Private The Part Where We Don't Die

[Rhyse Vanto]

It had been a long, painful hike back to the ship, but he'd made it. Kanjiklub had lost him in the city after enough turns, cutbacks, and doubling back that even he wasn't entirely sure where he'd gone. At one point he'd ended up hiding beneath a pile of garbage while a squad of goons stomped past looking for him. It smelled awful. He smelled awful. But he'd gotten away.

The first thing he did when he reached the ship was take a shower. The second was tear through a storage compartment looking for a bacta patch. He'd been pleasantly surprised to find one. It went on his leg, the ship powered up, and soon enough he was on his way to Lok.

The flight itself was uneventful.

Boring, actually.

After spending time with Kessa, being alone had become frustrating. Every hour in hyperspace just gave him more time to think about how Kanjiklub had managed to separate them. The anger simmered quietly beneath the surface.

He'd get even someday.

When he reached Lok, he avoided the usual approach. The city was the last place he wanted to be. Too many people. Too many distractions. Too much noise.

He wanted someplace quiet. Someplace where, when she arrived, they could be alone.

If she arrived.

The thought lingered for all of three seconds before he dismissed it. The way she'd kissed him back and practically ordered him to make it out alive told him everything he needed to know. She'd show up after dropping off Malachar.

So he landed at an old Imperial facility he'd discovered years ago during his smuggling days. Most people didn't even know it existed. Over time he'd turned it into something resembling a home. Maintenance droids kept the place functional, while a handful of security units made sure curious visitors didn't stick around long enough to become a problem.

He made sure those droids had her cleared before he did anything else. After that, there wasn't much left to do but wait. He swapped out his bacta patch, poured himself a glass of whiskey, and settled into a chair in front of a nuna-ball game. It wasn't very interesting. But it was better than staring at the landing pad and checking every five seconds to see if she'd arrived yet.

Kessa Vex

 

[Kessa Vex]

The trip off Bracca should have felt like a victory. Malachar was secured in the holding cell, the contract was complete, and the credits waiting on the other end represented more money than most people would see in months. By every practical measure, the job had been a resounding success, which only made the problem more irritating.

The problem, unfortunately, had a name.

Kessa settled back in the pilot's seat and stared out at the endless stars stretching beyond the cockpit canopy. Somewhere behind her, an unconscious former Imperial occupied a reinforced containment cell; somewhere ahead waited a payout substantial enough to justify the risks they had taken. Neither occupied her thoughts for very long.

"You're becoming inconvenient," she murmured, the observation disappearing into the empty cockpit. The man responsible was currently somewhere across the sector, probably bleeding, probably injured, and almost certainly doing something stupid. The certainty of that last part bothered her far less than it should have.

The handoff itself proceeded exactly the way professional exchanges were supposed to. The client verified Malachar's identity, documentation changed hands, and the transfer of credits arrived with a polite electronic chime. Signatures appeared where they were expected. It was clean, efficient, and thoroughly forgettable. Months ago, Kessa would have considered that the ideal outcome. Now, she found herself checking the time, a realization so annoying that she barely registered the client representative attempting to spark a conversation as she departed. Whatever vague answer she provided must have been sufficient, because nobody attempted to stop her from leaving.

The moment the ship cleared the station, she altered her course for Lok. No hesitation, no second thoughts, just Lok.

Hyperspace gave her far too much time to think, which was entirely unfortunate. She thought about the diner, the burgers, and the conversation. She thought about the way Rhyse somehow managed to disguise sincerity inside jokes and ridiculous comments, only to look genuinely surprised whenever somebody noticed. Most annoyingly, she thought about the kiss. More than once. By the time the planet finally appeared beyond the viewport, she had thoroughly exhausted herself trying to explain away conclusions she had already reached.

"This is ridiculous," she muttered, though the complaint lacked any real conviction.

Then her fingers stopped over the controls as she remembered a glaring flaw in the plan. Rhyse had told her to meet him at an old Imperial base. That was all. No coordinates, no frequency, no directions. Just a vague reference to a planet-wide scavenger hunt. Kessa stared at the blank sensor display.

"Idiot," she said slowly, the word carrying considerably more affection than criticism.

