Private We’re Improvising Now

[Xian Xiao]

The air smelled different here. Cleaner, not untouched because nothing ever truly was, but cleaner than the last place they had been. There was less tension in it, less consequence clinging to every breath, and the difference settled over her in a way she felt before she fully acknowledged it.

Xian stood near the edge of the landing platform with one hand resting lightly against the cool metal railing as she looked out over the city below. It stretched farther than she had expected, layers of light and movement stacking into something that almost resembled calm if she did not look too closely. A few ships passed overhead, their engines humming low and steady, nothing like the frantic roar of a rushed escape, but she found herself tracking them anyway, her attention following their paths out of habit more than necessity.

Her fingers shifted slightly against the railing before she pushed off it, rolling her shoulders once as if shaking off something she had not realized she was still carrying. They had made it out, clean enough, with no one chasing them and no immediate consequences knocking on the hull. There were no alarms, no blaster fire, no decisions that had to be made in half a second or not at all. The absence of urgency felt strange, not in a bad way, just unfamiliar enough that it made her more aware of the quiet than she probably should have been.

She exhaled slowly and turned back toward the ship, her gaze drifting over the hull before settling on the open ramp. "Alright," she murmured to herself, her voice low but steady, as though saying it aloud helped her believe it. "Now we figure out what normal looks like again." A faint hint of amusement touched her expression, a small acknowledgment of how unrealistic that word had always been for them. "Or at least our version of it."

She stepped away from the railing and started back toward the ship, her pace unhurried but purposeful, because whatever came next was not going to fall into place on its own. It never did. By the time she reached the base of the ramp, she slowed slightly and glanced up into the interior, letting her eyes adjust to the dimmer light inside.

"Hey," Xian called, not loudly, just enough for her voice to carry through the open space. "You still alive in there, or did you disappear into the ship again?" There was a lightness to it now, not careless, simply easier than it had been before, as though the tension she had been holding onto had finally loosened enough to let something warmer through.

She waited a moment, then added with a little more intention, "We should talk about what's next." Her head tilted slightly, her expression sharpening just enough to show she meant it. "Because I don't think either of us is the type to sit still for long."

And there it was. Not pressure. Just truth, spoken plainly in the quiet space between them.

Jerrik Molten

 

[Jerrik Molten]

With the Diarchy in pieces and no real structure for Jerrik to continue their training, he branched off with Xian once again. Their last mission was a success, leaving the base with something that was cashed in for some hefty credits. It was enough for Jerrik to finally get his hands on some cortosis, allowing him to begin crafting some gear to help with their offensive and defensive abilities. Now, he was welding together the very first piece of the braces, but that all came to a halt when Jerrik heard Xian’s voice just from outside the ship, so he poked his head up just as the voice echoed within the crafting station.

The young man stood from the station and moved to where he could finally see Xian in view. With a slight smile, Jerrik nodded once before speaking in return. Don’t worry, I was just working on something." He admitted, answering the woman’s question without haste. Jerrik Molten paused for a moment, then finally began to respond to the second statement Xian made about what was next. You’re right. I was actually working on crafting some armor before you came over. As for what’s next, do you have any plans in mind?" He asked, wondering if Xian had anything specific in mind for the next thing for them.

Even if the Diarchy was falling apart, Jerrik felt that the only way he would progress his skills, is by continuing to partake in the reckless, but thrilling missions that himself and Xian would take on together. But as of late, Jerrik didn’t focus on the training. Instead, the young man put most of their time on gathering the right materials to craft the armor Jerrik would use on missions. It wasn’t quite a distraction, but more of an investment to the future. Regardless of all that, he was waiting to hear what Xian had to say about the future.

Xian Xiao​

 

[Xian Xiao]

Xian paused at the base of the ramp when he answered, her expression shifting slightly at the mention of armor. Not in surprise. More like an interest that settled in quietly behind her eyes.

She stepped into the ship a moment later, her pace slower than usual, her attention already drifting past him toward the crafting station. The faint scent of heated metal lingered in the air, mixing with the low hum of equipment that had only just powered down. Her gaze found the partially formed brace where it rested mid‑work, and she took it in with a kind of focused curiosity.

"…cortosis?" she asked, not looking at him at first, her eyes tracing the lines of the piece. There was a quiet note of approval in her voice, subtle but unmistakable. "That is not exactly easy to get your hands on."

Only then did she glance back at him, one brow lifting in a way that carried more warmth than challenge. "So that is where your cut went."

A faint smile touched her mouth, small but real, before she stepped closer to the workbench. She didn't crowd the space, just leaned in enough to see the details, her attention lingering on the craftsmanship. Practical. Intentional. Very him.

"Good call," she said after a moment, her tone gentler now. "If you are going to keep throwing yourself into bad situations, that will help."

When she finally looked back at him fully, her expression had softened in a way that wasn't obvious unless you knew her well. He asked what was next, and she didn't answer immediately. Instead, she folded her arms loosely and leaned back against the nearby bulkhead, thinking it through with the same steady patience she used for everything that mattered.

"There are always jobs," she said eventually, her voice calm and even. "That part is not the problem." She let her gaze drift for a moment, sorting through possibilities she had clearly already been considering. "The problem is choosing the right ones."

Her eyes returned to him, thoughtful rather than distant. "We could keep doing what we just did. Quick contracts. Hit hard, get paid, move on before anything sticks." She paused, not dismissing the idea, just weighing it. "That works."

