Private Iris and Kai's Excellent Adventure

[Kai Bamarri]

Iris was definitely not taking the news well, but Kai felt weirdly content about this whole situation. It was strange. He just… didn’t care. Or at least, he didn’t mind it as much.

Since he found it awkward to lean over Iris while he dressed her wound, he motioned for her to sit down beside him. From there it was a ritual; clean the cut, apply bacta, wrap it in a bandage.

<I think I’ll be fine with a little rest,> he said. Of course, what he thought didn’t mean much, given that he still barely understood his own limits. <Don’t worry about me, Iris.>

Even after he finished, Kai’s attention lingered on the scars which covered her right arm and shoulder. His fingertips gently traced over them, morbidly fascinated, before he realized what he was doing and stopped. <Sorry. I just...>

If he kept fighting, would he wind up with markings gouged in his flesh like hers? <Is it bad? Having these?> he asked tentatively, gesturing to her scars.

Iris Arani​

 

[Iris Arani]

She sat at his beckon and held out her arm for him to dress. As best she could without it hurting too much anyway. And her gaze just traveled. Despite being trapped here with no way of getting off world, it was at least a pretty place. Something to paint, when she had the supplies. Thinking about it, she needed to take stock of her own supplies soon. Figure out water. Food.

All of that. Survival training was never more useful.

It was only then that she realized Kai was tracing over her scars. She could barely feel it.

"Probably. People get uncomfortable when they see them. And sometimes they hurt. A lot. But otherwise I'm not really bothered by them myself."

Kai Bamarri

 

[Kai Bamarri]

<Uncomfortable?> Kai’s brow furrowed. <I like them. Not that that means anything, since my standards are different from most people… but I like that you can crack and fuse back together like this. I think it’s cool.>

<Uh, it’s not cool if it still hurts you, though. I didn't know the scars kept hurting after they healed...> Since she didn’t seem to mind his touch, he relaxed… only to brace his palms against his thighs, look up at her face and cautiously add, <You’re really pretty, Iris. I can see that now.>

Kai had known beauty from the moment he was born. But it was like he had gained a new understanding of something that had always been there. He just hadn’t been able to see it before. And now that he could perceive it, he wasn’t going to forget it.

Rising to his feet, he picked up the bag of salvage and slung it over his shoulder. <We should probably find shelter.>

Iris Arani​

 

[Iris Arani]

"It's not like your old body. Humans, those close to them biologically, they can't fully heal what was broken. Just compensate. Scar tissue is harder than normal. What's the term.. Broken bones heal stronger? But there's a lot of outside influence to make it happen. Doctors and the like."

Iris was trying to make it some kind of lesson, if only because she figured Kai was hiding his own pain again. Concern was the only thing in her eyes. Then confusion. She blinked slowly, head tilting to the side as she watched him stand up. Why did he keep having to say things like that out of no where? She didn't want to think like that. Not right now. not while she was worried about him.

"Shelter, then you let me do a full examination. You crashed too, y'know."

Kai Bamarri

 

[Kai Bamarri]

<I know. I like being able to see where it broke and then healed. It’s like those artists from Atrisia that will fix something broken and paint the cracks over with gold, but the body does it on its own.> He looked a little wistful. <I know what it’s like to shatter, with no hope of putting myself back together.>

He wasn’t referring to his current pain—he was talking about his first death. Darth Transitus had held his crystalline body in his hands and crushed him into shards of stone.

Sensing her confusion and then rejection of his compliment, he glanced back at her over his shoulder. <What, I can’t call you pretty? Okay, Iris. You’re not pretty.> He grinned. <You’re beautiful.>

She was quite lovely, with her violet-within-blue eyes, heart-shaped lips, and smooth black hair. Her babyish upturned nose gave her youthfulness that would last her all her life. The scars might make others pity her, but Kai admired those too for reasons he had already laid out.

"Shelter, then you let me do a full examination. You crashed too, y'know."

