Outfit: Post-Bacta Clothing |
Right Arm |
Talisman
Weapons: The Force
Azzie woke with a sharp gasp, thrashing weakly against invisible restraints. Her heart hammered a frantic beat against her ribs, her breath coming in shallow, panicked gulps. Her body felt heavier than it should, like gravity had decided to make her a target. She blinked, trying to clear the fog, but all it did was thicken. It felt like she was drowning in it, pulling her under until her chest ached with the effort of each breath. For one long, agonizing moment, she didn't know where she was, only that she had to get away.
The room was too still, too quiet. It was like the air was holding its breath, waiting for her to remember. She clenched her fists, her back screaming in protest. A low groan slipped from her lips as she tried to shift, feeling the dull pressure where the new tattoo had been printed across her lower back. She squeezed her eyes shut, forcing herself to focus, but it was like swimming through fog.
"Kriff," she whispered hoarsely, barely able to hear herself. Irrational panic spiked again.
Where are the cameras? Where are they watching from?
Azzie turned her head jerkily, scanning the walls, the ceiling, and any corners where hidden eyes might lurk. Her muscles refused to cooperate, trembling with even that small motion. There were no cameras she could see. No glint of lenses, no mechanical hum. Still, she couldn't trust that. They hide them. Always. How else could
Darth Carnifex
have gotten all of that footage?
It was only when she caught the edge of a presence—a brilliant, familiar glow—that she froze. Her mind wasn't reliable lately; she knew that. But there it was again, that unwavering brightness, steady in a way such few things in her world had been for weeks now. Sitting nearby, a tray of untouched food on the table beside him, head bowed slightly in meditation or deep thought, was Aadihr.
Azzie stared, her heart thudding painfully against her chest. She blinked several times, trying to clear the haze from her mind, half-expecting him to vanish like so many other mirages had. But he didn't.
She hesitated, with no idea what to say. Unsure whether to disturb him. He was there, but had he noticed her waking up?
"This is new. Usually when I wake up after a disaster, there's more yelling and less... breakfast." Her lips twitched into a half-smirk as she pushed through the haze. Her voice came out rough, raw, it was still her. Dripping with a dry sarcasm.
Even with the faint tremor in her hand, she tried to sit up again, this time more slowly, testing the limits of her strength. Aadihr's presence was like a rock in the storm, but it didn't stop the storm from raging inside her chest. She bit back the tears that threatened, instead focusing on her back. The skin there had a lingering feeling like it was still branded, but the fire from before had faded. It didn't burn so much anymore, just a dull ache like an old wound that had been reopened.
Aris Noble
and
Brander
. 
