Public Limbo

[Doc Painless]

Doc Painless jerked awake, a message alert blaring its way through his implants.

He was accustomed to rude awakenings. Being the trusted, on-call doctor for a band of criminals and freedom fighters meant he couldn't really keep normal person hours, with regular blocks of time for sleep. He seldom slept much anyway, truth be told, only when exhaustion dragged him down so much that he couldn't keep going. He preferred to be working at all times. He told himself that it was because what he did was so important; it wasn't just Darkwire runners he treated, but a wide range of Denon's poor and socially outcast. That was only part of the reason, though. When he was busy saving lives, he didn't have time to think. To regret.

He had a lot of regrets to block out.

Pushing aside a ragged blanket, the Doc grabbed at the bottle of Corellian whiskey he'd fallen asleep all but cuddling and shook it back and forth experimentally, listening for the slosh of liquid inside. There wasn't much left, so he unscrewed the cap and poured it straight down his throat in one go. Mmmm, breakfast. As the liquor traced a warm path through his chest and settled uneasily in his much-abused stomach (thence to pass through his even more abused liver), the street medic checked the message. It was from Daiya, one of the runners he knew best... though that wasn't saying much. He'd kept to the fringes of Darkwire.

He was too old to be getting involved in the tangle of teen relationships surrounding her and her friends.

This wasn't boy trouble, though - not that she would have called him for that, anyway. This sounded pretty serious. His arm servos whining as they warmed up, the Doc pushed himself to his feet and - a little unsteadily - hustled over to a nearby counter, where he kept his go-bag. Ever since the loss of his clinic up in Seven Corners, seized by the Corpos in the wake of Xopsaloff's assassination, he'd kept several bags stuffed with essential medical supplies in various hidden locations around Denon... plus one right next to the door of his clinic, ready to be grabbed in a hurry. Slinging the satchel over his shoulder, he hurried out the door, locking it behind him.

Hopefully no junkies would find time to rob him tonight. This morning? Afternoon? He had no idea.

The coordinates Daiya had given him were in the Suicide Slums, the most desperate and downtrodden neighborhood of Seven Corners. It wasn't the kind of place that Corpo rent-a-cops patrolled... but it was still a risk for the Doc to show his face there. He was a wanted man, labeled a terrorist and a cop-killer, and any holocam on Denon that caught sight of his features would instantly forward them to CorpSec and flag his location. But if Daiya needed his help, he couldn't put his personal safety in front of that. So he drew up the hood of his jacket and settled a breath mask over his face, concealing himself as much as he could on short notice.

The Doc had a guy, a rodian cab driver, who could take him where he needed to go without asking any questions. The cabbie never seemed to sleep much either, and showed up at the clinic door within two minutes of the street medic's signal. The Doc offered him a smile and a nod; the two of them almost never spoke, but they had an understanding, one that had begun back when the Doc had saved the cabbie's life after a particularly grim barfight injury. He still paid the rodian as much as he could afford, of course, but it was that bond - that debt - that had convinced the guy to show up literally whenever the Doc needed it. And thank the Force for that.

It was a quick but tense ride back over to Seven Corners, and down into the slums. The Doc checked the charge on the blaster he now wore at his hip, the one Shai had taught him to use. He was getting to be a good shot, though he wished daily that he didn't have to be. Then, with a nod of thanks and a quick credit transfer - through a maze of aliases and accounts from former patients who'd agreed to help him keep a low profile - the street medic stepped out. He tried not to think of how strange it was to be back here, the site of the first Darkwire job posting he'd ever made, and the home of many of his first patients on Denon. He had a job to do.

Walking quickly, adjusting his hood whenever he saw a holocam so that his face stayed obscured, the Doc closed in on the coordinates Daiya had given him. He hoped she'd been able to hold on while he'd been on his way over; he'd been quick, but hardly instant. Dropping a hand to the grip of his blaster, the other steadying his satchel so that it wouldn't fly around and bump against him if he had to break into a run, he eased around the last corner and cast his gaze over the scene beyond. "Daiya?" he asked, his voice low but powerful enough to carry a good distance. "What's going on?" She'd probably moved into cover, out of the street.

At least, that was what he was hoping for.

Daiya | Hacks | Saija Kwann | Cassus Akovin | Xan Deesa​

 

[Cassus Akovin]

Cassus fired through the goons, trying to stay behind cover and move closer towards the group. Luckily, the fighting stopped long enough for Saija and Daiya to assist in repelling the deranged gangsters. Saija Kwann deftly eliminated their jury-rigged machinery. Things began to settle, which allowed Cassus to see how everything turned out.

