Rogue Wolf
Location: D'Qar
Sweat ran from his temple, his black vest already clinging to his back. He'd abandoned the upper layers of his robes some time ago, leaving his prosthetic exposed as its mechanisms shifted beneath the armored plating.
"Again."
The remote obeyed and three bolts came his way this time. Ace moved automatically, catching one high, redirecting another, and stepping through the third.
Training made sense. Every attack had an answer. Every bolt needed an angle. Problems became movement. Movement became reaction. Reaction became--
Fatine's fingers slipped lazily between his locs. Ace mistimed the next deflection and the bolt passed close enough that he felt its heat. He bit the inside of his cheek.
"Again."
Another volley. He'd been doing this too long. He knew that. But whenever he stopped, his thoughts inevitably found their way back to her. Lying half across Fatine, head against her while she complained that he was crushing her, but she hadn't actually wanted him to move. Her fingers had continued combing through his hair while she rambled about something that happened at the theater.
Ace couldn't even remember what she'd been talking about. He remembered everything else... her voice, her breathing, the occasional tug against his locs, and how completely safe he'd felt. Nobody needed anything from him. Now it felt like everybody did.
The Covenant hadn't disappeared because he'd left it. The Blackwall still hung over everything. The Vanguard was supposed to be an answer, yet lately even that felt more complicated.Then there was Shiraya's Sanctuary.
Ala.
Her.
Lorn.
And through all of it, one thought kept returning.
I want Fatine.
Not because she could fix any of this. Ace didn't want advice, he just wanted to lay his head against her again. Feel her fingers moving through his hair while she talked about something completely irrelevant. Close his eyes without wondering what would happen if he stopped paying attention.
The remote fired, but Ace didn't move and the bolt passed harmlessly beside him.
"Shit."
His lightsaber collapsed into its hilt. Missing Fatine wasn't new, but admitting how badly he missed her was. Because that inevitably brought him back to the part he couldn't escape.
He'd left.
Whatever reasons he'd had, Ace had made that decision for both of them. What right did he have to want her now?
The remote chirped.
"No." Ace clipped the lightsaber to his waist. "I'm done."
He crossed toward the edge of the clearing and dropped onto a weathered supply crate, reaching for his canteen. His breathing eventually settled, but his thoughts didn't. Ace stared across the clearing, absently turning the canteen between his hands.
He'd gotten pretty good at carrying things alone.
It didn't make them any lighter.
Corazona von Ascania