Things rarely ever appear as they seem - the moon is always whole, the mirages in the desert are never there - and people are much the same. She was ice and blackness, or so you would think. Not everyone who is dark is angered and lost.
Don't approach The Inquisitor without an invitation or command to do so. Don't speak to The Inquisitor unless she speaks first. Do not get in her way or speak poorly of The Inquisitor.
From day one on the Finalizer, Oli had been informed thusly that The High Inquisitor was someone people did not fraternize with, that she was cold and calculating, the kind to not hesitate with cutting one down. And he could believe it too - with the way she walked and how she addressed Hux like he was unworthy of her command, the way her mere presence showed how fragile her temper was, she was a dark lake with a thin sheet of ice covering the surface, the threat of it breaking under one's feet with each hazardous step imminent and obvious - if she hadn't been such a ridiculous and strange being. One moment The Inquisitor was fire and brimstone taking down anyone in her path like they were simply tall grass meant to be hacked away, but the next minute she'd be stifling possibly the most ridiculous laugh Oli had ever heard. She was amusing and charming, but only at a distance, and that made the newfound Sith unsure of her.
Treading through the halls and heading towards his room after a long and tiring day of training - Kylo was never one to make training easy, even for Oli of whom the Knight of Ren had a weak spot for - and having exhausted fantasies of collecting his toiletries and stealing away to the General's private bathroom to utilize the tub, Oli's imaginings were cut short as a flurry of grey and brown whipped around the corner and ran smack into him, the stranger dragging the Sith down into a mess of limbs on the cold metal floor.
Breath knocked from his lungs and hair askew around his face - obscuring Oli's vision - he let out a ragged gasp just as the small fury of a person scrambled to their feet and dragged him back to a standing position - something Oli was sure wasn't possible, considering the person seemed to be a foot shorter than himself - before taking the Sith along with them, dragging him back down the hall with a distinct cackle erupting from the person while they made haste and he pushed his hair from his eyes.
It didn't take long for Oli to recognize the person as The Inquisitor - really, not many people were as short as she was - and slam his heels on the solid floors, halting their progress as the Sith woman looked back as him and huffed out breathlessly, "We can't stall, you Bantha sucker! Come o-" She had started to spit, Oli quickly clapping his gloved hand over her mouth before pushing the smaller Sith into an adjacent crook in the hallway.
Wedged uncomfortably close, Oli shot a hard glower at the small female who had in a matter of minutes dashed his dreams of a nice bath, his voice tight while he gritted out, "You talked first, so now I get to talk. What the fuck are you even doing, ripping around the damned place like your ass is on fire! You're just asking to get sh-" He had started to rant, body vibrating with anger as the small Inquisitor jumped up onto her tip-toes and clapped her hand up against Oli's mouth defiantly, her eyes blazing like twin chunks of amber and meeting Oli's tired glare with the defiant disrespect he'd expect from someone like Caez, not from a High Sith Delegate.
Staring down at the obvious jerk in the small space, Oli had to set his jaw to avoid rolling eyes at the Inquisitor as she wiggled a finger at him in a scolding manner, her eyes oddly bright and jovial as she brought the same hand down to tap Oli's which had been placed over her mouth. Frowning at the Sith, he gritted his teeth before lifting his hand away, The Inquisitor clearing her throat before hushing, "Hey now, don't be such a sour grape. If I left you out there, you would've ran smack into Mister Grouchy. So I guess I saved you, so you're welcome." She quipped flippantly, Oli finally not being able to resist and rolling his eyes at the shit he was hearing.
Feeling the Inquisitor lift her hand off of Oli's mouth, he exhaled deeply for a moment before hissing back tiredly, "Okay, Madame Inquisitor, dare I fucking ask who Mister Grouchy is? Because from what I've seen, you're just a dick and if anyone is trying to kick your ass you damned well deserve it." He spat, tone edged with annoyance as the Inquisitor scrunched up her nose and stuck her tongue out childishly, her scooting to the back of the nook they were both hiding in before booting Oli out of the little alcove, her following him with a taunting spring in her step as the Sith stumbled.
Righting himself and whipping his head over to glare at the Inquisitor, Oli huffed and was about to start yelling just as the Sith Delegate toned, "Don't call me Madame, that makes me sound old and boring. Call me Rhell, if anything. And don't worry, I know I started this one. Hell, I usually start this shit with C-" She started, only to cut herself off with a loud yelp as a looming Stormtrooper picked her up by her belt, holding up the Sith woman and suspending her in the air as she turned to look at the trooper, then promptly burst into laughter.
