Private Written in the Scars

[Aren D'Shade]

With that offer, promise, and acceptance in the air, the rest of dinner actually went by smoothly. She showed him the notes she had brought along. It kept the conversation calm and collected, and she was able to start piecing her slightly cracked facade. The only one he had ever truly seen. While it didn't fully repair, she expected it to shatter completely by the end of the night. Were either of them ready for that?

Soon enough, their food was gone, and the bill was paid.

"Thank you."

Neither of them entirely understood the prices they were paying. The debts that were building up. His initial tone accepted her offer, and that was that. Only a little doubt lingered in Aren. He already had her heart, and she felt it would be better to have it broken early if he couldn't accept her for who she had been. Right now, she knew she would change if he asked her to. In fact, she was ready to do that anyway. Her interests were dangerous, and he already said that word tonight. He had no idea. He would soon, though.

Leaving the restaurant, she resisted her urge to lighten things and link her arm with his again. Instead, she kept her hands in her pockets, for now.

"You know the areas to walk where secrets can be revealed, and not go beyond the two talking."

Drawing in a long breath, she let it out slowly as her pulse quickened once more. This man had an effect on her that was far different from what she had ever felt before. More than anything, she wanted everything to work out in their favor. No matter what that really was.

Cassian Abrantes

 

[Cassian Abrantes]

The air outside was cooler, crisper, and for a moment Cassian welcomed it. The restaurant had been a cocoon, sheltering them from everything beyond the circle of lanternlight and hushed voices. Out here, the world returned, distant footsteps, the low hum of passing speeders, the faint scent of stone warmed by the day.

Aren's words—"You know the areas to walk where secrets can be revealed"—struck him with a gravity that stilled his steps. She was offering more. Not in the way one offered idle stories over wine, but in the way someone bared scars they'd carried alone for too long. He understood that. Perhaps too well.


He glanced at her, hands tucked into her pockets, her composure balanced on the edge of resolve and hesitation. He recognized the rhythm of her breath, the quickening pulse she couldn't quite hide. She had let him see her vulnerability once tonight; now she was preparing to do it again. And that frightened him, not because he didn't want to hear it, but because he feared what it might cost her. What it might cost them both.

"I do," he answered quietly, inclining his head toward a narrower side street. It curved away from the brighter avenues into quieter paths where lanterns were spaced farther apart, their light softened by climbing ivy and stone. "This way."

He didn't offer his arm, not yet. If she wanted the distance, he would grant it. But his pace slowed, enough that if she chose to close the space between them, she could.

For a man who lived on caution, each step felt like a risk. And yet, with Aren walking beside him, Cassian realized he was more afraid of silence than of what she might say.

As they moved towards the Naboo Gardens, busy, and pleasant during the day. However at night it wasn't as crowded and beautiful to witness.

Aren D'Shade

 

[Aren D'Shade]

For the moment, Aren maintained the physical distance by not linking their arms. However, she did position herself close enough that she could do that easily. It wasn't a step she was ready to take again. Not until he knew this secret and had accepted it. If he did, one good aspect was that she was no longer with the Sith. She had walked away when her master had died. It was the other work she had done. The reason she had arrived on Naboo with pretty much only the clothes on her back and why she had left Denon behind. That she was not yet quite ready to tell him.

There was an anticipation she felt from him. Muted and subdued, he wasn't going to push her but would give her the time she needed. They weren't quite walking on eggshells, but this conversation was going to go into dangerous territory. She didn't know if the structure they had started to build would survive or fail. The thought of failure lingered a moment, but then a gust of wind blew it away. She wouldn't allow it to fail. In the short time they had actually known each other, he had become more important than anybody else in her life. Why? It was an unspoken question, and she kept it buried. The confusion might have crossed her expression, but there was no voice given to it.

Appreciating his slow movement, she did take one of her hands out of her pocket. Not yet ready to offer the connection, she felt it would happen soon. The dusk was setting in, and the sounds of the night began to emerge. The tender light of the path he led them to wasn't missed. This was precisely what she had asked for.

Speaking a notch above a whisper, even if there were others around, they couldn't hear her words. Those were meant for Cassian alone.