Fortunately, solving problems had once been her profession. Imperial facilities were not difficult to locate; the Empire had left them scattered across half the galaxy like discarded tools. Most were abandoned or stripped for salvage decades ago, while others had been reclaimed by local scum. Systematically, she began scanning the planet below, eliminating facilities without power, life support, or signs of recent maintenance. The list became shorter, then shorter still, until only one candidate remained, a remote installation far from any population center, drawing just enough power consumption to suggest someone was actively making themselves at home.

Kessa looked at the coordinates and let out a soft laugh.

"Of course."

Of course, it was isolated. Of course, it was hidden. Of course, it belonged to him.

The ship descended through Lok's atmosphere and eventually settled onto the landing pad with a gentle hum of cooling engines. The structure looked exactly like she expected it would: functional, durable, and completely unwelcoming. It was the sort of place most people would overlook, which meant it was exactly the sort of place Rhyse would quietly turn into a sanctuary.

The practical thing would have been to gather her professional composure before stepping outside. Instead, she simply collected the credit chip containing his share of the bounty and headed for the ramp. Most hunters would have argued over percentages. Most would have taken the money and disappeared. Most would not have crossed a sector to see somebody they had known for less than a day.

The hatch hissed open, letting cool air drift into the ship. Halfway down the ramp, Kessa realized she was smiling. The discovery was annoying enough that she almost stopped.

Almost.

Rhyse Vanto

 

[Rhyse Vanto]

The game was boring.

He tried reading instead.

That lasted about twenty minutes.

Then he tried another book.

That lasted ten.

After that he'd gone for a run around the perimeter of the old base before cooling off in the swimming pool the former Imperial commander had left behind. Some Imperials had lived ridiculously well.

Assholes.

Eventually he'd given up on finding ways to occupy himself and gone to sleep. Which was exactly where he was when Kessa finally arrived in the system. The thought that she might not know where the old base was never even crossed his mind. He knew where it was. Finding it seemed easy enough to him. The possibility that it wasn't easy for everyone else simply never entered his brain.

Probably should have. But then, this was Rhyse.

The sound of a droid chiming dragged him from sleep. He groaned and rolled over, pulling the blanket over his head.

"Go away, ZeeBee," he muttered. "I just wanna sleep."

"But we have company."

There was a moment of silence. Then the blanket went flying as he sat upright.

"Where?"

"They just landed. X-1S reports the individual exiting the vessel matches the description you provided of the woman you are waiting for."

Rhyse didn't say another word.

He was out of bed and sprinting through the halls of the facility before the droid had even finished speaking. Well. Mostly sprinting. The leg still hurt. At least he'd had enough sense to sleep in a pair of pants. He never wore a shirt to bed. Made him too hot.

The main door slid open and sunlight immediately blasted him in the face.

"Aw, come on," he grumbled, squinting. "I'm gonna blow up that kriffing star one day."

He stood there blinking furiously until his eyes finally adjusted.

Then he saw her. Walking away from her ship. Smiling.

The grin that spread across his face was immediate.

He hurried toward her as fast as his injured leg would allow, closed the distance, and swept her up into his arms.

"You have no idea how glad I am to see you," he said with a laugh. "These droids are no end of boring."

Kessa Vex

 

[Kessa Vex]

Kessa had been fully prepared for any number of reunions. She had expected to find him working, possibly drinking, or potentially injured. There had even been a brief period during the flight where she considered the possibility that he would somehow be in the middle of a fresh firefight by the time she arrived.

What she had not expected was a half-dressed Rhyse sprinting out of an Imperial fortress looking as though he had been launched from bed by a military emergency.

The sight alone nearly made her laugh, though the prominent limp in his stride made it significantly less funny. But before she could decide whether to scold him for the injury or the lack of a shirt, he reached her.

The next thing she knew, her feet were no longer touching the ground. A surprised laugh escaped her as his arms wrapped around her, lifting her effortlessly into the air.

"Careful," she warned, though the words lacked any real conviction. "You got shot less than a day ago."

Her hand settled against his bare shoulder automatically, more to steady him than herself. Up close, the diagnosis was not encouraging; she could see the lingering signs of exhaustion beneath his excitement, the faint stiffness in his movements, and the stubborn determination that had apparently convinced him that sprinting on an injured leg was a brilliant idea.

"You're an idiot," she added softly. Almost fondly. Almost.

For a moment, she simply looked at him. Really looked at him. The uncertainty she had carried through hyperspace, through the payout, and through the long descent toward Lok seemed strangely distant now. There was something profoundly reassuring about finding him exactly as she had left him, reckless, smiling, entirely too pleased with himself, and above all, alive. The realization loosened a knot of tension in her chest she hadn't fully noticed until it vanished.