He wasn't happy with what he observed. Daiya looked to be in terrible condition, and Hacks looked even worse by her standards. However, there was a brief bit of hope filling him, as the data he collected from his scan was all but confirmed a match. If this wasn't Hacks, it was at least using all or most of her original hardware. He'd send this data to someone more digitally adept than he was to confirm ( Xan Deesa ?). Transporting the cyborg would be complicated by hand considering the dense cybernetics, but he had come prepared.

"Saija put this on Hacks, and take this. Just point it at her, and it'll be like she's on a repulsor lift." He handed her a Magnetic Anchor and a Manipulation Projector. He ran to Daiya's aid.

"Yeah, sure." He helped her over to the boxes she requested. He didn't know why but he hated to see Daiya like this. "We should probably get out of the area. I can carry you. Saija can carry Hacks. I shoulda gotten here sooner, but I had to be sure she wasn't a fake."

At some point, either sitting in place or moving out of the dump, Doc Painless eventually would intercept them.

"Not just Daiya, Doc." He gestured behind him with a thumb towards the unconscious floating Hacks .

 

[Daiya]

Cassus grasped her hand.

She hadn't been expecting Pool Boy, and the cry that left her lips wasn't at his expense. Daiya tried to move, finding every part of her screaming in protest. She looked down to make sure her hip wasn't actually on fire, it burned a path right to her brain's nexus. The teen slumped back down, caught now on the edge of his grip. He held her aloft now, her back hovering above the ground as she willed the rest of her to cooperate.

Daiya set her jaw, then pulled herself up again with Pool Boy's help. Her scream only fled through gritted teeth this time, a low squeal that precipitated the many short breaks and gasps of air it took the young shadowrunner to fully rise off the ground. Her vision blurred from the tears streaming freely down her face, though her cries softened to a whimper as Daiya managed to find her feet again.

Just one foot.

The other made her screech to touch it to the ground, and Daiya's throat was already hoarse. She leaned on him, relying on Cassus in a way she never thought would happen. When did she start taking help from Pool Boy, of all people? The teen's mind screamed at her to take hold, though, and so she did. With her weight on one foot and his arm, Daiya hobbled over to the pile of boxes that were just off to the side.

It was enough to be away from the garbage pile and its smell.

More than that, it was good to be away from her.

"It's just a trick," Daiya told him. She couldn't make out the woman through her blurry vision anymore. She knew her attacker was still there, collapsed somehow after throwing Daiya across the street. The teen found Cassus' arm again, gripping it tight as she looked up at the blurry shape that was his face right now. "It's not really her, Cassus. It can't be. Corpos got to her, you saw what she did to me."

Another whimper served to prove her point. The girl couldn't help the tears anymore, nor did she care to. Her side was feeling numb, but the pain still coursed through her body. It wasn't her hip now, or her head that hurt, it just hurt. She hurt like nothing would ever feel right again. Every second felt like agony, but before she knew it, there was another presence in the mix. A voice that spoke to her, and one she had been expecting to take longer to arrive.

"Doc, I...she..." was all the girl could muster. She wiped at her eyes to see Doc Painless more clearly. Somehow, he looked how she felt: like absolute chit. Through redshot eyes and slowed reactions, though, Doc was taking in as much as he could about the scene. Pool Boy took over to explain who needed help.

Daiya dug her nails into Cassus' arm when he pointed over to the cyborg woman. The woman who couldn't be the real Hacks. Not even injury would convince the girl to have any sympathy for the broken woman. "Feth her. Doc, she attacked me! Leave that schutta where she is."

She nearly spat the curse out. Daiya glared in the woman's direction, then at Doc. The tears were winning their fight again, and another wave of pain overtook her. Her hand flew to her hip, pressing down hard to stave off the groan that slipped through her lips. Not a scream this time, but still not pleasant. "It hurts, Doc..."

Hacks Xan Deesa Saija Kwann Cassus Akovin Doc Painless​

 

[Doc Painless]

He hadn't been expecting a whole gaggle of runners, but here they were.

