance the spukami had been giving her all along.

"You don't have to tell me the rest now," she continued after a moment. "Not all at once. Unless you want to," There was no hesitation in it, no sense that she was saying it just to make things easier. She meant it. "If you want to try, then we'll try. The rest we deal with when you are ready."

She didn't move any closer after that. Didn't try to close the last of the distance or turn the moment into something bigger than it was ready to be. She stayed exactly where she was, one hand held in Adelle's, the other resting gently against her cheek, letting the quiet breathe around them instead of rushing to fill it.

TAG: Adelle Bastiel
​

 

[Adelle Bastiel]

Tags: Aselia Verd

Even as anxious as she felt, as exposed as she felt, Adelle still caught the way something in Aselia unclenched little by little. Absurdly, knowing that even Aselia had been nervous about this felt reassuring. But what had eased with that knowledge tensed again when Aselia slowly brought her free hand up and reached for her face. Adelle didn’t exactly flinch but the hand arrested her attention. Very few had touched her face after the first incident on Coruscant. And no one had touched her face after the second incident on Coruscant. The scars on her left cheek ached with memory.

But this was Aselia. Aselia that had seen some of her injuries, minor ones, and still been gentle with them. Aselia, that had been present when Adelle started getting lost in memories and grief and gently brought her back.

The feather-light touch whispered against unmarred skin. Adelle finally breathed, a small breath in followed by an exhale shakier than she wanted. She didn’t move away though. As the pressure settled against her cheek, warmth followed in a way she hadn’t felt for a long time. Aselia’s thumb moved, brushing along the skin briefly, and Adelle closed her eyes, slowly relaxing into the touch.

"You don't have to tell me the rest now," she continued after a moment. "Not all at once. Unless you want to," There was no hesitation in it, no sense that she was saying it just to make things easier. She meant it. "If you want to try, then we'll try. The rest we deal with when you are ready."

Adelle nodded, her right hand slipping the tool into her pants pocket and reaching up to lightly rest over Aselia’s hand on her cheek. She didn’t trap Aselia’s hand there long, fingers trailing the back of her hand down to the wrist before falling away again. It had been a long time since she’d felt awkward with touching someone.

“My medical conditions,” Adelle said. “You should know—I should tell you about them before anything… happens.”

She took a slow, steadying breath and watched Aselia’s face as she pulled the words out of her brain and into her mouth. “I have C-PTSD, which is PTSD but from… something chronic. Phantom helps a lot with everything that comes with it. The same chronic thing also gave me what’s called selective mutism. Any time I try to talk, directly, about it, my voice… just stops. Even if I want to speak.”

The telltale scratch had begun to tickle her throat but Adelle pushed ahead. Mental distance from the second incident on Coruscant would help.

“And the last thing—well, the last big thing is I’m… amnesiac. I don’t— I don’t remember past a certain point in time. And because of that, I get these fugue states. During one of them, I-I don’t—” She paused, closing her eyes and taking a short breath before she continued. “I don’t know who I am. Who anyone else is. From what— From what I’ve been told, I’m reliving something. But not— Not as Adelle. And I don’t remember anything while I’m having an episode.”

Anxiety spiked and simmered beneath the surface but Phantom’s weight, her purrs, and the gentle warmth of Aselia’s hand grounded her far better than any stringent caf or shocking pain.

“I know triage and injuries don’t scare you,” she said quietly. “But these are chronic. I’ve had them for seven years now, almost eight. Phantom helps. A lot. But she can’t stop everything. I’m—” Broken. “—I’m not— healthy. And being around someone like that is a lot to ask of anyone. Knowing that, I— Are you sure?”

We have wanted to know you for quite some time.

Adelle placed one hand over Leigh's and wrapped the other around the wrist, holding onto the droid. She breathed in the cool earth, the wet smell of dew, listened to a nocturnal bird chirp. The night seemed oddly quiet but lively at the same time. She barely heard her own voice speak again.

"Don't leave me. Please."

She couldn't be alone again.

 

[Aselia Verd]

Blue eyes watched Adelle as her hand rested on her cheek; the nervousness and uncertainty in Adelle's eyes didn't escape her notice. She noted the shift in Adelle's body as she tensed when the hand came up. She silently wondered if she had made a mistake until a shaky breath left Adelle, and she watched as Adelle closed her eyes, then Adelle's hand came to rest on hers, however brief.

"My medical conditions," Adelle said. "You should know—I should tell you about them before anything… happens."

Aselia listened, her eyes never leaving Adelle, giving her full, undivided attention as Adelle explained. She listened as she spoke about Phantom, her blue eyes turned briefly to the creature with a newfound understanding and appreciation for the spukami, before settling back on Adelle. She continued to listen, the C-PTSD, the mutism, as she spoke, more past interactions with Adelle came to mind, where she recognized some of the patterns.