"I was beginning to think I'd have to track you down myself," she said, the corner of her mouth lifting. "Finding this place wasn't exactly straightforward, by the way."

Plucking the credit chip from her pocket, she held it up between two fingers. "And before you start arguing, you're taking your share."

The statement carried all the firmness of a professional bounty hunter making a final decision, but her focus quickly drifted. Her eyes swept over the facility behind him before returning to his face. The old base looked exactly the way she had imagined it would: functional, isolated, and quiet. It was the sort of place most people would overlook without a second glance, but Kessa could easily understand the appeal. Hidden beneath the abandoned Imperial architecture was something surprisingly rare in their line of work: privacy, stability, and the freedom to disappear for a while. A place where nobody expected anything from you. A place where you could simply exist. The realization lingered longer than she expected it to.

"Though I have to admit," she said, glancing back toward the imposing structure with renewed amusement, "this is about what I pictured when somebody says they live in an abandoned Imperial installation. Less welcoming than the diner, certainly. Better scenery, though."

Her gaze settled back on his face, softening.

"Mostly because the company improved."

The compliment slipped out before she could stop it. For once, she made no effort to take it back.

Rhyse Vanto

 

[Rhyse Vanto]

He gasped when she called him an idiot.

"You wound me far worse than any blaster ever could," he declared as he set her back on the ground. One hand clutched dramatically at his chest. "Just cut my heart out now. I won't even look."

He turned his head away and tilted it toward the sky as though overcome with grief. Eyes squeezed shut. The back of his hand pressed against his forehead for maximum dramatic effect. It was complete nonsense, of course.

And she knew it.

Still, he held the pose for a second longer than necessary, just to see if he could sell it. Then he cracked and looked back at her with that familiar cocky grin.

"But you found the place, didn't you?" he said. "So clearly I didn't do that bad."

Then he noticed the credit chit. His hands settled on his hips as he stared at it.

"Kess."

The tone alone carried a warning.

"I told you I wasn't taking a cut. You won. It's your money."

He pointed at her with an accusing finger.

"You bought dinner. You came looking for me afterward. That's already more than I was expecting."

Unfortunately, he knew exactly how stubborn she could be. Trying to argue with Kessa once she'd made up her mind was like arguing with a bantha that hadn't eaten in a week. Actually, the bantha might have been easier. With a sigh of defeat, he snatched the chit from her hand and shoved it into his pocket. He'd find a way to slip it back later. Probably.

He didn't look at the base as she commented on it. It looked exactly like what it was: an abandoned Imperial installation. Gray walls. Harsh angles. Scorch marks that nobody had bothered repairing. There was also a concerning amount of bird shit scattered around the exterior.

He should probably have the droids deal with that. Eventually.

"It's not much, but it's home," he said with a shrug. "Don't exactly care about going back to my folks, and this place keeps most of the law-and-order types away."

That alone was worth a lot.

He stepped closer and slipped an arm around her waist.

"So," he said, steering her gently toward the entrance, "shall we go inside?"

The grin returned immediately.

"I do seem to remember promising you a few explosions."

Kessa Vex

 

[Kessa Vex]

Kessa watched the performance with all the solemn attention it deserved. Which was to say none at all. By the time he reached the part where he was dramatically offering her the opportunity to remove his heart entirely, the corner of her mouth had already betrayed her. The smile arrived first, and a genuine laugh followed shortly afterward.

"You're right," she said gravely, shaking her head as though weighed down by the sheer tragedy of it all. "I've gone too far." The mock apology lasted approximately one second before she added, "Though if a single insult does more damage than getting shot, I'm starting to question your durability."

The observation was delivered with an imitation of complete sincerity, but she was still smiling when he pointed out that she had, in fact, found the base. Annoyingly, he had a point.

"I found the base despite your directions, not because of them," she countered. There was no real criticism behind the words; if anything, the amusement lingering in her voice made the argument impossible to take seriously.

The credit chip received exactly the reaction she had been counting on. Kessa simply crossed her arms while he launched into his entirely predictable explanation of why he wasn't taking the money. She waited patiently through his protests until he finally snatched the chip.

Victory. A small, satisfied look appeared on her face immediately.

"Good," she said before he could reconsider. "Now it's your problem."

