Private Calling Upon A Snowbird

[Evelyn Shaw]

Something’s up, need your assistance. Bring the ship, keep the little guy (if around) away.

Potentially very dangerous.

Meet me here…

On my way, it’ll take me a few days.

-x-​

It had been a fair number of months since Evelyn had parted ways with Amea. She had missed the woman’s company, but that feeling gradually fell off as life carried on. The Echani had indeed managed to get a ship, convincing Mayor Hughes that she earned some measure of reward. Fortunately they had a pretty decent freighter that they were willing to part with. Evie was certainly Hughes just wanted her out of his hair.

From there Evelyn found herself taking the occasional job here and there. Her years as part of Captain Hargrave’s crew had taught her well. She wasn’t the great smuggler in the galaxy, but she was pretty damn good.

But it also brought along another change, namely in Evelyn herself. An encounter had reminded her of something she had forgotten, and realized would be a hindrance and a general pain in her arse. So the Echani had gone about changing...everything about her appearance.

And after having gotten the message from Amea, Evelyn could help but laugh.

Oh, she was in for a surprise. The Snowbird she knew was a night and day difference to the one now.

The coordinates Amea had given her, had pointed to a planet just within the Galactic Alliance space, right up against the border with the Confederacy. What the woman was doing there was a mystery to Evelyn, but she had called for help and she was going to answer. Although, Amea had been incredibly vague with the details, and a follow up had simply directly her to specific city.

From there, Evelyn landed her ship at the starport.

“I know buddy, but if Amea is advising me not to bring you, I’m going to listen.” Evelyn looked down at her small charge as he followed beside her. He had been practically glued to her ever since they had rescued him. Much to the Echani’s chagrin at times. He often liked hiding himself within her coat, which made things difficult when fights broke out.

But at the same time, Evelyn could rarely say no to the small Shinri.

Curse him for being so adorable.

“You stay here and look after the ship, okay?” Evelyn headed towards the ramp, grabbing her coat along the way and pulling it on. “Oh, and Hoshi?” She paused, turning to look at the Shinri. “Don’t go eating through all the fruit. We’ve only just restocked, and it’s going to be a while before we can get more. Got it?” To his credit, Hoshi managed to look bashful in that moment, then nodded his head. “Good, I’ll be back soon, hopefully.” WIth that, Evelyn picked up her hat and departed.

Stepping down the ramp, Evie looked around a bit before sliding her up atop her head. “All right, Amea. Let’s see what you’ve gotten yourself into.” She raised her left arm, and began typing into her wrist-mounted device.

I’m at the starport.

Amea Virou​

 

[Amea Virou]

Spaceport, now. Amea pushed through the crowd with a zig-zag pattern that seemed almost nonsensical. By her side hovered her hands, curled into fists and at the ready in case she was jumped. The easy solution hadn’t paid off this time, an underestimation on her end had made things far more worse than anticipated. One death, several eyes place square upon her. Made cycling through crews in this sector dangerous. Unless this was fixed fast it had a chance to reach even worse heights.

Killing the firstborn of a mob boss had that effect after all. Amea groaned to herself as she pushed through to the entrance of the port. By now she looked positively disheveled with clear signs that she had undergone a serious lack of sleep. She had a safehouse at the courtesy of the Hex, but beyond that her resources were limited. Didn’t know who she could trust here, bringing in Evelyn was a strategic choice. Doing so without Evelyn being aware of what the hell even happened was something else entirely.

… Future Amea problems.

The brunette pushed into the open and began to look around. At first the roofs and ledges for sharpshooters, and then at the crowd behind her and anyone that could have been eyeing her as she pushed towards the Echani woman’s docking platform with a stumble.

Long hair, white hair, pretty hair. Where was hair? White was very distinct, where was it? Amea scanned the room before she raised the device on her wrist to send a message back to her unknowing accomplice.

[ Here. Where are you? ]

Evelyn Shaw

 

[Evelyn Shaw]

The message arrived just as Evelyn stepped out from the docking platform. She glanced down at her device, frowning slightly. There was no readable meaning behind the words themselves, but between how quickly it came and the shortness of the response, Evelyn could only assume Amea was in a hurry.

...What had she gotten herself into? And subsequently about to pull her into as well.

Evelyn glanced up at the area about the blast doors, taking note of the slightly faded sign.