But something in her tone suggested she didn't think it was the best they could do.

"Or…" she continued, quieter now, "we start being more selective." Her gaze sharpened slightly, not with pressure, but with interest. "Bigger contracts. Fewer of them. More risk, but more control over how things play out."

She let that settle between them, her attention flicking briefly toward the brace again before returning to him. "If you are putting time into gear like that, it makes sense to match it with jobs that are worth it."

A small beat passed, her posture easing as she pushed lightly off the bulkhead.

"So," Xian said, her tone warming just a little, "it depends on what you are in the mood for." A faint smile curved her lips, softer than before, almost inviting.

"Fast credits and chaos… or something a little more calculated." She tilted her head slightly, watching him with a quiet interest that hadn't been there a few weeks ago. "What sounds better to you?" Then, after a brief pause, her voice dipped just enough to make the moment feel more personal without crossing any lines. "Or are you planning to test that the second it is finished?"

The hint of warmth in her eyes made it clear she wouldn't mind either answer.

Jerrik Molten

 

[Jerrik Molten]

The very moment Xian responded to what he was up to, that was when Jerrik looked up at her with a small grin forming. It was nice to know she had interest in what he was up to, even if it was most likely a gesture of Xian’s kindness. Regardless, Jerrik let out a laugh when Xi mentioned the fact that Jerrik always found himself in bad situations. "Don’t forget, most of those bad situations are when you’re with me." He snapped back playfully. He knew that because of Xian’s experience and training, she was the one who saved their ass ninety percent of the time.

As Xian began to speak about the next potential job they could do, Jerrik’s gaze was lifted from the armor, and placed back on Xian fully. "Bigger contracts mean more credits, so you already know my answer. One day, I want to cash out, you know? Live life a little." He responded with some enthusiasm in their voice. Jerrik put the tools down and stepped away from everything completely, while leaning on the wall to keep carrying on the conversation with Xian. "But.." He paused for a moment, pulling the lightsaber hilt free from the utility belt it was attached to, showing her the damage that was obvious. "I need to fix this, or find another one." He admitted, eyes finally drifting to Xian’s.

Jerrik could see the determination in Xian’s eyes, the burning passion to keep on the move in order to stay in the shadows, while earning a lump sum of credits in the process. The passion she had, is what drives Jerrik to keep pushing forward, unlocking powers and abilities that he never knew he could obtain, along with the knowledge that came with their outlawish lifestyle. "What about you? It’s not always about what I want, you know? I have enough cortosis to nearly complete the armor I need, so I can work with whatever is thrown our way." Jerrik pushed himself off the wall and stood tall, with both arms stretching outward for a short moment, before crossing them against his chest.

Xian Xiao​

 

[Xian Xiao]

Xian listened without interrupting, her expression steady, though the faintest hint of a smile tugged at her mouth when he made his first comment.

"Pretty sure you were getting into trouble before I showed up," she said lightly, the warmth in her tone subtle but unmistakable. "I just make sure you walk away from it."

Her attention shifted as he pulled the hilt free, and whatever humor had been there eased into something more focused. She studied the damage without rushing, taking in the details the way she always did, with a quiet patience that made it clear she was actually looking.

She lifted a hand slightly, pointing toward the fracture with a small, deliberate nod. "That," she said, calm but firm, "comes first." There was no hesitation in her voice, only the steady certainty of someone who had seen too many people ignore the obvious and pay for it later.

"You are not going into another job with a compromised weapon," she added, her gaze meeting his again. "Especially not one you rely on that much." She let the point settle between them before her posture eased, her arms loosening a little as she shifted her weight.

"After that, we look," Xian continued, her tone smoothing into something more conversational. "See what is out there. Take our time with it." A small breath left her, not quite a sigh, more like she was letting the tension of the last job fall away piece by piece. "No rushing into the first thing that pays well," she said. "There will be options. There always are."

Her gaze lingered on him for a moment longer, something thoughtful in it, before drifting briefly toward the armor station. "You can finish that after," she added, quieter now, but with a warmth that softened the words. "It will matter more if you are actually alive to use it."

Another pause, this one gentler. "Fix the saber," Xian said, her voice steady and sure. "Then we choose."

The way she said we carried more weight than anything else she'd said, even if she didn't draw attention to it.

Jerrik Molten

 

[Jerrik Molten]

Jerrik Molten didn’t even get a chance to respond to the snarky response from Xian because he was too busy holding in laughter from the truth in their words. He just shrugged it off with a grin that formed from ear to ear. There was no point in firing back playfully, so Jerrik continued to listen in on what Xian had to say about what they were going to do next. The fact that Jerrik had a broken lightsaber would only make things worse if they were to go on another mission. He simply nodded to her words, agreeing with everything the woman was saying. "You’re right, saber first. The only good thing that came out of having a broken lightsaber, is that I was able to learn some cool new tricks along the way." He stated excitedly.

The fact that Xian seemed concerned with Jerrik having a working weapon for their next mission had him wondering if she was feeling well, but he paid very little attention because it made him feel some sort of way, and he wasn’t going to dwell on those emotions for too long. "I was thinking of something a bit more mysterious. Ever hear of the holocrons scattered across the five sacred Sith planets?" Jerrik turned the conversation around quickly, with a bit of dark side knowledge he learned as a mere child. Something about the dark side of the force, along with force imbued artifacts, it all felt very at home with Jerrik.