Whether it remained his problem was another matter entirely. Kessa suspected there was a reasonable chance he would attempt to slip it back to her somehow, but she was content to deal with that particular battle when it arrived. For now, her attention drifted back toward the facility as he described it with characteristic indifference. The place clearly meant more to him than he was letting on. Not because of what it was, but because of what it wasn't: a place where nobody expected anything from him, nobody hunted him, and nobody needed him. For a man who spent most of his life moving from one crisis to the next, that isolation probably mattered more than he realized.

When his arm settled around her waist, she found herself leaning naturally into his side without a second thought. The motion felt surprisingly easy, comfortable, even. Dangerously comfortable.

The sudden realization should probably have concerned her, but instead she slipped an arm around his waist and let him steer them toward the entrance.

"Home, then," she murmured. The word left her mouth before she had entirely decided to use it, but for some reason, she made no effort to take it back. His mention of promised explosions earned another laugh. "You know, most people would hear that sentence and become deeply concerned. The worrying part is that I have a fairly good idea what you mean, and I'm still following you inside."

Her eyes lifted toward him, her smile turning warmer this time.

"Either you're a terrible influence, or I've made several questionable decisions in the last twenty-four hours," she mused, considering it for a beat as they crossed the threshold. "Actually, it's probably both."

Rhyse Vanto

 

[Rhyse Vanto]

"Oh, it's most definitely both, but that just comes with our lifestyle," he said with a lopsided grin as he led her inside.

The interior looked much like one would expect an abandoned Imperial facility to look. Gray walls, utilitarian design, and enough harsh angles to make a person wonder if the Empire had outlawed comfort. There were signs that someone actually lived there, though. An old lounge had been converted into a living room complete with a battered couch that looked like it had survived at least one war, a holoscreen, shelves overflowing with books and holofilms, and, perhaps strangest of all, an impressive collection of stuffed animals from across the galaxy. Rhyse noticed her gaze drifting in that direction and immediately guided her onward before she could get too good a look.

The kitchen remained largely unchanged from its Imperial days, save for the fact that it was considerably messier. Since he was usually the only person there and rarely bothered sitting down for proper meals, he had never seen much reason to improve it. "Ain't much, I admit," he said with a shrug. "Probably could use a woman's touch or something. I mostly keep it because it's quiet and nobody bothers me out here."

He gave her the grand tour, insofar as the place warranted one. More importantly, he showed her where the freshers were before she managed to get herself lost. The base had a habit of swallowing newcomers whole. Corridors branched into other corridors, maintenance passages appeared where they shouldn't, and one wrong turn could leave a person wandering in circles for an hour. He knew from experience. The first time he'd explored the facility he'd somehow ended up knee-deep in the septic system. It remained one of the least dignified moments of his life.

Eventually he brought her to what had once been the commander's private quarters. Unlike the rest of the base, the room was surprisingly comfortable. Wood paneling lined portions of the walls, rugs softened the floor, and shelves held an assortment of bottles, trinkets, paintings, and other treasures accumulated over years of travel. The bed alone looked suspiciously luxurious for an Imperial officer stationed in the middle of nowhere. Rhyse had long suspected the former owner had been skimming credits from somewhere he shouldn't have been.

As soon as she stepped inside, he followed her through the doorway and let it slide shut behind them. Then he reached for her waist, spun her gently toward him, and adopted an expression that was equal parts handsome scoundrel and complete idiot.

"My darling," he declared in an overly refined accent that would have made any actual noble cringe, "I am about to show you a love so magnificent that the stars themselves shall weep with envy. Songs will be written. Statues erected. Entire civilizations will wonder how they can ever hope to compare."

The grin tugging at the corner of his mouth ruined any chance of selling the performance.

"Frankly, I think you're trying very hard not to be overwhelmed."

He didn't give her much opportunity to respond before leaning in and kissing her. Partly because he enjoyed kissing her, and partly because he knew she was probably about to laugh at him. Both seemed like excellent outcomes.

Kessa Vex

 

[Kessa Vex]

The kiss interrupted the laugh she had been preparing, which, judging by the smug look he wore afterward, had probably been his intention all along. When it finally broke, Kessa remained close enough to feel the warmth of him, her hands resting lightly against his chest as she regarded him with an expression balanced somewhere between affection and disbelief. For a few moments, she simply looked at him, shaking her head as though trying and failing to understand how a man could be simultaneously so competent and so completely ridiculous.