[ I’m at Docking Platform B-4 ]

As she waited, Evelyn looked around. The crowd was a tad more sparse around her, mostly focused in the larger area before it, where folks were buying their tickets and passes. Nothing more than a few captains and passengers heading to their ships, and a security droid here and there patrolling.

The Echani leaned against the wall, lowered her head and incidentally concealed her face beneath the wide brim of her hat. Admittedly, there was a part of Evelyn that was hesitant about all this. Violence did tend to follow Amea, and by all means she should’ve disassociated herself from such a person. And yet, Evelyn couldn’t find herself doing that.

And that wasn’t just because she was someone who kept to her word.

It took only a few minutes before she heard someone approach, their steps cautious and hurried at the same time. Couldn’t really blame her there, the Evelyn she had left didn’t look like she had stepped out of a Holo-Western. Everything about her was different, the hair, the eyes, the outfit, even the rifle that was strapped to her back.

Evelyn looked up to see a hooded Amea heading her way. Red eyes lit up, and red lips shifting into a smile.

She went to speak, but paused as she noticed something. Head tilting slightly in wonder, taking note of the slight purple strands slipping from the woman’s hood. “Have you done something different with your hair?”

Amea Virou​

 

[Amea Virou]

Evelyn Shaw

B-4, Be-four, before. What had happened before? Didn’t matter, she was here now in the present and at an ironically twisted platform nonetheless. One person she could trust, at the very least for now. Never knew if they’d get to her later, these organizations always tended to have that influence on people, always corrupting, never repairing, always causing problems that Amea needed to fix. Evelyn was safe, she was here, and she was-

Amea froze as she looked at the admittedly different looking echani before her. The muscles that enveloped her jaw softened and threatened to pry her mouth open with nothing more than gravity itself. Eyes peeled back before they began to blink in surprise.

It wasn’t just Amea who had done something different to her hair then.

“Oh, this- yes.” Her eyes pried away from evelyn despite their better wishes. Every person around them was a threat, or maybe that was the insomnia speaking. “We need to get out of here and somewhere safe. I have a place, we can talk there.”

There was no time to think, Amea grabbed the Echani’s hand and began to pull her into the crowd and back towards her safehouse. A small basement, dilapidated but safe, she had made sure of that much. Smelled of a future mold problem for whoever lived above, but right now Amea lived below. Safe below, always safe below. Out of sight, out of mind.

Throughout the journey Amea showed clear signs of distress, of being extremely on edge, and most of all exhaustion. Sleep was a luxury, sleep was also the cousin of death. Amea did not want death. Death was bad.

They stepped down through a set of stairs below a rundown apartment complex, through a corridor of boarded up doors until finally Amea began to shuffle those items that blocked her door away from the archway that she called, well, her entrance.

And there it was, a high-end set of electronics, a cot with a well-worn sleeping bag on it as well as a worn down sofa pointed towards the holoscreen in a room that was hardly big enough for two, if only just about.

“Home sweet home,” Amea said and dragged a hand through her admittedly rundown hair, the tension in her shoulders releasing as she collapsed on the sofa with a long sigh, eyes nearly closing before she twitched awake again with a shook gasp.

“No sleep, too close. Onto me. Need help.”

 

[Evelyn Shaw]

At times like these, Evelyn would’ve gone full in on teasing Amea over her reaction. But as it ever seemed to be the case with them, it was more a time for seriousness than anything else. There was a time and place to make the mood lighter, right now wasn’t it.

The Echani went to speak, but Amea quickly grabbed her hand and began pulling her along. Evelyn didn’t resist, but managed to meet the sudden change in pace, without tripping over herself. Amea was in a hurry, that was for certain. The hand clutched around hers was tight, uncompromising. Evelyn assumed it was just to ensure they didn’t get pulled apart as they went through the crowds, but she couldn’t help but notice the slight shake to it.

Amea was running on fumes, whatever adrenaline had been keeping her going for the past however long. Evelyn noticed the rapid turns of the head, looking around for signs of someone; anyone that might be around the corner. A sure sign of paranoia, but the erratic nature made it apparent she hadn’t a decent sleep in a while.

So it wasn’t a shock to Evelyn when Amea immediately crashed the second she fell onto the sofa. Only for a second later, for the woman to suddenly lurch back up. Evelyn was quickly at her side, placing a hand against her shoulder.