After a moment, Jerrik looked down at the cortosis, then glanced over at Xian, and finally put their attention back to the armor. The young man pulled the piece up, and slowly guided the armor near Xian’s forearm. "You know, you would look pretty damn good with some cortosis bracers. Imagine how many people you could bonk with that thing!" He couldn’t help but to laugh at his own outburst of randomness, but there was no doubt in his mind that he was telling the truth. There was a lot more to Xian than just the beauty on the outside and Jerrik has only seen a hint of it since their time teaming up on missions together.

Xian Xiao​

 

[Xian Xiao]

Xian watched him for a moment when he mentioned the holocrons, her expression shifting into something more thoughtful than dismissive. She didn't immediately react, just let the idea settle long enough for memory to brush the edge of her awareness.

"I've heard of them," she said, voice steady. "The Jedi talked about them sometimes."

Something in her tone cooled there, a faint hardening that wasn't sharp but unmistakable, like a door closing just long enough to remind someone it existed. It passed a second later, her voice returning to its usual even cadence.

"Not exactly a quiet job."

There was caution in the words, but not resistance. If anything, it sounded like she was already turning the idea over, weighing it rather than rejecting it.

Her attention shifted as he brought the bracer up, and this time the corner of her mouth lifted without her trying to hide it.

"Really," she murmured, glancing down as he lined it up with her forearm.

She turned her wrist slightly, letting him settle it there for a moment. The weight surprised her. Not heavy, not cumbersome, just solid in a way that felt intentional. She flexed her fingers once, then again, testing how it moved with her rather than against her.

"Feels solid," she said, the approval quiet but genuine.

Without warning, she lifted her arm and gave a short, deliberate swing through the air, the kind of motion that came from instinct rather than thought. The bracer held cleanly.

"…yeah," she said, a hint of amusement slipping into her voice, "I can see the appeal."

She tried another motion, lighter this time, almost playful, before lowering her arm again. The moment she did, she unfastened the bracer and held it back out to him, palm open.

"Here," she said. "Finish yours first."

Her tone was practical, but the warmth beneath it was unmistakable. She wasn't brushing the idea aside. She was saving it.

"Maybe on the next haul," she added, meeting his eyes with a faint, easy smile that lingered longer than her usual ones. "If we're doing something that… big, it might actually be useful."

Her gaze drifted to the damaged hilt in his hands, and the smile softened into something steadier.

"And the saber," she said. "Still first."

The words were simple, but the meaning behind them wasn't. She wasn't just agreeing to the job. She agreed to do it with him.

Jerrik Molten

 

[Jerrik Molten]

When Xian responded to Jerrik’s question about the sacred Sith planets, which instantly caused the younger man to shift his focus to her eyes. The mood switched instantly to something more serious. The five sacred Sith planets were very dangerous, but the treasures that lay deep within some of the temples on the planet would ensure both Xian and Jerrik could become very rich. That’s if the duo were able to survive the dangers ahead. "And extremely dangerous. But I have faith that you and I can pull off any job." He admitted right away.

But Xian was right. The lightsaber needed to be repaired before they committed to any sort of job. Without it, Jerrik would have very little defense for what they may come across on their adventure, and that was something he didn’t necessarily want to risk, especially if they were to travel to the five sacred Sith planets. The dark side of the force was very powerful in each location, which could mean Xian and Jerrik would come across any who study the ancient teachings of the Sith. It was a scary thought, but Jerrik Molten knew all too well just how strong the darkness was and even used it to their advantage several times in the past.

With the approval of the cortosis armor that Jerrik suggested Xian should wear, he couldn’t help but to let that smirk sweep across their face. He really enjoyed the fact that Xian thought some of his ideas were solid. Some were stupid, of course, but he always came up with decent options for them to bring in more credits. "Of course. Next gig I am hoping to bring in a lot more than the last. Another ship can really help us in certain situations, so that was something on my list." He responded, while placing the cortosis brace back down where Jerrik found it, while picking up the lightsaber hilt to examine the weapon once more.

Jerrik continued to look over the lightsaber, pulling some of the hilt apart to hopefully reveal the issue within. "I think it’s the power cell. Do you have any extras just laying around?" He asked, while looking back up to Xian’s eyes with genuine interest in knowing if there were any lightsaber parts just chilling around their so-called base of operations. Even if she didn’t have any Power Cells around, Jerrik had an idea where he might be able to get one that is close to where they currently are, so he wasn’t very worried about whether or not Xian had an extra.

Xian Xiao​

 

[Xian Xiao]

Xian listened as he spoke of the sacred Sith worlds, the lighter tone from moments before settling into something more thoughtful as the weight of the idea took shape. Dangerous was one word for it. Ancient traps, hostile territory, relic hunters, zealots, things best left buried. There were easier ways to earn credits, but easier work rarely found them.

When he said he had faith they could pull off any job, her eyes lifted to him again, steady, unreadable at first, before something softer touched them. Not quite amusement, not quite warmth, but something that lived in the space between the two.

"You have a reckless amount of confidence," Xian said quietly. "It is either admirable or deeply concerning." The corner of her mouth threatened a smile before she let it fade.

As he turned back to the lightsaber and began opening the hilt, her attention followed the practiced movement of his hands. She respected the weapon and understood what it could do in capable hands, but its mechanics had always felt distant compared to the things that came naturally to her.