They looked... battered. Physically and emotionally. "Cassus," the Doc said, offering a nod when the runner pointed out that he was there too. "What happened?" He very nearly included a the feth in that question, but by the look of things, he needed to be a calm and steadying presence right now. Fething hells, he wasn't awake or sober enough for this by half... but he couldn't remember the last time he had been. This was his life, running from crisis to crisis while desperately keeping his own head down, with scarcely a moment's rest. If it wasn't his obligations or the corpos dogging at his heels, it was his own half-buried demons, with their claws of self-loathing.

But he could fake it long enough to make it real. There was no other choice. There never was.

Blinking hard in an attempt to clear his blurred vision, a remembered gesture that didn't actually do anything for eyeballs long since replaced with cybernetic grafts, the Doc followed Daiya's accusing finger... and froze. The little group was floating another body along somehow, despite the emphatic protests from one of their number, and it was one that the street medic recognized. As usual, not someone he knew well on any personal level - he was ever the outsider to the complex network of interpersonal relationships that connected many of Darkwire's runners. But he knew enough about her, had moved in enough of the same circles, that he could tell who she was.

Hacks. Long lost, thought dead... and now apparently violent against his friends.

That was a lot to unpack, but this was not the place to do it. The Doc needed to put an end to this argument now, so that they could all get out of here. "If it's someone who looks like one of us," the street medic told Daiya gently, "we need to find out what's going on. Someone may be taking a page out of Xopsaloff's book, sending something like those doppelgängers after us again. And people... change under torture. We know that." He laid a hand on her shoulder, giving it a soft squeeze. "We've got control of the situation now. She won't hurt you again, and our first priority is going to be getting you somewhere safe. Hold on."

Reaching quickly into his satchel, the Doc produced an injector. He couldn't tell where she'd been injured, which at least meant she hadn't been shot or stabbed; that would have been obvious. But there were all sorts of extremely painful and dangerous injuries that left less obvious external marks, if any. He needed to get her somewhere he could examine her, and he needed to do it before anyone nasty - be they CorpSec or local street gangs - showed up to investigate the commotion. That meant moving her as quickly and quietly as possible, and that in turn meant pain relievers, because she was clearly in a world of hurt. Given how tough she was, bad sign.

"I'm going to give you something for the pain, okay? It'll be really warm for a few seconds, and then it'll stop." He held up the injector in front of her, making sure he had her consent before he applied the needle. His next words were addressed to Cassus. "We need somewhere to lay low, and I don't have a place near here anymore. Is there anywhere you know of?" The Doc ultimately wanted to get Daiya back to his clinic, where he could give her - and Hacks, if that's who this really was - a better once-over, but it'd take time they might not have. Hacks looked to be in even worse shape than Daiya, with obvious wounds. And if she died, well...

At best, they lost an important lead, and at worst, they lost a friend who needed their help.

Daiya | Hacks | Saija Kwann | Cassus Akovin | Xan Deesa​

 

[Saija Kwann]

When things settle, I catch up with Cassus. "You couldn't have picked a better time to show up. You're like my favorite person right now."

"Saija put this on Hacks, and take this. Just point it at her, and it'll be like she's on a repulsor lift." He handed her a Magnetic Anchor and a Manipulation Projector. He ran to Daiya's aid.

"On it," I reply more seriously, while I take the equipment from Cassus. In a few moments, she's ready for transport out of this garbage dump. My hand rests on my blaster...still not taking chances. I'm feeling conflicting emotions of samaritan concern for the girl and a healthy dose of fear, now that I know what she's capable of.

Daiya dug her nails into Cassus' arm when he pointed over to the cyborg woman. The woman who couldn't be the real Hacks. Not even injury would convince the girl to have any sympathy for the broken woman. "Feth her. Doc, she attacked me! Leave that schutta where she is."

The Doc needed to put an end to this argument now, so that they could all get out of here. "If it's someone who looks like one of us," the street medic told Daiya gently, "we need to find out what's going on. Someone may be taking a page out of Xopsaloff's book, sending something like those doppelgängers after us again. And people... change under torture. We know that." He laid a hand on her shoulder, giving it a soft squeeze. "We've got control of the situation now. She won't hurt you again, and our first priority is going to be getting you somewhere safe. Hold on."

"He's right. Don't make it personal, Daiya. If she's an enemy, better to keep her on our terms, maybe get some intel. But if she's your friend..." I didn't need to finish the rest.

 

[Cassus Akovin]

"You couldn't have picked a better time to show up. You're like my favorite person right now."

"Wish it could have been sooner," He said a bit regretfully as he began to get Daiya on her feet.