“It’s alright, Amea. Calm down! You’re not in danger right now.” She tried her best to calm the woman down, trying to ease her to lay back down onto the sofa. “You wouldn’t have brought us here if you had the slightest inkling it was compromised. You-we, are safe. Get some sleep, Amea. I'll wake you up if something happens.”

Amea Virou​

 

[Amea Virou]

Those eyes closed and almost had to be pried open, but somehow Amea managed. She was back in her safe spot with someone to look after her now. She was safe for the moment, even if Evelyn would cut her throat while she slept. Evelyn wouldn’t do that, right? They hadn’t had the chance to get to her just yet. Go for the throat and then the heart, finish with a stomp. Amea’s battleplan played out within her mind with a surprising clarity, a swift execution for if Evelyn would have decided to betray her now.

Except the chance to act never came. The clarity in her vision was not from a lack of conscious effort but due to the lack of it. As the Echani woman’s hand stroked against her arm there was a spike of panic before the fumes finally evaporated into a fine mist. Amea’s entire body eased up and she fell limp into the sofa with an ungraceful thud against the patched up cushions, legs before her, arms tucked in a rigid position that made her sit like an angle square ruler bent out of shape.

And in that moment the safehouse fell quiet. Somewhere in the room a pest seemed to skitter along the scratched up floor panels. Wires and diodes that hopped in and out of a nearby console whined and hummed with electric life as transmissions seemed to come and go from the screens that it was hooked up to. Emptied ration bags, cartons with breadcrumbs and leftover tomato-cheese mixture rested on the opposite end of the desk with a small, neatly arranged pile of greasy circular cold cuts stood like a tower amongst the leftovers.

In the far corner of the room there was a bathroom with all the amenities needed for seeing to basic needs and hygiene, a room that was surprisingly clean given the state the rest of the safehouse was in. As the winds from the ceiling-mounted ventilation shaft hissed around the room it was soon joined by the hissing inhales of a passed out woman brought to her very limit. A small puddle had begun to take shape by the corner of her mouth, a bad habit she had unknowingly kept from the person she had once been.

For the first hour it seemed that nothing happened. Then came the second hour, followed by the fourth and ninth until finally a loud gasp echoed around the small room, Amea getting herself up onto her feet with a twitch trying to find stable ground again.

Evelyn Shaw

 

[Evelyn Shaw]

Evelyn let out a sigh of relief when Amea collapsed back down into the sofa. She was prepared to fight her to keep her from trying to avoid sleep, but was glad nonetheless that it never came to that. The Echani had picked up the tension in Amea’s form in those moments of lucidity, before the exhaustion finally claimed her.

Was she truly that paranoid on a daily basis? Surely not…

But then Evelyn couldn’t exactly blame her, Amea didn’t know her that well to just easily let her guard down around her. Evelyn suspected if she had some measure of consciousness still, she wouldn’t have fallen asleep with the Echani nearby.

She had run herself that ragged, that it wasn't even an option.

Not feeling the lull of sleep herself, Evelyn began to look and walk around. She was careful to not make much noise, despite the boots she was wearing. Lessons learned well from sneaking around during her youth. Her first point of interest was the console that was actively beeping and humming. Evelyn was no tech wiz, not like she assumed Amea was, but she was able to activate the screens that were arranged on the wall above the console.

A number of the screens were filled with lines of data, stuff Evelyn couldn't understand in the slightest. Others had what appeared to be some communication, local law enforcement by the looks of things. The remainder of the active screens were dedicated to surveillance, keeping watch over certain spots around the house and areas Evelyn didn’t recognize.

Paranoia aside, the Echani couldn’t deny that Amea was thorough.

After letting the monitors fall back into sleep mode, Evelyn resumed her investigation. Taking in the messy state of the main area, that to her looked like a college kids dorm room. It was an amusing thought at first, but it became apparent just how little food Amea seemed to have on hand. Ration bags, small containers, but nothing substantial. But then maybe that was just her lifestyle.

Next was the bathroom, of which Evelyn was quite surprised was kept very clean. Although it did raise the question in the Echani’s mind. Was that because Amea made sure to keep it that way, or was it because it didn’t get used much?

But those were questions for later, right now Evelyn was going to make sure Amea wasn’t disturbed. She walked back into the main area, stopping for a moment underneath the ventilation shaft. Too small for someone to get through, but a nasty vulnerability if someone were to try and gas the location. Evelyn’s thoughts were torn away however, by the sound of Amea deep in slumber.