When he asked about a power cell, she shook her head once. "No." The answer was simple, not dismissive.

"I have lightsabers and hardly know how to use them," Xian admitted, her tone matter-of-fact rather than embarrassed. "My skills are with the elements." A small flame curled briefly above two fingers, a quiet illustration, before vanishing again. "Though," she added, tilting her head slightly as she considered it, "I think it would be a good idea for me to know some things."

Her gaze returned to him as he looked up, and this time she held it. Her eyes were dark and clear, alive with thought rather than the stained colors of corruption he had likely seen elsewhere. There was no hunger in them, no madness, no rot, only focus, curiosity, and the faint warmth she rarely let sit on the surface for long.

"Probably why we work together so well," Xian said, and now the smile came properly, small but genuine. "Your strengths offset my weaknesses. My strengths work with yours."

There was honesty in it, even if she hadn't yet decided what all of his weaknesses were.

She stepped a little closer to glance at the opened hilt, her shoulder angling near his as she looked down at the exposed internals before lifting her gaze back to him.

"Why would we need a second ship?" she asked. "Planning to become respectable merchants now?" The dry humor softened the question, but the curiosity beneath it was real.

Jerrik Molten

 

[Jerrik Molten]

Jerrik couldn’t help but to grin from the comment by Xian about him being confident. It wasn’t just his confidence he trusted, but it was the way they worked together as a team, so he glanced her way, and winked without saying a word. The gesture alone was enough of a response, leaving Jerrik as a bit more of a mystery than the young man already is. There was still much that Jerrik had revealed to Xian about his time before meeting her. Life wasn’t always easy, especially for someone as conflicted as Jerrik.

As Jerrik continued to mess around with their lightsaber, he listened to Xian reveal how she wasn’t too good with the weapon. Instead, she was much more attuned with the force, using it to develop the abilities to summon the elements. The flame flickering away at her fingertips caught Jerrik’s attention immediately, causing him to stop what he was doing to stare into the dancing flame. As the flame faded into nothingness, that was when Jerrik shook their head lightly to snap out of the trance that Xian’s abilities caused. "That is incredible. Show me how you do that, and I will gladly show you a few lightsaber forms to work on." He said with excitement. Not because he had the opportunity to learn more, but because it was Xian that would be teaching him, and vice versa.

The fact that Xian felt the same about their teamwork as Jerrik did, caused the man to finally turn a tint of red around the cheeks of his face, while maintaining eye contact with Xian for a moment, before returning back to the lightsaber hilt in his hand. "From day one we have clicked as a unit. Balance, it’s what makes us the perfect match for almost anyone out there." He replied, returning their attention back to the lightsaber hilt that was now in a few pieces. Jerrik continued to pull out the old power cell to eventually replace it with another one, which was somewhere in the ship, it was only a matter of finding such a small object in a pretty big vehicle.

Jerrik chuckled at Xian’s attempt at dry humor, which clearly worked from the laugh that escaped the young man's mouth. He stopped taking the hilt apart, placed it down on the workbench, and looked over to Xian with a slight smile forming. "Never know when we will need a distraction. Could be something used as last resort, bait, or even having a new style of ship can get us places this one cannot." He replied in a firm tone, knowing that the idea was pretty smart. As reckless as Jerrik is, having a new ship around can easily pull the attention off from one and on to another, allowing the other person to flee freely with whatever valuable cargo they may have on board.

Xian Xiao​

 

[Xian Xiao]

Xian watched him work for a moment, her attention drifting from the scattered pieces of the hilt to the way his hands moved with that quiet, unforced certainty, careful without ever slipping into hesitation, as if he understood the shape of the weapon even when it lay in fragments. She didn't comment immediately, but the steadiness of it, the way he didn't rush even while thinking ahead, settled into her awareness all the same.

"…you're good at that," she said eventually, her voice low but sincere as she nodded toward the lightsaber. "Not just taking it apart. Knowing how it fits back together."

There was no teasing in it, only recognition, an acknowledgment she didn't offer lightly.

When he asked her to show him how to summon the flame, the corner of her mouth lifted again, easier this time, as if the request had nudged something open rather than startled it. She turned her hand slightly, letting a small flicker of heat gather at her fingertips, coaxed rather than forced, the motion as natural as breathing.

"It's not as complicated as it looks," Xian said, her tone warming as she shifted into the quiet confidence of someone sharing something she understood deeply. "You don't pull it from nowhere. It's already there. You just… give it somewhere to go."

The flame steadied for a heartbeat, then dimmed as she let it fade, her gaze lifting back to him with a soft certainty.

"I can show you," she added, and there was no doubt in her voice. "You'll probably get it faster than you think." There was trust in that, not dramatic, not spoken outright, but present in the way she said it.

When he talked about the second ship, her expression shifted again, curiosity giving way to something more engaged as she followed the logic behind it. Distraction. Movement. Access. Options.

Her eyes narrowed slightly, thoughtful rather than wary, and she nodded once.

"…that's actually smart," she said, the approval clear and immediate. "Having options like that changes how people track you. Makes it harder to pin you down."

She leaned back against the edge of the workbench, arms folding loosely, her posture relaxed in a way that wasn't careless but comfortable, the faintest trace of a smile still touching her mouth.

"And I like the idea of not being where people expect us to be."

Her gaze lingered on him a moment longer, quiet, steady, a little warmer than before, before she pushed lightly off the bench, a thread of energy returning to her voice.