"As you know, I can use the Force. My brother started my training—mostly the basics. Then our lives separated, and we went our own ways. Something you may not know about me is my interest in technology. Well, you might have figured that out on your own because of the work I'm doing for you. That isn't the point.

"You see, I can use the Force to touch robots, droids, and even cybernetic parts. Next week, if we're still working together, keep an eye on the security cameras and my movements. You won't see me. That is just one aspect of that ability."

A slightly wistful tone came into her voice. It would be clear that this was something she enjoyed as an aspect of the Force that was special to her. Her mind returned to the present after saying that, before she could follow that path and derail the conversation any more than she already had.

"After we parted, I did fall in love with a man and travelled with him. He's also out of my life, so he won't be coming back into my life."

With a gentle shrug, she continued. Stopping in the middle of the path, she clenched her hand and then held it out to him. But she didn't meet his gaze easily this time.

"If you dig deep enough, there are some very dark things you might learn about me."

She had done her best to keep them hidden, but even as careful as she had been, that information was still out there.

"I'd rather you learn about it from me rather than you finding it on your own. Ask me anything and I will answer you."

Drawing in a harsh breath, she held it for a moment before exhaling.

Cassian Abrantes

 

[Cassian Abrantes]

Cassian stilled when she halted, her words spilling into the night air like ripples on still water. He listened without moving, without interrupting, the weight of her confession pressing against the silence between them.

Force-sensitivity he had suspected, her admission at dinner had only confirmed it. But this this was more. The way she described machines, bending herself into currents of technology until she slipped past cameras and sensors… that was unlike anything he had ever encountered. It wasn't a weapon, not in the traditional sense, but it was dangerous in its own way. Clever. Subtle. He couldn't help but respect it.

Then came the rest, the love she had lost, the man now gone, the dark things she hinted at. That last part hung heaviest of all. If you dig deep enough… I'd rather you learn about it from me.

Cassian's jaw tightened. He had been trained to dig. To uncover secrets, strip away masks, weigh a person's worth against their shadows. It was instinct now, sharpened over years. But she was offering, not hiding. That made it different. That made it matter. His eyes dropped to her clenched hand, extended toward him. She wouldn't quite meet his gaze. Vulnerable, again. And this time, it wasn't just a single thread she dangled in front of him. It was a key. An invitation to pry, to break, or to trust.

He drew a slow breath, green eyes steady on her despite her refusal to meet them.

"I could ask," he said quietly. "I could dig. But you've already given me more than most ever have."

He stepped closer, close enough that her outstretched hand brushed against his coat, though he didn't take it yet. "So instead, I'll ask only this: are you here because you believe this, can survive whatever those shadows are? Because if you are…"

For Cassian, the restraint wasn't easy. Every part of him wanted clarity, control. But trust meant leaving the choice with her. And so he did. This was far beyond his spectrum of logic, and even more so this was against everything he understood. So he couldn't help but ask himself why he was doing this, what was the reasoning. Was it the comfort, what he felt when their hands touched for the first time. The feel of her resting against him as they walked on their first meeting.

Trust, control, clarity....truth....

Cassian took a deep breath, as he waited for her answer.

Aren D'Shade

 

[Aren D'Shade]

The first thought to come to her mind was that he was still standing there. Good, this meant he was open to having this conversation. Her quiet admission without including any details hadn't driven him away. Now she just needed to answer his questions. Blinking in surprise when he didn't ask for clarification and justified it by saying she's given him more than most already, she didn't know how to react.

Looking up at him and meeting his gaze, her brown eyes revealed a hint of loss and confusion. She wasn't feeling the loss of her past love or brother. No, it was a loss of words. She didn't know how to respond. For the moment, she didn't. Feeling his coat brush against her fist caused her to open that hand.

Closing her eyes, she tried to steady herself by taking a shaking breath, but it didn't work as well as she planned. Her pulse was racing, her breathing was a bit shallow, but she made a decision and placed the palm of her hand on his side. Taking her other hand out of her pocket, she held it up to her throat and lowered it slowly.