She stifled the small laugh that tried to surface, instead focusing on finding a chair. Evelyn imagined and hoped Amea would get several hours of sleep.

Hours later, Amea awoke but Evelyn remained undisturbed initially. The Echani was seated nearby in a chair, positioned in such a way that if anyone came down the stairs, they’d see Evelyn before Amea. And subsequently be greeted with the barrel of the blaster clutched in her hand.

Some point during those hours, Evelyn had removed her hat and coat. The former had been placed on the edge of her chair, while the latter was hung up close by. It gave a much clearer look at Evelyn’s now shorter, stylised hair. The longer side concealing her face, but not the side that was facing the stairway.

It wasn’t until Amea moved again, that Evelyn finally stirred.

Amea Virou​

 

[Amea Virou]

Evelyn Shaw

Her heart pounded firm against her chest, each thump setting off a bigger dose of adrenaline than the one before it. Brown eyes darted around the room, fists at the ready until they fell upon the seemingly slumbering Echani that had stayed by her side. At first unfamiliar but then as recognizable as the day they had met. Amea’s shoulders sunk with little more than a hazy recollection that Evelyn had even gotten here. It was clear Amea had led her here, that much she recalled or she wouldn’t even have found this place, but everything else had been instinct more than anything.

As her hands fell by her side she felt a new tension spread throughout. Her eyes set upon the hair, the eyes and the lips. The Evelyn that Amea had left behind was very different from the one that she saw before her now. A phantom of the feeling, lips pressed against Amea’s cheek flooded her and for a moment the heat in the room seemed to get all the more intense before it quickly subsided.

“You’re here.” Amea exhaled with a happy chuckle, a sigh of relief. “Did I—”

Her eyes set on the sofa and the damp puddle on her makeshift pillow. A hand quickly moved up to swipe at the corner of her lips to get the last few remains out before she wiped it against her thigh, fingers spraddled in and out of the palm of her hand to get the last of it out as she let the last few moments of the morning settle down around her.

“I was so certain you would stab me in my sleep.” Amea groaned under her breath and began to stagger towards the small kitchenette to put on a kettle. “But you didn’t.”

“Thank you.”

 

[Evelyn Shaw]

Evelyn yawned slightly, giving her legs a small stretch as she herself woke up. Her eyes were glued to Amea, watching as the woman clambered off the sofa she had been sleeping on. She watched as she walked, a slight stagger in her step likely still groggy from waking up.

“You’re...welcome?” Evelyn replied, not wholly sure what to really say to that. Of course, she wasn’t going to stab Amea. But it was concerning that was the first thought that had crossed her mind. “How long has it been since you last slept? Because for a moment there you seemed to not even realize you had met up and brought me here.”

Part of her wasn’t going to be surprised if the answer was days, not hours.

As Amea occupied herself with the kettle, the Echani looked down at the blaster in her hand. She glanced over at the other woman, the stairway, then back to the weapon. A slight flick of her finger and Evelyn switched it back to its stun setting, and slid it back into its holster. Now standing up, Evelyn stretched her body a little, feeling a measure of stifness from having been seated in the same position for hours.

“How are you, Amea? You’re not hurt are you?”

There was no concealing the concern in her voice, but then if she was going to be honest, a lot about Amea concerned the Echani.

Amea Virou​

 

[Amea Virou]

Evelyn Shaw

Lips thinned into a meagre smile. Amea glanced over at the stretching Echani, eyes setting on her waist before she shook herself out of it and glanced back at the kettle to flick it on and hear it hiss-roar with renewed life. The question she was asked was a valid one, and yet Amea’s brows leapt for her forehead as she tried to trivialize it with a small shrug.

“Three days, give or take.” She said and threw another quick glance at Evelyn. “Had to keep an eye out, ensure they wouldn’t get me in my sleep. Been secluded in here for most of it, have felt eyes and ears around every corner. Don’t know who I can trust, had to call someone in.”


Deep breath, it was okay to confide for now. Amea turned around to sit on the counter and gave a hard swallow to get a good idea of what she would divulge and what she would keep for herself. It was clear that something about this had bothered Evelyn immensely, didn’t take a genius to figure that. It was that slight shift in the pitch of her voice, the way she seemed to frown without even curling her lips.