"So," she said, tilting her head toward the disassembled lightsaber, "you show me how not to lose a fight with one of those…"

Her hand gestured lightly toward the hilt.

"…and I'll show you how to light things on fire without blowing yourself up." The smile that followed was small but certain, carrying a warmth she didn't bother hiding. "Seems like a fair trade."

Jerrik Molten

 

[Jerrik Molten]

Jerrik listened to Xian compliment his skills on taking apart and reassembling a lightsaber hilt, which instantly caused the young man’s cheeks to turn a pinkish-red color. "Some of these pieces can go for a lot to the right people, like those trying to protect themselves from people like me." He responded, twisting the broken power cell free from the core. His eyes still remained on Xian, watching her display such an ability that he dreamed of learning, but now the young man had the opportunity to do just that. But before the process of learning needed to be done, Jerrik wanted to fix the lightsaber completely.

As Xian continued to explain how the ability Alter Environment could be used, Jerrik couldn’t help but to laugh slightly, thinking of someone shooting fire out of their eyes. "You’re telling me, I could shoot that crap out from my face if I really wanted?" He wasn’t being serious, but with the force anything seemed to be possible. He just had to wait for the answer to see if it was true or not.

Regardless of what was to be learned, Xian was pleased with the explanation of why they might need another ship. Jerrik had a keen eye for this type of stuff since his job was based on stealth and retrieval of valuable items. "Good, then it’s a deal. Follow me, we can go find this power cell, and I will put the hilt back together, then we can finally get some training done before our next gig." He responded, moving away from the workbench, and walking towards the inside of the ship.

Once Jerrik made it inside, he knew right away that the workbench in the back had extra parts just laying about, so that’s exactly where he would begin to search first. "So, how long have you been doing this whole thing? We’ve been at it for quite some time now, but I mean before that." He asked, trying to bring up some sort of conversation to pass time before they started searching for the extra power cell.

Xian Xiao​

 

[Xian Xiao]

Xian followed after him as he moved deeper into the ship, her eyes drifting across the scattered tools and spare parts with the easy familiarity of someone who had spent enough time around repair benches to stop noticing the clutter entirely, letting her gaze skim over half assembled components and forgotten fittings as though they were simply part of the landscape. When he made the comment about selling lightsaber components to "people like him," she glanced toward the broken power cell in his hand before looking back at him with faint amusement resting at the corners of her expression, the kind that softened her features without ever fully turning into a smile.

"People like you?" she echoed lightly, her tone carrying just enough warmth to take the sting out of the teasing. "You say that like you're some terrifying criminal mastermind."

She leaned briefly against the doorway while he rummaged through the workbench, her posture relaxed, her voice drifting after him with the same casual ease. "And no," she added, finally answering his earlier joke, "you cannot shoot fire out of your face."

A tiny pause followed, just long enough to make the moment stretch.

"…probably."

The corner of her mouth twitched upward, subtle but unmistakable, and for a heartbeat it became very unclear whether she was joking anymore or simply leaving him to wonder.

When he asked how long she had been doing "this," Xian's expression shifted, not closing off but turning inward for a moment as she tried to decide what exactly he meant.

"What whole thing?" she asked, moving over to help sift through the spare components scattered across the bench, her hands already sorting instinctively through the mess.

Realization crossed her face a moment later, softening her features.

"Oh. The Force."

Her hands slowed briefly as she sorted through a small tray of old circuitry and fittings, her voice quieter now, more reflective.

"Since I was a child. The elemental parts, especially. I taught myself most of that."

There was no pride in the admission, just simple honesty, the kind that came from long familiarity rather than boasting.

"Nobody really explained it to me properly at first. I could just… feel things differently. Heat. Pressure. Air movement. Eventually, I figured out how to push back."

She kept sorting as she spoke, but her tone shifted again when she mentioned the rest of her training, a dry edge slipping beneath the words.

"Most of the other Force skills I learned from masters. Or tried to learn from them."

She glanced toward him briefly, then her expression caught somewhere between amusement and resignation, as though she were acknowledging a pattern she had long since stopped trying to fight.

"I seemed to collect them like a revolving door. One leaves, another appears, then something falls apart again."

The words were light, but only mostly, the humor covering something older and more worn.

By the time she reached for another tray of parts, her tone had softened into something quieter and more honest, the kind of truth she didn't offer often but didn't hide when it finally surfaced.

"I finally gave up on being a Jedi when I was sixteen," Xian said, not bitterly but with the tired clarity of someone who had lived long enough to understand her own choices. "Or at least… I gave up on being what they wanted me to be."

She didn't look at him as she said it, but the steadiness in her voice made it clear she wasn't avoiding the truth, only remembering it.

"I was never very good at fitting into systems that already decided who I was supposed to become."

For a few moments after that, only the quiet sounds of shifting tools and loose components filled the room. Then Xian glanced toward him again, her expression easing slightly as she nudged a small container of spare parts in his direction with two fingers.

"What about you?" she asked quietly. "You ever have someone decide what you were supposed to be before you got the chance to figure it out yourself?"

Jerrik Molten

 

[Jerrik Molten]

Jerrik ignored the question thrown back at him until he finally made it to the workbench, both hands pressed down on the table, then he let out a deep sigh, and ended up looking over his shoulder at Xian before speaking. "I wish you knew my past, Xian. But that is irrelevant right now." He admitted, then turned to face the workbench once more, and finally started rummaging through the parts lying about. There was so much random junk cluttered about, it was hard to find anything of use, especially when you absolutely needed something.