"You know," she said quietly, "for somebody who claims honesty is important, you tell an alarming number of ridiculous lies." The corner of her mouth lifted despite herself. "Entire civilizations? Statues? The stars themselves?" Her eyebrow rose a fraction higher with each example before she finally let out a soft laugh. "Your ego remains one of the most impressive things about you."

The observation carried no real criticism anymore. Somewhere between Bracca and Lok, she had stopped finding his confidence irritating and started finding it strangely endearing. Perhaps that realization should have concerned her more than it did. Instead, she found herself reaching up to rest a hand against the side of his face, her thumb brushing lightly along his cheek while her gaze remained fixed on his.

"Though I suppose I've made enough questionable decisions in the last twenty-four hours that one more isn't going to hurt." The words were delivered with all the dry practicality that seemed permanently woven into her personality, but neither of them were likely fooled by it. The amusement gradually softened into something quieter, warmer, and considerably more honest than she usually allowed herself to be.

"And for the record," she added softly, "I wasn't trying very hard not to be overwhelmed." The admission lingered between them for only a moment before she closed the distance once more and kissed him again. Whatever came next could wait until morning.

Rhyse Vanto

 

[Rhyse Vanto]

The next morning, Rhyse woke to find Kessa curled up against him beneath the sheets, still fast asleep. Her breathing was slow and even, and every so often her nose gave the tiniest little wiggle that was, frankly, obnoxiously adorable. A grin spread across his face as he entertained the overwhelming urge to reach over and boop her on the nose just to see if she'd do it again on command. The temptation was real.

He resisted.

Barely.

There'd be plenty of opportunities to annoy her later. Better to keep that particular trick in reserve until a moment when it would inconvenience her the most. That was the sort of knowledge every respectable scoundrel ought to possess.

Instead, he slipped an arm around her waist and drew her a little closer, content to simply enjoy the warmth of her against him. His stomach argued that breakfast was a far more productive use of the morning, but it was soundly overruled. Between chasing down that former Imperial slimeball, getting shot for his trouble, and nearly having Kanjiklub ruin everything, they'd earned a morning where neither of them had to be anywhere.

So he stayed exactly where he was. His chin rested lightly atop her head as he stared absently at the opposite wall, unable to wipe the smile off his face no matter how hard he might've tried.

People chased credits. Bigger ships. Better jobs. Faster engines.

Rhyse figured they'd all missed the point.

Victory wasn't any of that.

Victory was waking up with the most beautiful woman in the galaxy asleep in his arms.

Everything else could wait.

Kessa Vex

 

[Kessa Vex]

Kessa stirred almost imperceptibly as he held her, nestling a little closer before settling again. Sleep had softened the perpetual alertness she carried through most of her waking life, leaving behind a rare expression of complete peace.

It lasted all of six seconds before a sharp electronic chirp shattered the quiet, her eyes snapping open as every trace of sleep vanished instantly.

Years of habit took over before conscious thought had a chance to intervene. Kessa untangled herself from Rhyse in one surprisingly graceful motion, then promptly caught the edge of the blanket with her foot and stumbled as she hurried toward the source of the noise.

"...I'm awake," she muttered to absolutely no one in particular as the comm unit continued its insistent chirping, prompting her to add with a faint edge of irritation, "Yes, yes, I hear you."

By the time she reached the console, she had already accepted the inevitable fact that she was answering it exactly as she'd woken up, a realization that earned herself a silent promise to be annoyed about it later. Right now, answering took priority.

She thumbed the receiver on.

"Kessa Vex."

The voice that answered belonged to one of the coordinators she'd worked with often enough to recognize immediately.

"Morning, Vex. Sorry to interrupt. Just wanted to confirm the transfer of Malachar. Client says everything checked out."

Kessa let out a quiet breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding.

"Transfer completed without incident. Payment received."

"Figured as much. Also..." The coordinator hesitated. "Word's already spreading about Bracca. Four security contractors down, Kanjiklub embarrassed, and somebody stole an Imperial out from under everyone else's nose. Seems you've been making headlines."

A faint smile tugged at Kessa's lips despite herself.

"Occupational hazard."

She ended the transmission and stood quietly for a moment before looking back over her shoulder toward the bed.

Her eyes found Rhyse. The corners of her mouth lifted.

"Good morning," she said, sounding considerably more awake than she had thirty seconds earlier. "Apparently we've become news."