“A man tried to assault me,” Amea exhaled and shook her head. “I had a momentary lapse of judgment, and long story short he is dead.”

“Longer story even shorter… He was the heir-apparent to a local multi-planetary crime family too.” Amea dragged her hand through her hair in an attempt to get it under control. “They’re big, really big. I-might-not-be-able-to-work-in-this-sector-again, big.”

 

[Evelyn Shaw]

An eyebrow did raise at Amea’s admission of being up for roughly three days straight. Evelyn wanted to voice a complaint about such a thing, but it oddly reminded the Echani of the past. She had spent all-nighters studying, frantic over an exam the following day, then partying the night after that. It wasn’t quite the same thing as this, given Amea had potential death looming over her like a storm cloud.

Even though Evelyn did used to jokingly feel like death was approaching her during those...simpler times.

“Three days? Sounds like you were trying to go for a record or something.” A small joke to try and ease the mood, though Evelyn expected it would barely have an effect. The Echani walked over to the kitchenette, taking up a seat next to Amea. She glanced over, noting the look of contemplation in the woman’s eyes.

It well and truly was difficult for her to trust someone.

“Well, I’m glad you decided to call me.” She smiled slightly, warmth in her tone. Evelyn was sure Amea had friends, and yet had opted to call her instead. Although, it did cross the Echani’s mind on whether that was the exact reason Amea had called her. Not wanting to get someone she was attached to involved in whatever she got herself into.

As Amea began to explain, Evelyn froze slightly. The situation she had gotten into wasn’t unique, and the Echani could already tell where this was going. It was a problem that could turn incredibly nasty depending on a number of factors. And unfortunately, it sounded like Amea had kicked up a hornet’s nest.

Evelyn looked over at Amea, and made a quick decision in that moment. She slid off from her seat, stepped over and wrapped an arm around the woman. It was a one-armed hug, slightly awkward given the different positions they were in. But to Evelyn, it looked like Amea needed one.

“And I’m guessing you’re concerned this is going to follow you, even out of this sector. That you didn’t call me just simply as a ride off the planet?”

Amea Virou​

 

[Amea Virou]

Evelyn Shaw

Amea exhaled with a chuckle with her teeth revealed to show the somewhat prominent fangs before they sealed shut again. “Something like that.” She whispered under her breath with another sigh. In part she was still exhausted, in part because she never felt quite comfortable about opening up to people. At least not unless given a good reason to do so. Evelyn had been a fortunate accident of sorts, and she had proven herself capable. They played along well, but that’s more along the lines of what a colleague would do more than anything else.

At least she seemed glad Amea had called her. The brunette’s head lifted to look at Evelyn with a crooked smirk before she looked away again. The particulars of why she had chosen Evelyn in particular back when the call had to be made escaped her, if truth was to be told. Either that or she had slept it off, either way this was who had come for her, and for that Amea was grateful.

And then, she did something Amea would not have anticipated. A hug wrapped around her and Amea tensed up for a few seconds before she finally allowed herself to relax again to let the warmth of the hug spread through her system like a stray dog fed a piece of meat. The questions were there, but they eventually settled into a quiet acceptance before finally Amea wrapped both of her arms around Evelyn to pull her even closer, once more like a dog clinging to some form of familiarity.

“You’ve proven yourself to be capable.” Amea sighed and finally let Evelyn go. “I needed— need someone like that.”

She swallowed.

“And h- hey,” She let off an awkward chuckle. “You never, uh- never got a chance to explain what happened last time we said goodbye.”

The courage came back, Amea let off a mock scoff,

“Can’t just leave you hanging like that. Naturally.”

 

[Evelyn Shaw]

For a moment there Evelyn was half-expecting Amea to pull away from the hug. That or just freeze up on the spot. Everything about her, that the Echani had at least witnessed, indicated either could happen. So she was pleasantly surprised when Amea wrapped her arms around her, pulling her closer. It had proven a theory that had been stuck in Evelyn’s head since she had met her.

She was the loner type, whether truly, wanting others to just think she was, or a mix of the two. Evelyn had no doubt the woman thrived on the lifestyle, being able to work solo rather than with others. But at the same time, she was starved of that warmth, that comfort. The reminder that there were people out in the galaxy that cared for her.