He asked if she believed she could survive her shadows, and she had to give it a bit of thought before giving him an almost imperceptible nod.

"I believe I can. If I can't, then I'll run again. But I don't want to do that. This is what I want."

Lifting the hand that wasn't on his shirt, she put it just over his chest for a second before lowering it again.

"I don't know if that is possible, though."

Cassian Abrantes

 

[Cassian Abrantes]

Her hand against his side stopped him more effectively than any word could. The gesture was small, uncertain, yet deliberate. He felt the tremor in her touch, the way her breathing betrayed the weight of what she was saying. Cassian didn't need the Force to recognize fear when it stood this close to him, or the courage it took to face it anyway.

Her nod, her words — "This is what I want… I don't know if that is possible, though." — struck something deep within him.

For so long, he had lived under the shadow of impossibility. Promises broken before they were made. Loyalties traded for necessity. Hope crushed beneath the reality of war and politics. To hear her admit her doubt, but still claim what she wanted… it was more than most dared. More than he often dared himself.

He didn't answer right away. His green eyes searched hers, steady, unyielding, but not harsh. He wanted her to see that he wasn't walking away, that her honesty hadn't fractured what they were building.


Finally, Cassian's hand rose, not to take hers, but to rest briefly over the place where she'd touched his chest. The motion was careful, reverent, as if answering her wordless gesture with one of his own. His other reached for hers that was at his side, giving it a gentle squeeze.

"Possible or not," he said quietly, "we'll find out. Together."

The word together lingered between them, carrying more weight than he'd intended. But he didn't take it back. Not this time.

For the first time in years, Cassian wasn't thinking of what was prudent, or safe, or wise. He was thinking only of the woman in front of him, and the choice they were both making, step by unsteady step

Aren D'Shade

 

[Aren D'Shade]

He stood like a solid wall as she revealed her want. He provided a steady support as her metaphorical balance wavered. This man she hardly knew gave her everything she needed right now. She wasn't allowing her fear to control her, but she did fear that he wouldn't be receptive to the advance she had hinted at.

Lifting her chin to meet his gaze, she saw what he showed her, and in return, he got her steely resolve. It wasn't anything cold or hostile—just a stubborn and unyielding burn of want. There was certainly desire in her eyes as well, but she kept that under control. It wasn't time yet.

Her hand tightened on him as he squeezed it. Did he make her do that, or had she done it on her own? Honestly, she wasn't entirely sure and wouldn't be able to provide any answer if he asked her.

Once again, her eyes closed as he spoke and said they would find out together. Feeling the heat of his hand between them, she let out an almost exhausted sigh and opened her eyes to meet his once again. Danger flashed in a future she couldn't see, but for the moment, she didn't care. What mattered was Cassian and the potential they had.

"Where do we go from here?"

She didn't ask for an answer for tomorrow or next week, but for the night.

Cassian Abrantes

 

[Cassian Abrantes]

The question settled between them like a stone dropped in still water: Where do we go from here?

Cassian held her gaze, her unyielding fire meeting the steady restraint he had lived behind for years. For a man who thrived on control, he felt dangerously close to surrendering it in the pull of her eyes.He thought of everything unsaid, her shadows, his scars, the inevitable collision of their truths. Danger lurked ahead; he could almost see it written in the set of her shoulders, hear it in the way her sigh trembled between exhaustion and want. And yet, she stood before him asking, not for promises or guarantees, but for this moment.

His hand remained where it was, warm against the fabric of her sleeve. He leaned closer, not so much to claim the space, but to give her the chance to step back if she wished.

"From here," he said quietly, "we walk. We talk. And… we see where it leads us before the night is over."

The words were simple, but they carried an intent he hadn't spoken before. He wasn't running. He wasn't retreating into silence.

He gave her hand the smallest squeeze, steady, grounding. "If that's what you want."

Because as much as he wanted to guide, to lead, Cassian understood this: whatever path they chose tonight, it had to be hers as much as his.

Aren D'Shade

 

[Aren D'Shade]

Even Aren had learned restraint in her life. She saw that in his eyes, on his body, but she could tell it was wavering. It might tip in her direction, and if that happened, she would not regret or have second thoughts over it. Would he? A small part of her thought he would, but she buried that. He had given her an answer, and now a second question needed to be dealt with.