<Okay good, okay fine. You can fully examine me after we find a cave or some other place to sleep in.>

He trudged through the woods. It was quite a hike before they found anything remotely resembling proper shelter, and the sky was getting cloudy, like it was about to rain. But in time, Kai spotted a dark alcove on a rocky slope. There was just enough room for them to squeeze inside and stay dry.

Iris Arani​

 

[Iris Arani]

Okay it's not like she didn't want to be called pretty. But there were times and places for that kind of thing and she wasn't even sure how she felt. Iris had accepted not even that long ago they'd just be friends, and now he- Oh he called her beautiful. Iris blinked slowly before her gaze fell to the ground as she followed him.

She really didn't understand any of this.

"It will work." She muttered, mostly to herself. Iris shifted her way into the cave as best she could before turning her gaze out towards the woods close by. "Let's get you checked out. Does anything hurt? And don't hide it."

Kai Bamarri

 

[Kai Bamarri]

<I’m trying to cheer you up,> Kai said, his tone a little more serious. <You seem really depressed about us getting stuck here. So, there. At least you’re still beautiful even after crashing and burning on a deserted planet.>

He didn’t even have to stop and think about whether physical beauty mattered. What he felt when he looked at her was good, and since her beauty was the source of that goodness, he wanted to share it with her. Maybe he didn’t really know how to do that, but at least he was trying.

Taking a seat on the stone floor of the tiny cave, he submitted to her exam.

<I’ve got a really nasty bruise on my left shin, my ribs hurt, my back is sore, I’ve got a headache, and I’ve felt a little nauseous ever since we crashed.> In fact, he was suffering from a mild concussion, though he didn’t know that. <Why would I hide anything from you?>

Iris Arani​

 

[Iris Arani]

"I'm not depressed, I just-" She shook her head. No, she didn't want to talk about her. Not yet, anyway. If at all. Iris looked over every injured part mentioned, her multi colored eyes narrowed in focus. No, focus on the now. Ribs might be broken, which she couldn't do a lot about. Same with what sounded like a concussion. At least there was a medipack. She flipped that open, grabbing some bacta patches to at least put over the bruises she could. Even helped him out of his shirt.

Well more made. There was no saying no, not if his ribs were actually broken.

Satisfied they at least didn't puncture anything, she'd put the remaining patches over his ribs.

"Because you worry too much about me and think your problems aren't an issue."

Kai Bamarri

 

[Kai Bamarri]

<You just what?> Kai asked, only for Iris to rudely rip his shirt off. Given the change in the weather, it was a bit chilly. At least her hands were warm.

He thought he was getting better. There were actual muscles visible on his body now, his once scrawny physique becoming more athletic after months of physical training. But being stronger and tougher didn’t mean you wouldn’t get hurt if something hit you hard enough,

<It’s my job to worry about you,> he retorted. Then again, it wasn’t as if he was her master or guardian... <I care about you, okay? That means I can’t help but worry. Also, I’m not the one who had a broken bone sticking out of my skin when we crashed, so I’d say your problems were worse than mine.>

Iris Arani​

 

[Iris Arani]

"There's such a thing as worrying too much, you know. And a broken arm like mine is nothing compared to if your broken ribs punctured something. You could've been bleeding out all this time and had no idea because you only worried about me." She huffed. Shot him a glare. She really was annoyed that he prioritized her like this. He shouldn't be. She wasn't like she used to be, not anymore.

Iris let out a sigh after a second, handing Kai back his shirt before leaning against the cave wall to turn her gaze back outside. "I'm not more important than you or something that needs protecting."

Kai Bamarri

 

[Kai Bamarri]

<How would I have known if my ribs were broken even if I wasn't worried about you? I'm not the healer here...>

Was she getting feisty with him? Trying not to smirk, he leaned toward her, his tone mild and almost teasing.