"It's just a trick," Daiya told him. She couldn't make out the woman through her blurry vision anymore. She knew her attacker was still there, collapsed somehow after throwing Daiya across the street. The teen found Cassus' arm again, gripping it tight as she looked up at the blurry shape that was his face right now. "It's not really her, Cassus. It can't be. Corpos got to her, you saw what she did to me."

He felt her hands grip him tightly and saw her searching face. Looking into her eyes, he could tell there was a blurry daze. She'd been rattled good. Cassus suddenly had to consciously unclench his jaw to speak to her.

"I know," He was more aware of what she did to Daiya than anything else right now. "But I checked her hardware. At least most of that is her. Can't risk losing a friend." He was talking about Hacks, but the inflection he chose was different. As if it wasn't Hacks, he was worried about losing.

"I should have come sooner."

"We need somewhere to lay low, and I don't have a place near here anymore. Is there anywhere you know of?"

Until Doc started talking to him specifically, Cassus wasn't sure if he heard anything else. His focus was entirely on keeping Daiya up and out of pain. He looked towards Doc.

"Hold on a moment," Clearing his mind a bit, he adjusted a hand free to activate his mask. As it came up, something seemed wrong but he couldn't place what it was. A route to his ship was high lighted, there was a Bounty Hunters Guild locale, some of the old Darkwire hang-outs, a location to a new speakeasy he heard had opened up. It caught his eye first.

"I think I've got a place, could be a few contacts there to gather any supplies you need, can't be sure." Just as he was about to transmit data to a datapad, the data feed cut out and that's when he noticed a huge spiderwebbing crack on the inside of his HUD display. Was I shot? He didn't even notice the damage until now, and as he tried to stow the mask... it collapsed and fell into pieces. Except the damage wasn't there before, it appeared as Doc and the rest of them were watching him. Like the anxious faltering behavior he was displaying, his mask seemed to shatter all on its own...

"Kriff," He swore as he tried to catch a falling piece. He hoped the sudden jolt wouldn't hurt Daiya, and so when he failed to catch anything he brought It back to support her. "Sorry."

"I think I know an entrance, should I move her on the speederbike?" He asked the Doc, "Is that fine?" He asked Daiya.

Daiya Doc Painless Xan Deesa Hacks Saija Kwann

 

[Daiya]

Her chest shuddered. She whimpered between gasping breaths, hating the seconds the others took up talking.

Talking!

Daiya pressed the hand tighter against her hip, sharpening the pain for a moment until it dulled under her fingers. It wasn't enough. She moved it down to her thigh, shifting the pressure to another site in a desperate grasp for relief. She pressed harder, harder and harder, digging the palm of her hand in deeper against the mounting agony.

"Shut the feth up, just do something!" Daiya cried, cutting the pain in her voice with anger. The teen could hardly stand it another moment, her eyes tracking Doc vividly as he searched his bag for equipment. The injector seemed as long as his arm, with a needle the grew wider than her eyes.

Her breathing quickened as the girl muttered to herself, "Oh, feth."

For a man named Doc Painless, he sure wasn't selling it well. Daiya glanced from his face to the needle, more intent on listening this time. He promised it would stop, that was all she needed to know.

Taking the hand from her hip, she placed it on top of the doc's and pulled it toward her. The distressed teen pleaded with him, a whimper and a word, "Please!"

Daiya didn't want it. The needle sank in so far, a burning pinch that set her eyes to flood again. She shut them against the sensation, groaning in response, but the doc was already done. The needle was gone and he pulled the injector back, her hand falling down limp next to her.

She drew in a breath. Then again.

They came easier now, one after another, and each time the young shadowrunner waited for her lungs to catch. For her chest to shudder again, and her heart to quicken, and the pain to return in full force. Yet with every passing moment, it faded. First to a throbbing rhythm, pulsing to the beat of her heart, then to a dull hum. The tension in her body eased as her breathing slowed.

Starting to feel more like herself again, Daiya first swallowed. The bitter, salty taste left her mouth, massaging the lump in her throat as it flowed past. She brought a hand up to her face, and it came away with a wet film on top. Her body tried to chuckle at the sight, offering up a series of panting whimpers in their place.

It was so dumb.

A little pain kept her down, so fething dumb. Daiya felt the fool, waiting on everyone else to help her. To dote on her as if she was a little girl again. She could handle a little pain!

Cassus' hands abruptly shifted, and she glanced up at him. His mask was off now, he was talking to Doc about something. She strained to hear what it was, but the only words he had now were about her. Daiya brushed off his hand, adding brusquely, "I'm not a little girl, you don't have to carry me!"