His breath caressed her face as he leaned closer. Just enough to give her the chance to move away if she wanted to. She didn't and stood her ground. Not in a challenge to him but in acceptance. As he accepted what she gave him —her secrets, her marks, and her scars. He gave her some of his doubt, but as she took that, he filled with a stability she could never have.

"A walk. My offer remains to ask me anything, and I will answer you. There's nothing I want to keep from you, Cassian. And in time, you will know as much about me as you want. That is very much what I would like."

Leaving off her unspoken want, that would just as likely be as clear as day on her face. She chose not to keep that buried. But she also demonstrated her control by not letting her own desires dictate her actions.

Feeling his gentle squeeze brought her mind back to him. While her face revealed what she wanted, her mind was running rampant again—a dream or vision of what could happen between them. Drawing a breath, she exhaled it with surrender. Once again, this man gave her a feeling she'd never had this strongly.

"This is your home, and you know these paths. Guide my steps, and we will walk this path together."

Her words contained more meaning than just what a dictionary would say. They seemed to carry the weight of everything they were building, but they weren't trembling.

Cassian Abrantes

 

[Cassian Abrantes]

Her words resonated deeper than the quiet path beneath their feet. Guide my steps, and we will walk this path together.

Cassian heard more than the invitation to stroll Naboo's lantern-lit gardens. He heard commitment wrapped in trust, fragile yet unflinching. She was laying her will beside his, not in surrender but in choice. And for a man who had lived so long on guarded footing, the weight of that choice was staggering.

He studied her in the soft dusk light, the steel in her eyes tempered by warmth, the honesty carved into her voice, the want she didn't bother to mask. He saw restraint too, the same control he himself clung to, but in her it wasn't armor. It was strength, measured and deliberate.

For a long moment, he said nothing. Just let the silence breathe around them, filled with the chorus of crickets and the distant lap of water against stone.

Then, deliberately, Cassian reached down and took her hand. Not a fleeting brush, not the cautious contact of earlier. His fingers closed around hers with purpose, grounding them both in the promise she had just spoken.


"Then walk with me," he said, his voice steady but softer than the night air. His thumb traced once across her knuckles, an unspoken vow. "And I'll show you more than the paths I know. I'll show you the ones I've kept hidden, even from myself."

The words surprised even him, but he didn't take them back. He meant them.

With her beside him, he turned toward the curve of the garden path, where shadows stretched long and the lanterns lit the way forward, one step at a time.

"Tell me more about you, Aren. Likes, dislikes, hobbies, whatever it is. I want to know." He gave her hand a small gentle squeeze.

Aren D'Shade

 

[Aren D'Shade]

The deeper meaning of words seemed to hit him just as she intended. It was a promise, and he solidified it with his unspoken acceptance. Hearing the sound of nature fill the tense silence, she felt the atmosphere change. When he made his decision and stuck with it, the air became less electric and charged. Now it was something closer to two people taking a simple stroll through the dusk. Just a new, young couple making small talk and getting to know one another.

He also gave her a turn of words that was more than the dictionary meaning. He also wanted her to know him on a level that he might not even be entirely aware of.

"It is my pleasure to walk those paths with you."

Giving him a blink, there might have been a sigh that was attached as he took her hand and ran his thumb over her knuckles. Such a gentle sensation that meant more than any words spoken.

Walking hand in hand, he asked her again to tell her more about herself. It was different this time, though. He wanted to know more than the history she'd told him earlier. This time, he wanted to break through the outer layer and meet the human she didn't show often. Another squeeze, which she returned, and the walk continued.

"I dislike being a captive. That was not fun."

Rolling her eyes at the memory, he might be able to tell she wasn't upset that it had happened. More embarrassed than anything.

"It was so boring. I love to tinker. If you ever got the chance to visit my home on Denon...you could have seen."

A hiccup happened, and she went quiet again. She didn't know if she would ever be able to return to Denon. That put a slight dampener on her speech, but it didn't entirely extinguish the genuine happiness she was feeling. Besides, she did not think he would approve of that aspect, and it was best for her to put that in the past. Change came to everybody, and he was her catalyst.