<Oh, but what if I want to protect you, hm? What if I like it, Iris? You certainly seem to enjoy taking my shirt off and tending to my wounds, so don’t you criticize me for doing the same to you. Besides, it seems to me that we ought to look out for each other right now more than ever, when we’re all we’ve got.>

Taking back his shirt, he pulled it on with some difficulty, wincing. He was full of aches and pains that were especially noticeable now that he was resting.

Iris Arani​

 

[Iris Arani]

There were a lot of different thoughts going through her head as he leaned over. A lot she wasn't even sure she wanted to think about. But really, there was only one that stuck out. Her eyes shifted to him, gazing from their corners as her lips formed an uncertain frown.

"You really changed. Not just your body."

Kai Bamarri

 

[Kai Bamarri]

She was right. He felt different. Everything seemed much more vivid, almost like he'd taken a sense-altering drug.

He loved it. It was addictive.

<Changed for good, or changed for bad?> he asked.

Outside, the rain began to pick up, pattering against the stone.

Iris Arani​

 

[Iris Arani]

"I don't really know. You're colors are brighter. You're happier. But you're flirting with me now. You've never done that before. It's like you flipped a switch and suddenly you want me and I don't know how I feel about that."

Her gaze turned back out to the rain as she huddled more onto herself. It was going to get cold soon. Colder.

"It's not fair for you to do that. I focused on just being friends with you after everything. I don't want it to get complicated again."

Kai Bamarri

 

[Kai Bamarri]

Kai sobered at her words, leaning back again with a guilty expression. He hadn’t meant to hurt her or be unfair. He just…

<I’m sorry.>

Listening to the pouring rain, he saw Iris beginning to curl in on herself, trying to preserve some warmth. He opened the duffel bag of supplies, rifled around in it, and pulled out an emergency blanket.

<Here.> He moved to wrap it around her shoulders. There was only one blanket, big enough that they could share it, but he didn’t think she wanted to be that close to him right now.

Iris Arani​

 

[Iris Arani]

"You don't have to be sorry. I just- You're still Kai, right?" It seemed stupid to ask now that she did. The only thing that seemed to change was that he was feeling more. Wasn't that what it meant to be human?

She took the blanket, pulling it around herself as she stayed in her own thoughts. It took a second before she realized there was only one. And again he was prioritizing her. Iris wasn't even sure what to say, so she just moved and wrapped the blanket around them both.

".. I don't want to loose you as a friend again."

Kai Bamarri

 

[Kai Bamarri]

<Yeah. Of course...>

To his surprise she moved over to him and wrapped the other end of the blanket around him. He was cautious at first, but at the same time he was undoubtedly drawn to her—if only because she was warm.

<You're not going to lose me,> he assured her. <If anything, I'll lose you in the end. I'm going to live a lot longer than you.>

He felt a tightening in his chest as she said it that he'd never felt before. A sadness filled him. None of his friends would outlive the Bamarri.

<Friends come and go. But I think this is meant to last.>

Iris Arani​

 

[Iris Arani]

"Don't- That's not-" That wasn't at all what she was talking about, but.. It made sense. Iris let out a sigh, closed her eyes, and just leaned against him. "I'll never stop being your friend. .. Sorry. I don't really know what to say now."

Kai Bamarri

 

[Kai Bamarri]

<Then what…?> Kai was just as confused, if not more than her.

But Iris dropped the subject. While she was leaning against him, and her scent filled his world, he couldn’t resist holding her close.

<I never thought you would,> he murmured, resting his head against hers. <Just that we could add the words ‘girl’ and ‘boy’ to the front of friend.>

Iris Arani​

 

[Iris Arani]

There wasn't any pretending that she didn't hear him. Not with his 'voice' in her head. But Iris didn't have an answer. Not with everything that was going on. Not with what happened here, with them crashing. Not with how different things had gotten between them both. Not with the other issue she was still trying to figure out for herself. So, unwilling to even try to think of an answer and just exhausted, Iris went to sleep.

Kai Bamarri