Hearing that Amea considered her capable, it brought a smile to Evelyn’s face. She had certainly not felt that over the past several months. Her old crew had gotten killed because of her, and it had taken a good portion of that time for her to start moving past that. But just a bit, enough that it wasn’t completely weighing her down anymore.

That and well, trying to keep Hoshi behaving was no small feat.

As Amea broke the hug, Evelyn rubbed her back gently before fully disengaging. Just a moment after the kettle started to whistle, indicating it had finished. The Echani was on her feet first, and urged Amea to remain seated. It was her home/safehouse sure, but she was also the one the most exhausted.

First she grabbed two cups, making sure they were clean. Then she began to search for something suitable, primarily tea bags or something of the like. Evelyn turned slightly to look back at Amea, who had begun to mention their last encounter.

“What do you mean?” she asked, turned back around to hide the smirk from Amea. Oh, she knew what the woman was talking about, but she wanted to hear it from her. In the meantime, Evelyn’s search continued as she started investigating the upper cupboards, stretching up on her toes a little to check there wasn’t stuff hidden at the back of the shelves.

Amea Virou​

 

[Amea Virou]

Evelyn Shaw

The kettle was right on time. Amea glanced over at it, reflex getting the better of her as she began to rub at the back of her neck with a firm, almost pinching grip. With her lips tucked in between her teeth she pressed them down against each lip with a clearly growing sense of anxiety. This was new, the proximity to someone and the feeling that they might have cared for her enough to travel across a whole sector just to be here. The warning at the back of her mind still screamed for her to be on her toes, but something else kept her from backing away just yet. A sense of curiosity, perhaps. A desire for more, definitely.

And yet no sooner than the retort had been sent her way would Amea feel the air push from her lungs as if she had just been given a firm punch to the gut. Evelyn knew damn well what Amea had meant. She wanted to tell her off and yet she found herself unable to move, her eyes fixated on the way the Echani woman reached up into the cupboards and the view that it left Amea with. From where she sat there really was no denying that the makeover that Evelyn had given herself had worked out for her. From the hair to the eyes, the lips and the thighs, Amea forced herself to look away with a feigned cough as the Echani turned back around towards her, her hand covering her own lips and nose to hide the way her teeth had started to sink into her lower lip.

“You know, the uh-” She tried to speak as her arms spread before her. The attempted shrug was an attempt to play it cool about something that quite clearly had preoccupied her mind for a very long time. “Kiss. On the, uh, cheek.”

The words felt strange to even say, to contemplate and ponder. The second that she had spoken them was the same second that Amea began to shuffle in her seat while her hand rubbed at the back of her neck again to hide the quite obvious discomfort she felt over being put in the spot. Eye contact grew hard to even consider as she continued to stare at the tabletop before her. A hand slid into view, Amea’s eyes trailing along the arm that had placed it there until she eventually stared into those red eyes like a dog caught in a lie.

“It was—” Amea tried to speak more words but got little more than an exhale that whined against the back of her throat as if she was about to choke on them. Eyes away, cheeks frighteningly painful with their burn. “Unexpected.”

She glanced back up towards Evelyn.

“Why?”

 

[Evelyn Shaw]

While Amea was silently contemplating, Evelyn had finished her search. No tea bags were found, but instead caf granules had been. She poured some in each cup, taking a very rough guess at what Amea liked. The water followed shortly after and Evelyn gave each a stir before she turned around and stepped towards the tabletop.

She placed the cup down in front of Amea, remaining there until the woman eventually looked her straight in the eyes. The Echani’s gaze was serious, but also soft.

“Because you helped me, more than you had any need to. Yes, you couldn’t exactly not help with Aleksandr, given you were stuck in that situation just as much as I was. One could have walked away, back to their ship. But we both know that wouldn’t have worked out.” Aleksandr would’ve absolutely had his men fire at Amea if she had done that. “Willowdale however, you didn’t have to continue helping me. You could’ve just dropped me off and be on your way. But you stuck around, right until the end. It was a reward, a well earned one.”

Evelyn let go of the cup, allowing Amea to take it. The Echani walked back around the tabletop, taking up the seat she had previously occupied.

“In fact, you’ve helped me more than you realize.” Evelyn said no more, letting silence fall as she took a sip of her caf, letting out a soft sigh. She glanced over at Amea, waiting until she had taken a sip, then struck. “That and well...I like you.”