Daiya stood, waving off all the attempts to help her. Suddenly, the teen wished she hadn't. The world tilted before her, and when she shifted her foot to stabilize, her knee buckled. She grabbed onto the nearest support, wrapping her arms around Pool Boy's again. Hating him for it, hating herself, the teen pulled herself back to her feet.

"I think I'm okay now," she assured them. The dull pain was still there, the meds were making her whoozy, but Daiya would be damned if she wasn't okay. Pointing toward the boy's speeder, she set them back on the path he had already suggested. Just with a bit more dignity.

"Let's get out of here."

At this point, Daiya didn't care where they went. It was best if they left this place, and better yet if they left the imposter behind.

It hurt more than her hip that they wouldn't believe her.

Hacks Xan Deesa Saija Kwann Cassus Akovin Doc Painless​

 

[Doc Painless]

It was moments like this that brutally reminded the Doc just how young the runners were.

The injector sank in, pushing a carefully-measured dose of painkillers into Daiya's bloodstream - his medscanner implants had interfaced with the device, ensuring that it only allowed in an amount appropriate to her weight. A dose measured for the Doc himself would probably have knocked her out, or left her lolling on the ground as muscle relaxants kicked in; much more than that could have done serious harm to her, even killed her. So the street medic had done what he always did, manually calculating the dosage in order to double check the computer's automatic math. It'd never been wrong before, but he still checked every single time. It would only take one mistake.

Young and angry and hurt in more ways than just the physical, Daiya wasn't taking the situation well. There was nothing they could do about that out here in the open, though; if they stayed put, things were highly likely to get worse, and fast. "Sounds good," the Doc told Cassus, because anyplace that wasn't here sounded like an improvement. "Don't worry too much about supplies; I brought enough to handle this. We just need to lie low and get everyone checked out." He needed to see what the damage was, to Daiya and to Hacks... or the impostor posing as her, if Daiya was right. The street medic was trying not to jump to conclusions either way just yet.

Daiya was convinced it wasn't Hacks, Cassus and Saija were convinced it was, and no one was going to budge without proof.

The Doc stood back as Daiya and Cassus went through the awkward dance of getting her on her feet, letting them work it out; Daiya didn't need even more people fussing over her, not in the mood she was in. He intended to let her do as much under her own power as she safely could, because she needed that right now. He kept an eye on her hip, though, watching the way she favored it. Now that he'd numbed her pain, there was a risk that she could injure it further by putting weight on it wrong without realizing it. He was glad for the speeder bike, because it gave them an excuse to not walk; the safest thing in that case would've been to carry Daiya, but convincing her of that...

No, that wouldn't end well. So thank feth for the speeder bike, which would make it a nonissue.

It wasn't like the whole group could fit on that bike seat, though. "You two go ahead," the Doc told them. "Cassus, drop me the coordinates and I'll catch up in a few. Saija and I can bring..." He hesitated, looking back at Hacks, wondering how to phrase this. "... can bring up the rear," he finished lamely. It was a decent enough plan given the resources they had available, and it might give Daiya time to cool down... or blow up again, depending on how the inevitable further conversation with Cassus went. "We're through the worst of this," he told them gently, trying to lower tensions and defuse tempers. "We'll get to the bottom of what happened, and get everyone fixed up."

Feth it. He was a doctor, not a counselor. He wasn't good at this part. But he did intend to keep them all safe and healthy.

Daiya | Hacks | Saija Kwann | Cassus Akovin | Xan Deesa​

 

[Cassus Akovin]

"Shut the feth up, just do something!"
"Oh, feth."
"Please!"
"I'm not a little girl, you don't have to carry me!"

Daiya stood, waving off all the attempts to help her. Suddenly, the teen wished she hadn't. The world tilted before her, and when she shifted her foot to stabilize, her knee buckled. She grabbed onto the nearest support, wrapping her arms around Pool Boy's again. Hating him for it, hating herself, the teen pulled herself back to her feet.

"I think I'm okay now," she assured them. The dull pain was still there, the meds were making her whoozy, but Daiya would be damned if she wasn't okay. Pointing toward the boy's speeder, she set them back on the path he had already suggested. Just with a bit more dignity.

"Let's get out of here."