As Xian spoke of their force powers, and how long they have been using them, Jerrik continued to look around the workbench until he realized the drawers connected always had spare lightsaber parts. He did not ignore Xian, merely listened to everything carefully, while finding another power cell in the process. It only took him a few seconds before the spare part was now one with his lightsaber hilt. "Finally." He sighed with relief after speaking and turned to face Xian with the lightsaber hilt in one piece again. With the press of a button, the crimson blade ignited, stretching from the base of the hilt to about a meter long.

The hissing of the blade seemed to echo within the ship, while the red blade tinted everything in its path. Jerrik deactivated the lightsaber, then finally looked to Xian, and let a smirk stretch across his face. "Me? First, I was taken from my parents, who happened to be killed by the same Jedi that took me in. To say the least, I was transferred to another academy, and given another master, one who went missing after three days of training. After that, I fled. Ran into someone like a Sith, but that did not end well, either." He admitted, clipping the hilt to his utility belt wrapped around Jerrik’s waist.

For a moment, Jerrik just stood there with his eyes focused on Xian, while she leaned against the door. "Looks like we are damaged goods. Not like I was the type to follow codes, anyways. What we got going here is far better than being stuck in a temple with strict rules, I know that for a fact." He added with a slight chuckle. Jerrik hated who he was, who they wanted him to be, so he couldn’t take it anymore, leaving everything in the past, right where he thought it would have stayed forever. But that wasn’t the case, because much like life, his poor decisions would come to haunt him in the long run.

Xian Xiao​

 

[Xian Xiao]

Xian stayed quiet while he spoke, her attention settling less on the exact details at first and more on the way he carried them. There was a difference between someone telling a story and someone reciting damage they had already lived with long enough to make it sound manageable, and she recognized that difference immediately.

When the crimson blade ignited, the red glow spilled through the interior of the ship and painted the metal walls in sharp color, briefly washing across both of them before settling into that familiar hiss only a lightsaber could produce. Xian's eyes tracked the weapon automatically, thoughtful rather than fearful. Even after everything she had seen, there was still something about a lightsaber coming to life that carried weight with it.

She listened carefully as he spoke about his parents, about the Jedi who had taken him in, about masters disappearing almost as quickly as they arrived in his life. The faint humor she had been carrying earlier gradually faded from her expression as her arms folded loosely across her chest and she leaned more fully against the doorway. She didn't interrupt him once. She didn't try to soften any of it with easy sympathy either. Some things were too heavy for that.

By the time he called them "damaged goods," however, something in her expression shifted into quiet disagreement.

"I don't think we're damaged," Xian said at last, her voice calm and steady rather than defensive. Her eyes lifted fully to his then, dark and focused beneath the lingering memory of the crimson light. "I think people kept trying to decide what we were supposed to become before we ever got the chance to figure it out ourselves."

There was no bitterness in the words, only the tired honesty of someone who had spent years trying to force herself into shapes that never quite fit.

After a moment, she pushed lightly away from the doorway and stepped closer to the workbench, her attention drifting briefly toward the repaired lightsaber clipped back onto his belt before returning to him again.

"And honestly," she continued more quietly, "running was probably the smartest thing either of us ever did. Most temples don't really know what to do with people who ask too many questions or refuse to become exactly what they're told to be."

A faint smile touched her mouth then, subtle but genuine enough to soften the heaviness hanging between them.

Her gaze lingered on him for another moment afterward, studying him with the same careful attention she usually gave complicated systems she was trying to understand properly. There was something strangely reassuring about the fact that neither of them fit neatly into the lives they had originally been handed.

"You know," Xian said after a beat, warmth slowly returning to her tone, "for someone who claims he isn't a mastermind criminal, you do have a very dramatic backstory."

The corner of her mouth lifted a little farther as she continued. "Dead masters. Sith encounters. Crimson lightsabers. Hidden ship compartments. At this point, I think the only thing missing is a mysterious rival and a bounty hunter following you across the galaxy."

The teasing was intentional, a quiet effort to pull the conversation back out of old pain before it swallowed the room entirely, but the sincerity underneath it never disappeared.

"I'm glad you stayed," she admitted after another moment, her voice softer now but no less honest. "Most people with lives like ours never really learn how to trust anyone long enough to work together this well, let alone choose to."

Her eyes flicked once more toward the repaired saber before returning to him again.

"And I think you're wrong about one thing," Xian added quietly. "What we have now isn't better just because there aren't rules hanging over us all the time." A small pause followed while her expression softened in a way she rarely allowed for long. "It's better because we actually chose it for ourselves."

Jerrik Molten

 

[Jerrik Molten]

Jerrik Molten stood in front of Xian, listening to her speak of how they weren’t damaged goods, but people who didn’t like to be forced into something that doesn’t resonate with them. She was right. But Jerrik was also leaving out a lot of information when it came to his backstory. Not everything is meant to come to light right away. Some things were best shoved in a metaphorical chest and dropped to the deepest and darkest corner of their soul, where only a select few would ever go.

For a moment it was quiet within the small room where they settled into a conversation, but Xian continued on, explaining to Jerrik that running was the best thing they did. Once again, Xian was right. Running gave Jerrik the best chance at living a full life, a decision that he would never regret because he had zero interest in sitting down with teachers to learn and study codes, philosophy, and religions that were on the verge of dying. No. Instead, Jerrik lived life day-by-day, tinkering with the ship, honing his lightsaber skills, and spending countless hours with Xian in order to survive.