Aren wanted nothing more than to turn over a new leaf and start over. Begin again and have Cassian at her side.

Cassian Abrantes

 

[Cassian Abrantes]

Her admission—"I dislike being a captive. That was not fun"—earned a small tug at the corner of his mouth. Not a laugh, but something close. She could turn what most would dwell on in bitterness into a wry, almost embarrassed confession. That, more than anything, revealed a strength that wasn't forged in steel or duty, but in resilience.

"I can imagine that, it's something beautiful being caged up. I can see how that would be bothersome." Cassian said with a smile as he looked from her then back to the path before them.

He felt her squeeze his hand in answer to his own, and the simple connection seemed to ground them both. When she spoke of tinkering, her voice carried a note he hadn't heard before, lighter, unguarded, touched with warmth. He let himself picture it: Aren surrounded by scattered parts, tools in hand, completely absorbed in making something new. It suited her.

But when she faltered, when Denon slipped into her speech and then caught in her throat, Cassian noticed. The brief shadow across her expression didn't pass unnoticed. He didn't press, not yet. Instead, his thumb traced across her knuckles once more, a subtle reassurance.

"I can see it," he said quietly. "You with your machines, refusing to be bored. Making something out of nothing."

He let the image linger before adding, "I'd like to see it again. Not Denon, perhaps, but… wherever you choose to begin again."

He turned his head slightly, meeting her gaze in the dim glow of a lantern. There was no demand in his words, no probing for details she wasn't ready to share. Just the acknowledgment that he saw her, more than the scars, more than the shadows, and wanted to see the parts of her that lit up when she spoke of what she loved.

"New leaves turn easier when they're not alone," Cassian said softly.

Aren D'Shade

 

[Aren D'Shade]

His words almost caused her mind to stall out completely. He called her beautiful, not out of kindness but out of honesty. His look at her told her he believed what he said, and it gave her some confidence that they weren't making a mistake. Opening her mouth to disagree with his statement, she ultimately changed her mind. Their eyes met for a brief moment before he returned them to the path before them.

"Once this job you hired me for is finished, I will look into getting a new place to call home. Then, when I've made it into a home, I will invite you over."

This time, when their eyes met, neither of them looked away quickly.

"Thank you."

Two simple words that meant so much coming from her. The weight Aren carried had started to lift. She hoped that when he learned the whole truth, it wouldn't break him. A fear gently rose again, and she did her best to trample it down, but it likely flashed in her eyes for a heartbeat.

Yet, she didn't look away either. Her gaze was steady, her pulse solid even if it was racing again. Instead of running from this potential future, she would face it head-on.

"I want to know more about you as well. What makes you tick beyond the duty you have to fulfill?"

Lacing her fingers through his, the connection flared, but it was calming. It felt so natural, and Aren wasn't used to it. She wasn't scared, though, and walked this unknown path with him.

Cassian Abrantes

 

[Cassian Abrantes]

Her words struck him harder than he expected. "When I've made it into a home, I will invite you over."

Not just a place, not just a roof and walls, a home. Cassian hadn't heard anyone speak of such a thing in years, and certainly not to him. It was a promise of stability, of belonging, of something beyond the shifting tides of politics and conflict. It startled him more than the sharpest blade could, and yet it steadied him at the same time.

When she thanked him, her gaze never faltering, he saw something rare in her eyes: hope mingled with fear, courage battling uncertainty. He recognized it because it was his own reflection too.

Then her fingers laced through his, the connection sparking not with fire but with calm. A naturalness he wasn't accustomed to, though he found himself reluctant to let it go. He didn't want to let go, he wouldn't. Which was scary all the same. Just being grounded in this form was something out of a dream.

Her question pulled him inward. "What makes you tick beyond the duty you have to fulfill?"

Cassian didn't answer right away. He rarely let himself think of the man beneath the officer, beneath the noble. He had become so used to carrying duty like armor that he almost believed there was nothing else left. But her voice, her touch, made it impossible to stay silent.