Rhyse Vanto

 

[Rhyse Vanto]

When she suddenly jerked out of his arms and out of bed, Rhyse nearly went with her. He caught himself on the edge of the mattress at the last second and looked down with a relieved grin.

"Whew. That was almost embarrassing."

He pushed himself upright just in time to watch her snatch up a comlink. The moment she started talking, that familiar mischievous look crept across his face. Oh, this was an opportunity.

"Yeah!" he called loudly enough for the person on the other end to hear. "The only incident is that she's naked as the day she was born!"

His grin only widened as he watched her reaction. Embarrassing Kessa was rapidly becoming one of his favorite hobbies. Not because he wanted to make her uncomfortable, but because she was adorable when she got flustered. Besides, if she was going to keep hanging around him, she was going to have to accept that he possessed exactly zero shame. He'd flirt with her in front of clients, bounty targets, and half the cantina if the mood struck him.

Climbing out of bed, he stretched until the stiffness in his shoulders and back began to ease. The previous day's aches were still there, but they were fading, and the bacta had done its job well enough that he wasn't about to complain.

"See?" he said with an easy smile. "Word gets around after something like that. People hear two bounty hunters took down Kanjiklub without getting themselves killed and suddenly we're the team everyone wants to hire."

He shot her a wink.

"Better jobs. Bigger payouts."

A beat passed before the grin returned in full.

"And, with any luck, a whole lot more assholes who desperately need introducing to the business end of a blaster."

Kessa Vex

 

[Kessa Vex]

The coordinator had just begun offering congratulations when Rhyse's voice carried cheerfully across the room. Kessa closed her eyes. Without missing a beat, she slowly lifted one hand behind her and extended a single finger in his general direction.

The coordinator chuckled. "I'll...assume everything's going well over there."

"More or less," Kessa replied with perfect professionalism, as though the conversation behind her had not happened at all. "Thank you for confirming the transfer. I'll let you know when I'm available for another contract."

"We'll have something waiting."

"Tomorrow."

She ended the transmission before the coordinator could ask any further questions, set the comm unit back onto its cradle, and finally turned to face the source of her increasingly complicated life.

"You know," she observed, smiling despite herself as she crossed the room without the slightest hint of self-consciousness, "most people try not to announce those sorts of details over an open comm channel. But I don't care."

By the time she reached him, the smile had softened into something warmer. One arm slipped comfortably around his waist while the other rested lightly against his chest. After everything they had been through over the last two days, modesty seemed like an oddly unnecessary concern.

"I think we've earned today," she said, her eyes meeting his with quiet certainty. "The galaxy can survive twenty-four hours without us collecting bounties." She leaned forward just enough for her forehead to rest lightly against his, a small, grounding touch. "Tomorrow we'll go back to work." The corner of her mouth lifted again, a hint of warmth softening her usual composure.

"Today..." She looked up at him with quiet amusement. "Today I'd rather spend with the handsome idiot who somehow managed to climb out of a ventilation shaft, survive a firefight, make me fly halfway across the sector just to find him again, and still convince me that all of this was perfectly reasonable."

Rhyse Vanto

 

[Rhyse Vanto]

"Since when am I most people?"

They'd already established that. Kessa knew it, and judging by the look on her face she was just taking a shot at him because she could. Which was fair. Half the fun of finding someone who could keep up with his mouth was seeing if they could land a hit every now and then. She certainly wasn't afraid to try.

"Besides," he continued with a crooked grin, "you ain't exactly most people either. Nobody else has an ass and rack quite like yours."

He punctuated the remark with a wink before slipping an arm comfortably around her waist.

"As much as I appreciate those..." he said, his grin softening just a little, "...that's not really it."

He let that hang for a moment while they walked.

"Everything just feels... easier when you're around. Less stuffy. I spend enough time by myself that life starts feeling like the same day on repeat. Wake up. Hunt somebody. Collect credits. Fix the ship. Go to sleep. Rinse and repeat." He shrugged. "Routine gets old. You don't."

He wasn't particularly good at compliments that didn't involve physical attraction. They came naturally enough when it came to telling her she was beautiful, but explaining why he genuinely enjoyed her company? That was trickier. It wasn't one thing he could point to. She laughed at his stupid jokes, gave as good as she got, challenged him when he deserved it, and somehow made even the quiet moments worth looking forward to. He couldn't quite put all of that into words without sounding like he'd swallowed a romance novel.