Jerrik stayed quiet through a lot of the conversation, but the moment Xian brought up how dramatic his backstory was, he lowered his head slightly, trying not to show his expression through it all. "I know you are trying to make light of it all, but that pain is what fuels me, brings me closer to the force than I ever have. Brought me to you." He finally responded, lifting his head to gaze upon Xian’s eyes once more. There was so much more to what he was saying, but Jerrik didn’t feel the need to continue because he wanted to keep the vibe light, and not some protruding darkness that would bring the mood down.

Once Xian finished speaking, Jerrik let out a heavy sigh of relief, feeling a bit of weight lift free from their mind and body. "Exactly. Now we are learning together and carving a future that we have collectively decided ourselves. No teachers to hold us back from what we truly are, no codes to weigh us down, just us and the open galaxy. The only thing holding us back at this point would be ourselves, but by the look of things, I think we have everything under control." He admitted.

Since Jerrik was able to repair his lightsaber, he was committed to the next task. Credits were getting low, and supplies were needed if the both of them wanted to stick to the plan. As for now, they needed to decide what was truly next for them. Whether that was taking down some thugs for chump change, or exploring the galaxy, and committing to the idea of traveling to the five sacred sith planets. Unless it was a smart idea to train some more before taking off. Regardless of the matter, Jerrik was ready for whatever they would choose to do. "So, what’s next? We’ve got some ideas, let’s just put them to use." He spoke calmly, wondering exactly what they would do next.

Xian Xiao​

 

[Xian Xiao]

Xian listened quietly as Jerrik spoke, her attention resting on him with that same steady focus she gave to anything that mattered. The room felt calmer now, the repaired lightsaber hanging once more from his belt while the scattered parts and tools still cluttered the bench around them. Somehow that felt fitting. Nothing in either of their lives was neatly put together yet, but they kept rebuilding things anyway, piece by piece, refusing to let the chaos win.

When he spoke about pain fueling him, drawing him closer to the Force and eventually leading him to her, something in her expression eased. Not pity, she had no use for that, but recognition. She understood what it meant to survive long enough for the hurt to stop being an interruption and simply become part of the person carrying it. She had lived that truth longer than she liked to admit.

Her gaze dipped briefly before returning to him, calmer now, the edges of her voice softer.

"I know," she said quietly. "I was joking because if I don't joke about some of this, I think I'd end up throwing things at walls."

A faint curve touched her mouth, dry but genuine.

"And honestly, I think both of us already have enough unresolved emotional damage without adding repair costs for the ship."

She watched him a moment longer, not with intensity, but with the kind of attention that meant she had actually heard him. She noticed the way he carried himself whenever the past surfaced, the instinctive effort to contain it, to keep the weight from spilling onto anyone else. It wasn't dramatic. It wasn't loud. But it was familiar in a way that made sense to her.

When he spoke about the future they were carving for themselves, free from teachers, codes, and expectations, Xian leaned back against the workbench, arms folding loosely as she considered it. There was something unexpectedly grounding about hearing someone else talk about uncertainty as a path rather than a failure.

"I think we're still making this up as we go," she admitted. "But honestly, that feels more real than most of the plans people tried to force onto me before."

A comfortable silence settled between them, the kind that didn't demand anything.

Then, when he asked what came next, Xian pushed lightly away from the bench and began reorganizing a few scattered tools, her thoughts moving as steadily as her hands.

"Well," she said slowly, "we could immediately throw ourselves into danger, chase ancient Sith worlds, almost die horribly, and pretend that counts as good long-term planning…"

Her eyes flicked toward him, amusement warming them.

"…or we could do something smarter first."

She picked up a spare component, turned it once between her fingers, then set it back down.

"There are usually people looking for work in the lower district cantinas. Pilots, escorts, retrieval jobs, security contracts, courier work. Some of it's legitimate. Some of it is… less legitimate."

The faintest hint of a smile touched her voice.

"But it pays, and it lets us hear what's happening around the sector before we commit ourselves to something massive."

Her attention settled fully on him again, steady and practical.

"And honestly," she added, quieter now, "it might be nice to do something normal for a few hours before we go hunting ancient nightmares across the galaxy."

"You can even teach me how not to embarrass myself in a cantina fight," she said lightly. "That seems like a very important life skill."

Jerrik Molten

 

[Jerrik Molten]

Jerrik allowed Xian to finish speaking before he would even respond, allowing her to get out everything that was needed to get the point across, which is exactly what she did because Jerrik would agree with everything Xian said. "This is why we work well together. I try to get us killed, but you talk me out of it. For now, that is." He let out a slight chuckle after that response, but the young man wasn’t finished. "As for embarrassment, we both know that isn’t possible. Plus, I would have your back in that kind of situation. Who else is gonna save my ass when I need it once this is all done with?" He spoke rhetorically but couldn’t help laughing at his own joke.

For a moment it was quiet within the small room, that was until Jerrik let out a long sigh of relief, followed by an excited shrug. "Well, let’s get this thing up and running, then we can do the smart thing for now, and train together on our way to the next planet." He added with a bit of enthusiasm. The young man was ready to drift off into space once more, with the thoughts of gaining a lot of credits, along with enjoying the whole thing with Xian at his side. It was always reassuring knowing that Xian had his back, just as he had hers. It was a dynamic that very few force users had, and it was something that Jerrik would never take for granted because they had a bond that seemed to grow every day, they were together.