Staring at the buckethead that had picked up The Inquisitor like she weighed nothing, Oli had to blink fast a few times to be sure they weren't exhaustedly hallucinating seeing two shoddily drawn eyebrows on the trooper's helmet, Rhell still cackling and snorting as the guard barked, "So you think this is damned funny, Madame? You find this amusing? What the fuck possessed you to think that drawing on my fucking helmet wouldn't get you into-" He started, only for Rhell to defiantly kick the soldier in the shin, forcing him to drop her as she scrambled behind Oli to utilize the other Sith as a shield.
Not liking the position he was in, Oli instinctively brought his hands up to protect his face while the Inquisitor yelled behind him loudly, "Oh don't be so damned bitter, Trooperman! When you fall asleep on the job you're just asking to be messed with! And I never said I wouldn't get caught, I was just hoping to maybe delay the inevitable for the sake of watching you run around the ship like some idiot with those new 'brows on." She snorted, Oli shooting her a glare as she continued to grin crookedly at the Stormtrooper, he himself knowing better than to try and take a good look at the soldier just in case he couldn't hold himself together, really not wanting to risk laughing at the very poorly drawn on eyebrows besmirching the Trooper's helmet.
Shitty scribbled-on eyebrows only making the soldier look more pissed off, the Stormtrooper stayed still for a moment before stepping forward and shoving Oli out of the way - the Sith falling on his ass with a dull thud - before picking up The Inquisitor before she could run off again, him dragging the delegate into a firm hold under his arm before turning and leaving, Oli staying motionless in his spot on the floor for a moment before finally grunting under his breath tiredly, "... What the actual fuck." and getting back to his feet, shambling back down the hall and hoping to finally take his bath and forget whatever the fuck he had just witnessed. At least one thing was assured, The Inquisitor was more douchebag pest than actual threat. At least, for now.
(Oli belongs to @curtisgrahamcracker, Stix belongs to @caezsucksdangs, Rhell belongs to myself.)
Words escaped you, like a butterfly taking flight between your fingertips. You’d love to hold on for long enough to understand them for a moment, but every time your hands closed around them they somehow escaped. Yes, you could dwell on the fact that the butterfly should be a symbol for yourself, but then you’d have to admit that the words were only escaping because you couldn’t.
Three words. It was three fucking words, and Camren couldn't just. Spit them out. Three fucking words, it wasn't hard besides the fact that they were trying to say these words to someone they'd known since childhood. Someone who went through the same abuses as them, someone who would step in between Cam and being brutalized by their Sith Master, Rhell taking every insubordinate beating in silence, never complaining, never flinching as Marvelle forced her to take Camren's place when she stuck her neck out for them. This was... This was the same young inquisitor that Camren kissed when they were both fourteen, Rhell's warm mouth feeling so... So... So fitting when pressed against Cam's, like they were two puzzle pieces that fit together perfectly. No, Cam never pursued further - they already knew who had Rhell's heart, anyways - but that didn't change how their closest friend made them question who they were late in the nights when they were alone, the phantom of a smile they felt was more radiant than the suns of Sakroem making their chest constrict painfully as they curled into a ball in their bed, gaze turning to the window and spotting the same person that made them rethink their entire ideology stand out on her bedroom balcony, white nightgown making Rhell look like a fantasy.
She was a dream, a waning fantasy that Cam wanted on occasion to experience, even if it was only for a fleeting moment. God, they swore this wasn't who they were, but then they saw the way Rhell handled her lightsaber, they saw how she held herself when she walked and how her long brown hair fell down and around her face, framing her like ribbons of warm chocolate and making her skin tone all that more radiant. Everything about her suited her, and if it wasn't envy that Cam felt it was desire. Envy, for Rhell knowing so assuredly who she was, what her place in the galaxy was, and desire to have those lips against Cam's mouth again, hands soft and delicate moving up and tangling in their hair to pull them down deeper, Camren sinking - drowning - in the feeling of passion that felt like electricity on the surface of their skin. No, this was wrong. And even despite all of this, they still couldn't tell her those three fucking words. It felt like the impossible task, something that they'd wanted to say from the first moment Rhell stepped between them and Darth Marvelle, and a feeling that never subsided when that one kiss happened. Dammit, it was one kiss, and yet... Nothing felt the same after that. It felt like Cam had to be loyal to someone who would never be theirs, and they so wanted to just say what they wanted - needed - to say, but it was... It felt like a lost cause.