Finally, he exhaled. "Music," he admitted, the word quiet but clear. "It's one of the few things I let myself have. Playing… it's not about performance, or perfection. It's the one time my mind doesn't weigh itself down with what I owe everyone else."

His gaze shifted to her as they walked, a faint shadow of vulnerability flickering in his green eyes. "And family. Not the House or the name—those come with their own burdens. I mean my sister, my brother. My parents.....they remind me of who I was before all this."

He squeezed her hand gently. "And now… perhaps you'll remind me too."

The admission was quiet, cautious, but it was as honest as he had ever been with anyone outside his blood.

"What's something you have never done before, but have always wanted to?" Cassian asked, looking into her eyes and he smiled.

Aren D'Shade

 

[Aren D'Shade]

She didn't need the Force to feel some of the emotions Cassian was showing her. She might have been Sith at one point, but that life was so far distant it didn't matter. Yes, it had helped mould her into who she was today, but that darkness and path were out of her life. Eventually, she would tell him, but not yet and not right now. It was coming, though, and Aren could feel it like an impending doom. All she wanted to do was delay that and focus on the present. Forget the past for the night and live like it was her last day.

After she spoke her question, his answer wasn't what she expected. He had already told her he played the piano, so it did make sense, but to hear him say it was music surprised her. Something so simple that it bound the universe together in ways words couldn't. Everybody understood music. It brought some additional clarity to her understanding of the man next to her.

"Family can be a blessing or a curse. So far, I've kept my parents out of everything. However, they brought some things down on their heads in the past. They were rather outspoken in the politics of Zakuul after I moved away. I think things have calmed down now, though, and they are living a happy life. I'll have to check up on them sometime."

When he included her in his thoughts of reminding, she almost stopped walking. There was a slight hesitation in her movement, but she got over it quickly. Her thanks remained in the air, and she didn't repeat them but returned the squeeze and continued the stroll through the darkening night.

"I'm going to have to give that some thought. Most of the stuff I've dreamed about doing, I've accomplished. Either with my parents' help or on my own. I've pilfered a couple of droids, made one of my own, and even caused riots by freeing some."

What was something she'd never done before? What had she always wanted to do? She needed to give the question proper thought and would remember to tell him when she came up with an answer.

"I'm sorry, I can't think of anything right now. Do you have anything you haven't done but have always wanted to?"

Cassian Abrantes

 

[Cassian Abrantes]

Her words about Zakuul and her parents told him more than she likely realized. She had the look of someone who carried distance from family, but not disdain, someone who chose independence, even when it left her untethered. He respected that. He knew the kind of strength it took.

But when she turned the question on him—"Do you have anything you haven't done but have always wanted to?"—Cassian slowed his pace, not from reluctance but because it wasn't a question he had ever really allowed himself to ask.


Duty had been his compass for so long. Wants, desires, private dreams, they'd been things to set aside, to ignore in service of House Abrantes, of Naboo, of the Republic. Yet Aren's eyes were steady on him, and for once, he didn't want to deflect. He drew in a breath of the cool night air. "Yes." His voice was quieter, more measured now. "I've spent so much of my life bound to obligation, first to my House, then to the Republic, that I've never known what it means to live without it. To… choose for myself." And while that was said, he wasn't autonomous, he could make his own choices. But the fact of the matter was that he was the son, the eldest son of House Abrantes. After his father passed it would him to take the helm, he would be expected to marry of noble blood and have children to follow.

His gaze flicked to her, green eyes catching the lanternlight. "I've always wanted to take one year. Just one. To see the galaxy not as a soldier, not as a noble, but as a man. To walk its markets and ruins, its oceans and forests, with no banner over my head."

He paused, letting the weight of the admission settle. "And I've never done it. Because part of me fears that if I let go, even for a moment, I won't know who I am when I come back."


He gave her hand a small squeeze, gentler this time, as if to anchor the words he had just spoken. But now with his demotion, and getting placed with RIS, his standing had already been damaged, already been destroyed. It was necessary, and he would endure it because he could. And he was the only one that could bear such a burden. "But if you're asking… that's the thing I've never done. And maybe the thing I want most."