The Echani took another sip of her drink, then looked at Amea and grinned. “Want me to kiss the other one? I have to warn you though, it’ll leave a mark this time.”

Amea Virou​

 

[Amea Virou]

Evelyn Shaw

If that was above and beyond, then Amea supposed that made them even. There was no need for Evelyn to be here right now and yet she had come when Amea called for her. More so, there was no need for her to take care of things in the way that she did when Amea had been out cold, but Evelyn had done so anyway even when there was nothing in it for her. Though a kiss on the cheek felt like a strange form of reward Amea wouldn’t quite have the nerve to question it, her mind was far too preoccupied with everything else that went on around them. For example how the ceramic cup of caf in her hand seemed to burn against her skin at increasing temperatures, or the fact that Amea had in no way expected the conversation to go the way it had when she had called Evelyn, probably.

In fairness, Evelyn just had a handy name was all. Yeah, that was surely it. Evelyn had a name that started with the letter E. ‘E’ came before ‘L’ and even ‘R’ in the contacts list, 'A' was still a bit of a question mark and so naturally it was just exactly that which had made her call E instead of anyone else. Because E—

No sooner than Evelyn had spoken, Amea’s eyes set on her with a petrified stare. Fear, anxiety, and confusion spiked and overloaded her system. Cold sweats began to creep along her neck and forehead as the words danced around her mind singing a song of something she knew was out of her reach. Because the words they sang of and the idea that they represented felt alien to hear and to consider, and yet they really didn’t.

A short, panicked exhale burst through Amea’s nose as she continued to stare at the Echani woman’s nose bridge. Did she mean that she merely liked Amea, or something else? The first was hard to imagine, the second one impossible. When they had met it had been a meeting of inconvenience where Amea had simply done what she’d think anyone else would have done if they were in the same situation.

One shaken exhale was followed by the other, before finally her lips split with a meager whimper,

“No.” Her voice betrayed her, made her spit out a lie. “So wait, you… Like me?”

Her lower lip trembled.

“Like like-like, or like, like-like? There are many likes of likes out there, that are likeable likes and some that are like unlikeable likes, and-...” The word just didn’t go away, her mind tried to process it over and over again just before any form of comprehensible sentence could seem to take shape. She exhaled and tried again. “I haven’t- you don’t even-...”

 

[Evelyn Shaw]

Evelyn was admittedly taken aback by Amea’s reaction to her words. Her minor teasing months back at Willowdale had made it clear the woman was easily flustered at such attention. Although right now, she was doubting if she had pushed it too far. Evelyn had wanted to ease the tension in the room, lighten the mood so Amea wasn’t constantly looking over her shoulder, within the safety of her own place.

No, this was right. But it was maybe time to reel it in some.

“Breathe Amea, breathe. Drink some caf.” Evelyn paused to give the woman a time to calm said breathing. “I’d say I’m somewhere just past the like-like range. I don’t know you that well, Amea. But I’d like to.” She looked over at Amea, giving her a genuine smile. “That, and you’re pretty easy on the eyes.” Evelyn’s gaze looked her up and down, before giving her a wink.

Okay, maybe just one last little tease/flirt before she stopped.

Evelyn let Amea think on those words, knowing the woman was likely going to go into an internal debate over them. There was a mix of fascination and concern in the Echani, over how she had reacted to all this. Surely someone like Amea has gotten attention like this before, right? And yet the reaction made the Echani worried she was going to faint all of a sudden.

She took a large sip of her caf, before moving the subject matter onto something that was probably more important right now.

“Have you had any ideas, any plans for what to do with the situation you're in currently?”

Amea Virou​

 

[Amea Virou]

Evelyn Shaw

There was a moment of quiet as Amea stared at the caf in her cup. It had since cooled down just the slightest. The heat was far from the same, the desire to drink it gone. The kick was needed, but she didn’t want it, the situation had already forced her awake as it was. Like-like was still a new thing, even if it wasn’t necessarily the first time. There had been people before her that had merely liked her, found one thing or the other attractive enough to make a move, but beyond that…

No, that wasn’t where Evelyn was going with this. Amea glanced up from her cup as her breathing started to even out. The last dig at her expense was met with a timid smile and chuckle before she looked away again, just in time to catch the wink before her mind began to go back to what they had been talking about before.

“Indentured servitude.” Amea’s words rang hollow, defeated almost. “Killing them all?”

