The deaths of Cere, Cordova, and Bode left the Mantis crew reeling, low on allies, and without a firm plan. A promising lead delivered through the Path drives them to free a Jedi master from imperial custody, and after losing so many friends and allies to Bode and the inquisitors, Cal is desperate to find all the help he can.
Droplets of rain made Merrin flinch as they hit her eyes. For the moment, the weather wasn’t too bad, only annoying.
“Maybe I should go back in for something sturdier,” said Cal.
“Your outfit is fine.” Merrin put on some goggles to protect her eyes from the wind and rain, items she’d learned to carry after that sandstorm on Jedha, then tossed a second pair to Cal. “If you wear a poncho out here, all that extra fabric, the wind will blow you away.”
That wasn’t true, and Merrin knew it. Ponchos were flexible enough to withstand the wind, they were better than nothing, and Cal’s wardrobe included so many ponchos that surely one of them must be ideal for this environment. He was already gone when Merrin turned around.
Though she did not favor ponchos, Merrin accepted Cal’s more pragmatic fashion choices. Better than him experimenting with haircuts again. When Cal returned, he wore the drabbest poncho yet, completely dark grey. Not uniformly dark grey, there were irregular splotches of slightly darker grey. Like grease stains. Perfectly suited for Irtisilia, with BD-1’s feet clinging tight to the fabric.
“I brought one for you, too,” he said.
“Oh...” Merrin’s mind raced to think of a plausible excuse not to wear it, to prove her jacket would be enough, but she felt the raindrops getting heavier. Then Cal unfurled the poncho, cut from rich red cloth with a black border, sharp black triangles accentuating the arms and neck. “Oh. Where did you find this one?”
“Something Dendra had in stock.” Slipping on the poncho instantly protected Merrin from the surge in the rain. She felt much warmer, too. “With your invisibility magick, you don’t really need camouflage, so I thought you might like it.”
“I do like it.”
I'm writing a new short story, just in time for @barrissday! This one crosses over with Jedi: Survivor, yet another instance of me putting Barriss with unrelated characters to prove how easy it is to do and how interesting the results are because she brings a lot to Star Wars despite being unused for over a decade. I know the description and excerpt don't suggest very much Barriss, but trust me. She's in there. She's watching.