Aren D'Shade

 

[Aren D'Shade]

His pace slowed, and Aren slowed with him. It was clear her return question brought him up short, and he genuinely needed to consider his answer. That was the same for her, but not for the same reasons. She listened to his answer, and a thought crossed her mind. She might not be able to give him a year away but she could a night. Duty and obligation were too strong to break, and she understood that. Maybe more than she could have imagined. She was slowly getting into a life she never expected to have.

Drawing in a breath, she exhaled before making her offer. Stopping to stand in front of him, she took both of his hands into hers, and her eyes met his as they reflected the lanterlight. Returning the squeeze, she allowed him to finish, and she nodded. For several heartbeats, she was silent, and with a reverent tone, she broke it.

"I can take you away from here. At least for the night. If you wish, it isn't a year like you want to explore, but for a few hours, you can be whatever you want to be."

This was one skill she had utilized in her dark life. One she had learned when she was Sith and had used in war. She'd also used it to escape certain death with her past lover.

Her gaze did not waver as she waited for his answer.

Cassian Abrantes

 

[Cassian Abrantes]

Her hands were warm in his, steady despite the tremor he felt beneath her skin. The way she looked at him, unflinching, lanternlight caught in the depths of her eyes, made the night itself feel charged, as if the air was waiting for his answer.

"I can take you away from here. At least for the night."

The words struck him with a force he hadn't expected. She wasn't offering escape in the way most would mean it. No wine, no music, no noble distractions. This was something else. Something that came from her shadows, from the darker life she had lived and carried forward into this moment. It should have unsettled him. A part of him wanted to resist, to demand clarity, to understand the cost of such an offer.

But then he saw the way she held his gaze, resolute, but vulnerable, too. She wasn't flaunting her skill, she was giving it to him, a choice that could shatter the balance they'd found or draw them closer than ever. Cassian's instinct for caution warred with the ache in his chest, the part of him that had longed to stop running, even just for a breath. But yet, that side of him needed.....

Demanded....

He tightened his hands around hers, not forcefully, but with a firmness that spoke of decision.

"How?"

Aren D'Shade

 

[Aren D'Shade]

Her offer similarly hung between them as her thanks from before. His thoughts and concerns were lightly written on his face. Even if he didn't know they were there. Aren saw them but didn't chase them. What he felt she could reassure him if he wanted. He just needed to ask. He did in his own way by asking how.

The answer was quite simple, but he might not have fully understood it. All it would take was two words to say all she needed to, but he might want more. He might want to know how she learned her skill. If he asked, she would tell him. As a part of honoring her promise to answer any questions he had. She didn't want to keep any secrets from him.

Once again, they were treading dangerous ground, but she felt it wasn't going to crumble. Not anymore.

"The Force."

Those two words held that knowledge, and all she said for now. Breathing calmly, this was a great strength and power she possessed, and she chose not to abuse it. She offered this freely to him.

Cassian Abrantes

 

[Cassian Abrantes]

The Force.

Cassian felt the weight of those words settle into him, heavier than any elaborate explanation could have been. Two words, simple and absolute, carrying within them the promise of power, history, and danger. He had fought beside Jedi, watched them bend the currents of fate with gestures and conviction. He had also seen the havoc wrought when that same power fell into the wrong hands. To hear Aren claim it, not as a boast, not as a threat, but as a gift she offered him, was something else entirely.


His grip on her hands tightened a fraction, not in fear but in acknowledgment. She was trusting him with this, standing before him without armor, without disguise. He saw no deception in her eyes, only a calm certainty. "How?" he asked, his voice low, almost reverent. Not as an interrogation, not demanding proof. It was the voice of a man who wanted to understand, to trace the shape of the truth she'd placed in his hands.


But even as he asked, Cassian realized the how mattered less than the fact that she had chosen to tell him at all. The woman who had walked into his life two weeks ago had just pulled back the veil on a secret most would have kept buried forever. He exhaled slowly, as though to release some of the tension clinging to him. "You've given me enough already, Aren. Perhaps now isn't the best time. Sometime, maybe soon."

Aren D'Shade