Her shoulders rolled in a shrug before she sighed again and took her first sip of the drink. It was bitter enough, but just right for contemplating the next move. As far as those went Amea had focused entirely on survival up until now with a particular focus on her day-to-day. Her walls had been erected a long time ago to prevent this from happening, but in the end it seemed she had built a picket fence in place of a floodgate.

Was that what this was? Had Evelyn seen through the illusion? Was this an elaborate trap to get to her? Amea squinted for a second before she shook her head and stared down at her cup again. It wouldn’t have made sense for her to keep Amea alive for this long if she had, right?

… Right?

Her thoughts swayed between what was relevant and what wasn’t. Solutions to her problem with the mob should have been relevant, but there was so much else that she preferred to occupy herself with at that moment.

“I can’t just keep killing people to solve my problems.” Amea finally said and exhaled, eyes wandering up yet again to glance over at Evelyn with a pitiful expression spread across her face. “But being on the ground, dazed and confused - even if it was just for a second - reminded me of…”

She exhaled and shook her head, eyes closing to hide behind. “It reminded me of when I woke up.”

“... After the mindwipe.”

 

[Evelyn Shaw]

The Echani suspected it was going to be a particular pastime, just watching Amea as she was lost in her thoughts. She likely thought she could hide it, but if someone looked carefully they could pick up on the slight expressions, the shifts in posture. Evelyn felt like she had a decent grasp on reading people, and right now Amea was a storm of differing emotions.

Almost as though she was conflicting with two different personalities, or thinking like she’s meant to be two. No...that didn’t make sense in Evelyn’s mind. She brushed it off, thinking she was just overthinking it. Amea was just...troubled, living a life that wasn’t healthy, but equally not as easy to get out of.

Part of that reminded the Echani of her parents.

No. She wasn’t going to open that particular can of worms.

Evelyn took a sip of her caf, glancing over at Amea as she started speaking again. She raised an eyebrow at the first statement, over not being able to remain killing to solve problems. Evelyn wasn’t exactly going to disagree with that, but there was something off with how Amea was speaking. She was leading up to something.

The Echani blinked, jaw slacking slightly as it threatened to drop. Did she just say she had been...mindwiped? Evelyn was almost tempted to ask Amea to repeat it, but she refrained. No, that’s absolutely what she had said.

“Wait, what?! You were mindwiped? Like how a droid is?” It was the only comparison Evelyn had. Of all her life, she never thought a flesh and blood person could be wiped of their memories. And despite the mix of concern and bewilderment, Evelyn caught the expression on Amea’s face.

This was not something she openly talked about, and it wasn’t easy for her when she did. Evelyn’s expression became sombre, and she shifted her chair over closer, in case Amea needed that warmth again.

“What happened?”

Amea Virou​

 

[Amea Virou]

And then, right there it played out before her. The pools of blood that clung to her cheeks like the spit from an overly eager dog trying its best to comfort a long-lost master. The hollow, glossed over stare of a fresh cadaver with its skull bashed in and the sound of an enraged friend doing his part to wrap it all up. Violence was where Amea had been born, and violence was the language she spoke like no other.

“Yes, like a droid.” She whispered. Her shoulders lifted with a deep inhale before she let out a prolonged sigh. “Strapped some form of machine to my head, rewired something up there and tore it all to pieces. No backups, just an empty husk ready for them to reprogram however they wished. They would have gotten so much more out of me than that if I hadn’t stopped the process, but…”

Her head shook. “Somehow I did.”

She needed something to break out of it, to push away the images that closed in on her but nothing seemed to be at hand. Alcohol usually helped, other more carnal means when that failed. Amea traced her thumb around the cup in her hands. The contents shivered as she tried to lift it, clearly worn by the memories.

“I wasn’t the first, but I sure as hell was one of the last.” Amea said as she put the cup to her lips and gave a big swallow. “At first I tried to forget about it, but the images just wouldn’t go away.” She closed her eyes again, lowered her head and shoulders with a sigh of defeat. “So I took that first step.”

“I found out who they were,” Amea’s voice grew darker, feral as she began to tighten her grip around her cup. “And then I found out who their friends were and what they did for fun.”

“And then, piece for piece, one soul after the other, I made sure that they would never be able to do it again.” Her eyes wandered up to meet Evelyn’s. “I murdered every single name I found on that list, and the images still won’t go away.”