Jerrik stood mere feet from Xian, watching how she was perfectly comfortable leaning up against the doorway, while engaged into a deep conversation with one another, but it felt like there was more to get off Jerrik’s chest at the time. "A drink does sound good. How about after this next gig, we catch the closest cantina band, and have a few drinks? It’ll be a good way to loosen up before our next job." He admitted, wondering exactly what Xian would think of his offer. Regardless, Jerrik was eager to get things going because there was a whole galaxy with a bunch of credits that should be in his bank account.

Xian Xiao​

 

[Xian Xiao]

Xian listened to him with her arms still folded loosely across her chest, the corner of her mouth lifting a little more with every sentence he managed to get out. There was something strangely effortless about moments like this with Jerrik. Something that made even the heavier parts of their conversations feel less like weights dragging them down and more like familiar terrain they could cross together without losing their footing. No matter how grim the topic started, one of them always seemed to tug it back toward something lighter again, usually through sarcasm or whatever questionable decision happened to be closest at hand.

"Only for now?" she echoed, her tone dry but threaded with a warmth she didn't bother hiding. Her eyebrow lifted slowly, the expression almost lazy in its amusement. "Good to know my current role in this partnership is apparently preventing our immediate and catastrophic deaths." The humor softened the words, smoothing the edges of the tease, and she shook her head faintly before continuing in that same easy cadence. "And please. If there's a cantina fight, you'll probably be the reason it started in the first place. I'm just preparing myself for the inevitable."

Despite the teasing, something gentler lingered beneath it, an ease that had grown between them without either of them ever naming it. She didn't brush off what he said about having her back, not because she couldn't, but because she knew he meant it. That certainty had settled between them slowly, built through long nights, close calls, half‑finished repairs, arguments that burned hot and cooled just as quickly, and the simple, stubborn fact that they had survived enough together to stop questioning whether the other would still be there the next day.

By now, she trusted the answer without needing to think about it.

When he mentioned getting the ship running and heading out again, Xian pushed herself away from the doorway with a quiet exhale and wandered a few steps farther into the room. Her fingers drifted absently along the edge of the cluttered workbench, brushing over scattered tools and half‑assembled parts as though the motion helped her think.

"Training on the way there is probably smart," she admitted, her voice thoughtful but still carrying that faint thread of amusement. "Especially if we're serious about digging around places connected to Sith history. I'd rather not arrive completely unprepared and immediately activate some ancient horror because you touched something shiny."

Her eyes flicked back toward him, calm and steady and just a little too amused to be entirely innocent. "Actually, no...that sounds exactly like something you would do."

The silence that followed settled comfortably between them, filled only by the low hum of the ship and the quiet sense that neither of them felt any need to rush the moment. When he mentioned drinks and a cantina band after the next job, she looked at him for a heartbeat longer than she meant to before a softer smile finally curved across her face.

"…yeah," she said, the word warm in a way she didn't bother disguising. "I'd like that." There was no hesitation, no guardedness, no instinctive deflection. Just the simple truth of it. "A few drinks, decent music, no one actively trying to kill us for at least one night." She tilted her head slightly, her expression easing into something almost fond. "Honestly, that sounds suspiciously close to a vacation."

She stepped closer again, stopping near the edge of the bench, her posture relaxed in a way she rarely allowed around anyone else. When she looked up at him, the warmth in her expression had settled into something steadier, something that didn't need to be named to be felt.

"And if somebody does start trouble," she added lightly, "I suppose I can save your ass again." A beat passed that was long enough to feel like a shared breath rather than a pause. "But only because I'd rather not explain to anyone how you managed to get stabbed over a bad cantina song."

Jerrik Molten

 

[Jerrik Molten]

Jerrik stood in front of the door, eager to begin their journey, but their conversation wasn’t over yet, and they both were in no hurry to put themselves in danger right away. The moment Xian stepped closer, he could feel a rush of warmth bury over his entire body, nearly causing him to sweat. His mind remained clouded from the thoughts that raced within, but he managed to maintain enough focus to hear Xian continue to speak. When she finished, that’s when Jerrik looked in her direction with a faint grin. "If we drink, I promise there will be no altercations. I will be good for one night." He replied with a wink, before turning to the exit of the room.

Just before Jerrik would make his way out the room, the young man looked over his shoulder at Xian and smiled lightly before speaking in a calm tone. "So, who is flying this thing out of here? Either way, I think Coruscant would be a good first choice." He added, then turned to the exit, and began walking out of the room, with hopes that Xian would soon follow behind him. The cockpit of the ship wasn’t far away, so it would only take them a short time to get situated and prepared to get the ship off the ground. Jerrik didn’t mind regardless, as long as the duo had goals, and plans for their future, he felt very content in the moment.

Once they made it into the cockpit of the ship, Jerrik spun the chair around and took a seat with his attention set on the navigator system in front of them both. "I hear they have some cool cantinas there, so why not give us a night to settle down and loosen up a bit. We can save the theft for later, after we get some time to properly plan things out, and prepare." He added, while looking over to Xian with that same smile on his face. There was more than enough time for them both to kick back, have some fun, and relax for a change, especially since neither of them had the opportunity to do so in ages.

Xian Xiao​