As she rested against him and their foreheads touched, he found himself smiling anyway. He'd spent most of his life making sure nobody stuck around long enough to matter. Now he couldn't imagine wanting anyone to stay more than he wanted her to.

"So," he said after a comfortable moment, the familiar mischievous grin returning to rescue him from getting too sentimental, "what're we doing today? I've got a pretty extensive holovid collection. There's a pool. Couple of board games I may or may not have stolen from an Imperial officer..."

Kessa Vex

 

[Kessa Vex]

Kessa listened without interrupting, though she found herself smiling more with every passing sentence. Compliments about her appearance had never carried much weight. She had heard them from clients trying to negotiate prices, criminals trying to distract her, and more than one bounty hoping charm might accomplish what blasters could not. They were easy to say.

The rest of what he told her was not.

As practical as she was, Kessa recognized sincerity when she heard it. Rhyse had somehow managed to explain exactly why she enjoyed being around him without dressing it up in poetry or pretending to be someone he wasn't. It was clumsy, honest, and entirely him. Somehow, that made it mean more.

"I suppose routines do become easier to tolerate when someone keeps interrupting them," she replied, the corners of her mouth lifting. "Though I suspect you're physically incapable of letting any day resemble the one before it." Her hand settled comfortably over his, where it rested around her waist, giving it a gentle squeeze. "I understand what you mean."

When he asked about the day ahead, she considered the options with the seriousness of someone evaluating a tactical briefing, then finally nodding once.

"Swimming sounds nice." Her eyes wandered briefly toward wherever the pool might be. "Getting the dust of the road off and stretching sounds considerably better than chasing another bounty." Looking back at him, the familiar spark of amusement returned. "Games, though?" She raised an eyebrow and gave him a knowing wink. "Are you sure you're good enough to beat me?"

The challenge lingered between them for only a moment before curiosity won out.

"And what kind of holovids are we talking about?" she asked. "If you've somehow accumulated nothing but terrible action serials and smugglers pretending they're heroes, I reserve the right to judge your taste."

Rhyse Vanto

 

[Rhyse Vanto]

"You say that like it's a bad thing," Rhyse replied with an easy grin. "Routine's dangerous. Gives you time to start acting responsible."

He felt her hand squeeze his and couldn't help smiling to himself. There wasn't some clever comeback waiting in the wings for that. He simply enjoyed the feeling of her beside him, and for once, that was enough.

When she accepted the invitation to swim, he gave an approving nod. "Excellent choice. The pool's surprisingly nice for something built by a bunch of humorless Imperials. Guess even they couldn't spend every hour plotting galactic oppression."

Then she questioned his ability at games.

He gasped dramatically.

"Kessa, I'm wounded. First you imply I have terrible taste, now you're questioning my gaming abilities? What's next? Gonna tell me I fly my ship funny?"

The grin returned almost immediately.

"I'll have you know I'm exceptionally mediocre. Which means I've had to get very good at cheating."

At the mention of holovids, however, he gaped at her, wearing an expression of exaggerated offense.

"Terrible action serials?" he repeated. "I'll have you know the works of Char Bronsar are timeless masterpieces."

He jabbed a finger toward her as though delivering a courtroom argument.

"The man once stared down six pirates with nothing but a holdout blaster and a bad mood. Didn't blink once. They surrendered out of professional courtesy."

Another finger joined the first.

"And don't even get me started on Death Wish on Corellia. Cinematic perfection."

He held the pose for another beat before his expression cracked into a laugh.

"...Alright, maybe a few of them are objectively terrible. But they're the fun kind of terrible. You know, where halfway through you stop asking why the plot makes no sense and just enjoy watching some smug nerf herder punch corrupt officials through transparisteel windows."

He slipped his arm around her again and started walking.

"Besides," he said with a sideways glance, "if my taste really is that awful, then I guess you'll just have to stay long enough to educate me."

A beat passed before the grin widened.

"And if you lose at whatever game we play afterward, I reserve the right to blame YOUR poor judgment in holovids."

Kessa Vex

 

[Kessa Vex]

Kessa listened with remarkable patience as Rhyse mounted a spirited legal defense of holovid action heroes whose greatest accomplishments appeared to involve improbable explosions and increasingly questionable decision making. By the time he had finished describing pirates surrendering out of professional courtesy, she had already accepted that there was absolutely no point attempting to argue the finer points of cinematic taste with him.