Cassus hated all of this. Flashes and memories crossed his mind, the limpness of his mother on the beach of Belazura after being struck down. Daiya felt so fragile even as she snarled like a wounded animal, and all he could think about was his mother. It felt like wherever he went, people got hurt, or worse. His mother got sick. He threw a Jedi into a Sith prison. He stole everything from Zenie. His uncle died trying to save his mom. He didn't act fast enough, and now he wasn't sure if Daiya would ever walk normally again.

Cassus hated all of this, but he would be here this time. Even after throwing him off, he kept as close to her as he could before she inevitably fell back into him.

"Sorry," He said quietly, without clarifying what he was sorry for. He wouldn't be able to say why, anyway.

Steadying her, he listened to Doc while leading her onto his speeder bike.

"Sounds good," the Doc told Cassus, because anyplace that wasn't here sounded like an improvement. "Don't worry too much about supplies; I brought enough to handle this. We just need to lie low and get everyone checked out." He needed to see what the damage was, to Daiya and to Hacks... or the impostor posing as her, if Daiya was right. The street medic was trying not to jump to conclusions either way just yet.

"You two go ahead," the Doc told them. "Cassus, drop me the coordinates and I'll catch up in a few. Saija and I can bring..." He hesitated, looking back at Hacks, wondering how to phrase this. "... can bring up the rear," he finished lamely. It was a decent enough plan given the resources they had available, and it might give Daiya time to cool down... or blow up again, depending on how the inevitable further conversation with Cassus went. "We're through the worst of this," he told them gently, trying to lower tensions and defuse tempers. "We'll get to the bottom of what happened, and get everyone fixed up."

"See you," Cassus managed to say to Doc as he prepared to leave. "Hold on, please." He asked Daiya as he began to accelerate into the night.

Hacks Saija Kwann Daiya Doc Painless Xan Deesa

 

[Daiya]

Every second was a tangible event.

Daiya had to will every breath that came, fighting against sluggish limbs, pushing away the dull pain that ached inside her hip. Her steps came as shuffles, hobbles that favored her good hip, creeping across the street to the waiting speeder. She had few thoughts in her head other than to instruct her body.

One step.

Then another.

Then one more step.

On and on, each moment forgetting to breathe until her lungs burned with discomfort, clinging to Cassus' sturdy frame for dear life. The teen tried her best to set every foot down steadily, to keep her shoulders squared, to keep her chin up. It took everything she had not to collapse again.

Cassus said something. Doc said something else. Daiya didn't bother listening.

The girl gingerly pulled her hands away from Cassus, testing the speeder bike's steadiness. It bobbed under her weight, eventually giving up its attempt to hover until she could climb on. Daiya grabbed for him again, sucking in a few breaths before she swung the leg with the injured hip over the back of it. She whimpered again, just for a moment, before settling on the back of the bike's seat.

A moment of lucidity passed over the young shadowrunner, and she suddenly looked down at her hands. Her satchel, its long strap looped around itself in the grasp of her hand. Daiya managed to slip it back over her head and shoulder, shrugging it into position. Pushing on the handle of her blaster, unsteady hands pressed it into the holster she had somehow managed to seat it already halfway in. Her other hand carried her facemask, its head strap slung over her wrist like a meaty bracelet.

"Hold on, please."

The words seemed to hang at the edge of her awareness. Like with each breath, Daiya had to recognize them, reach for them just to understand. A sound of "oh," passed over her lips when the girl finally realized. Cassus had climbed on, settling in front of her on the speeder, his hands and body poised for takeoff just as soon as something happened.

He was waiting for her.

Awareness was already fleeting again, it was getting harder to stay alert. Making her hands and arms move took more than she was used to. Finally she felt the fingers of each hand grasp the other, interlacing against Cassus' soft stomach. The teen leaned against his sturdy form, the scent of him filling her nostrils, and did her best to keep her grasp firm when the speeder lurched into motion.

Daiya set her head against his shoulders, burying it against the hard muscles underneath. It wasn't the most comfortable pillow. She didn't mind, barely minding much of anything at the moment. Just her breath, each one needing her to trigger it, and the steady embrace she hooked around the boy's steadfast torso.

She closed her eyes, and her voice was soft when it came.

"Don't lose me."

Daiya felt all awareness drifting away, it lingered close enough that she would never lose it, yet too far for her to pull it back in right now. She finally let herself collapse against Cassus, the last thing before her mind slipped away into a dreamless limbo that wasn't quite sleep.

Hacks Xan Deesa Saija Kwann Cassus Akovin Doc Painless​