Her eyes betrayed nothing as Adelle spoke. The most surprising thing that Adelle said was the part about being amnesiac. As she revealed all this, she noticed Adelle steadying herself again, and Phantom, on cue, started purring and comforting Adelle.

"I know triage and injuries don't scare you," she said quietly. "But these are chronic. I've had them for seven years now, almost eight. Phantom helps. A lot. But she can't stop everything. I'm—" Broken. "—I'm not— healthy. And being around someone like that is a lot to ask of anyone. Knowing that, I— Are you sure?"

"I would be lying if I said I wasn't surprised by any of this, and I can't imagine how hard it is to carry all of that with just Phantom to see you through it. No offense intended, Phantom." She reached over with her free hand and ran a hand gently down Phantom's back, careful not to distract from her task, before turning her eyes back to Adelle. "That said, nothing you have told me changes what I feel." A smile touched her lips, and she inclined her head slightly. "In all the time you have known me, have I ever been one to run away because something was hard?" There was nothing in her eyes but a gentle warmth, one Aselia usually didn't show to anyone. "I am sure," she added, underscoring her thoughts and making it clear where she stands.

TAG: Adelle Bastiel
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[Adelle Bastiel]

Tags: Aselia Verd

"I would be lying if I said I wasn't surprised by any of this..."

Some part of Adelle untwisted, easing as Aselia spoke. She wasn’t dismissive, hadn’t compared it to other people’s problems, and wasn’t telling her to suck it up. And while Adelle hadn’t expected gentleness from a Mandalorian, it was welcomed.

She looked at Aselia when the Verd said it changed nothing. The smile made her heart stutter, even as she herself smiled at Aselia’s rhetorical question. Adelle had often thought that the harder a thing was, the more likely Aselia was to throw herself at it. But the look in her eyes made her lungs stop.

"I am sure," she added, underscoring her thoughts and making it clear where she stands.

Warmth flooded her veins. It had been a long time since she’d been in an actual relationship, and not a one-night stand or a fling. The idea of someone being by her side longterm was as terrifying as it was thrilling. Riishi came to mind.

They had been standing close together for a while now. Adelle only had to shift her weight forward a little as she rested her forehead on Aselia’s shoulder and let the tension, the worry and anxiety about the future, go.

“Okay then,” she said softly, breathing in Aselia. “You already have Phantom’s approval so we don’t have to worry about that.”

 

[Aselia Verd]

Aselia felt the shift in Adelle, the way the tension slowly left her piece by piece. It was there in the way she looked at her now, in the small smile that finally came easier, in the way her posture softened after holding itself tight for so long. Aselia stayed exactly where she was through it, her hand still resting lightly against Adelle's cheek, her thumb brushing once along her skin in a motion that had become absent and natural without her realizing it.

Then Adelle leaned forward the moment her forehead rested against Aselia's shoulder, something quiet settled inside her chest, deeper and steadier than the sharp rush that had come with the confession itself. Relief, because Adelle had stopped bracing for impact long enough to let herself rest against someone else.

Aselia's arm moved around her almost instinctively, careful and unhurried as it settled across Adelle's back. Just holding her close, her chin dipped slightly, red hair brushing near Adelle's temple as she let herself breathe in the moment instead of rushing past it. A quiet laugh escaped her at the mention of Phantom's approval, softer than most people ever heard from her.

"Well, I always thought Phantom was a good judge of character. Maybe I was wrong," she teased slightly, glancing briefly toward the spukami still perched nearby, offering a small nod and a more serious tone. "That's probably the most important approval."

There was warmth in her voice now that she wasn't trying to keep contained, a kind of openness that rarely surfaced around anyone. One hand remained steady against Adelle's back while the other eased away from her cheek only to settle lightly near the side of her neck, fingers brushing gently through a few strands of hair there. For once, Aselia wasn't thinking ahead to missions, obligations, or what came next. The galaxy could wait a few more minutes.

She stayed like that with her for a while, letting the quiet settle naturally around them. The soft hum of the workshop, Phantom's purring, the warmth of Adelle against her, all of it felt strangely grounding in a way Aselia hadn't realized she needed. Eventually, she let out a slow breath.

"So," she said gently, the faintest hint of amusement returning to her tone, "I think this means I should probably take you on an actual date now." The words were light, but there was sincerity beneath them all the same. Her head tilted slightly, enough that she could glance down toward Adelle without pulling away. "Preferably one with fewer engine parts. We did talk about dancing more often."

TAG: Adelle Bastiel
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