The smile lingering on her face suggested she had no intention of trying.

"You know," she said thoughtfully, "I was prepared to judge your taste." Her eyes met his before a quiet laugh escaped her. "The unfortunate part is that mine is probably just as terrible."

She gave an almost imperceptible shrug.

"You're on, though." The challenge carried all the confidence of someone who fully intended to win, regardless of whether she had ever played the game before. "We'll swim first. Get the dust of the road off, loosen up a little, and while we're drying, you can pick the holovid."

Her gaze drifted toward him again, lingering just long enough for the amusement in her expression to soften into something warmer.

"Then afterward," she continued with a faint, knowing smile, "I'll beat you at whatever game you've been practicing by yourself out here."

The wink she offered him made it clear she considered the outcome all but inevitable.

Rhyse Vanto

 

[Rhyse Vanto]

Rhyse looked positively vindicated.

"Aha! See? I knew there was a discerning critic hiding in there somewhere." He pointed at her triumphantly. "Today's Char Bronsar. Tomorrow you'll be quoting his one-liners and telling people they 'picked the wrong docking bay' before shooting 'em."

He knew full well she probably wouldn't.

That wasn't going to stop him from trying.

When she accepted his proposed itinerary, he gave an approving nod. "Now that sounds like a solid day. Swimming, terrible holovids, and then I graciously allow you to lose at a game of your choosing. I can live with that."

Her confidence drew an amused chuckle from him. She really did think she was going to win.

Cute.

"Oh, you've got this all backwards," he said, slipping an arm around her shoulders as they started toward the pool. "I haven't been practicing out here."

He paused just long enough to let the statement sink in.

"I've been waiting."

A crooked grin spread across his face.

"There's a difference."

The route to the pool wound through another stretch of the old base before opening into a surprisingly pleasant courtyard. Imperial engineers had apparently decided that officers needed somewhere to relax between bouts of oppressing the galaxy, because nestled among the otherwise gray, militaristic architecture was a large in-ground pool surrounded by weathered stone decking. Time had left its mark—hairline cracks ran through parts of the patio and a few stubborn weeds had found homes where they shouldn't—but the water itself was crystal clear. One of his maintenance droids floated lazily along the surface, skimming away the occasional leaf that had drifted in overnight.

Rhyse spread his free arm with all the flourish of a tour guide revealing a galactic wonder.

"Welcome to the finest luxury resort on Lok," he announced. "Amenities include complimentary towels, a pool that's only mostly haunted by the ghosts of dead Imperials, and absolutely no screaming children."

He looked over at her with a grin that made it abundantly clear he was pleased with himself.

"Personally, I think that's worth five stars."

Kessa Vex

 

[Kessa Vex]

Kessa could not help but laugh at the sheer satisfaction on his face. Somehow, in the span of a single conversation, Rhyse had managed to transform her admission of questionable taste into a complete and unquestionable victory for himself. She suspected he did that often, taking the smallest concession and celebrating it as though he'd negotiated a peace treaty between warring systems.

"Let's not get carried away," she replied, glancing sideways at him with a smile. "One terrible holovid doesn't suddenly make me a devotee of Char Bronsar." A thoughtful pause followed. "Though if I start quoting him during bounty hunts, you have my permission to remind me exactly whose fault it is."

His explanation about waiting instead of practicing earned a quiet hum of consideration. It was another one of those deceptively simple observations that somehow managed to say more than he probably intended. Kessa understood it immediately. Waiting implied confidence. It implied that some things were worth leaving exactly as they were until the right person arrived to share them. The realization warmed her more than she cared to admit.

The courtyard came into view, and she slowed for a moment to take it in properly. Against all expectations, it was beautiful in its own understated way. The clean water reflected the morning sky, the weathered stone bore the character of decades gone by, and even the persistent weeds pushing through the cracks made the place feel lived-in rather than abandoned. Her eyes followed the maintenance droid drifting lazily across the surface before returning to the pool itself.

"I have to admit," she said as he completed his grand introduction, "for an abandoned Imperial fortress, this is considerably more inviting than I expected." She looked back at him, her smile growing just a little wider. "The lack of screaming children is a particularly persuasive selling point."

She slipped her hand into his, giving it a gentle squeeze before looking back toward the water.

"I think five stars might actually be underselling it." Her eyes drifted back to him, warmth replacing much of her usual reserve. "Though I suspect the company is still doing most of the work."

Rhyse Vanto