Would she even understand? Would she be able to not and accept it, even if she never felt the same way? All questions that spun around Camren's head and made their skull ache, the Sith apprentice walking down the halls to the Rhell's room, them peeking in and spotting the shell of the warm person they used to know better than the back of their hand. The Inquisitor looked broken now, a year of being missing having taken a toll on her as she sat up at the edge of her bed, back to the door and hastily cut hair tickling the nape of her neck. Even broken, she looked regal, composed. Too composed. Too regal. No, she was none of these, she was empty, solemn, mourning, and Camren wanted to walk over and hold her, but they knew better than to try and push through those hastily constructed walls that were closing the Inquisitor off from the rest of the world.
Setting their duffel bag down at the door, Camren inhaled deeply before walking over to their long-time friend, eyes full of concern meeting Rhell's deep gaze as she turned to them, her smiling weakly - Cam could tell it was forced - before patting the section of mattress beside her. Taking the invitation with a nod, the Icarii sat down and let Rhell slump against them, the Inquisitor closing her eyes and breathing steadily while her hand inched up to clasp Camren's, them both sitting in silence and Cam knowing damn well that this was their chance. Just three words. Three simple words and it'd be that. Everything would be out in the open, a truth that made Cam's chest ache every moment Rhell affirmed that they were friends for life right at the edge of their lips, them taking another deep breath as their fingers tensed against Rhell's, Camren staring straight ahead - out the French doors of Rhell's balcony - to avoid watching Rhell's expression as they cleared their throat, and weakly hushed,
"... I can't stay."
(Camren belongs to @kalamitis, Rhell and Marvelle belong to myself)
A queen sitting on a throne of glass and wire. She was the queen of monsters, and as a gift she was given a servant boy. The boy was very afraid of her, and she made him a promise, that if he kept her secret she would not eat him. And so he asked what the secret was, and the queen said...
It was day five. She had diligently waited five days, and that was all the patience Rhell had for things not going her way. Sure, everyone had been trying their damnedest to keep her busy and distracted so she didn’t go off on someone - or more importantly, near something crucial to the Interceptor’s flight capabilities - but anyone with half a piece of shit in their skull knew that was just a temporary distraction, a way of keeping her preoccupied just enough so that she wasn’t an issue. Meetings and delegation events were stacked neatly side by side, her free time being so firmly packed with stuff to do and people insisting that they needed to hang out that the Inquisitor could only guess on how much Kylo and Hux had to bribe people to try and play along for the safety of the crew as an entirety. It was tiring, but she wasn’t about to complain when the people constantly surrounding her she tended to like.
Silently grumbling as Kosmik tugged at the Inquisitor’s hair and tried to twist the short bob of hair up into her hair decorations, Rhell just took this unwanted mistreatment of her follicles as Caez and Vinn laid on Rhell’s bed, Caez laughing and thumbing through Kos’ tablet without permission as the flyboy tried to braid the rebel’s unruly hair, him clearly struggling as Caez finally piped up loudly, “So tell me again, why does Rhell have to host this stupid formal meeting? And why are we dressing her up like a decorative lamp for this?” They asked, trying to keep the snark in their tone to a minimum as Caez grunted and smacked Vinn’s hand as he tugged a bit too hard on the braid, causing the blond giant to jump a bit.
And they would’ve escalated their squabbling, too, if it weren't for Kos clearing her throat and snapping out, “Rhell is doing this because she has a duty as the Inquisitor to show recognition towards the dark council. She was given a personal summons to utilize her skills for the benefit of the whole of Sith delegates. But because she has yet to make her presence known fully to the galaxy, we’re capitalizing on it and using her birthright as governess of the Polith System to infiltrate a-”
“Yeah yeah, okay. We’re gonna debrief and then let Rhell loose on the galaxy. Good plan. Nothing could possibly go wrong when one is so dangerous we’ve been cater- Mhhph!” Caez started, before being stopped as Vinn clapped his hand down on their mouth, the Sith glaring up at the flyboy as he began to sweat, the room going cold for a moment as Rhell closed her eyes at the comment.
Kos pausing in weaving her hair, Hux’s apprentice’s hands went rigid for a moment as everyone in the room tried to gauge Rhell’s reaction to the outburst from Caez, the Inquisitor exhaling and pinching the bridge of her nose before sitting upright again and waving for Kosmik to continue fixing her hair. Vinn glancing between Caez and Kos for a moment and clearing his throat before asking nervously, “So, uh, ah, Rhell. Do.. Do you know when Stix is gonna be-”
“No, I don’t. He’s been gone for five days and I’m not sure when he’ll be back. And Kos won’t tell me and won’t let me split her brain apart to get my answers.” Rhell threatened loosely, voice tight as she blinked slowly, acting very automatic since Stix had been gone as if she was worried about letting her feelings run rampant. She was too proud to admit she liked Stix’s presence - from his rolling his eyes at her to the few scant times her jackassery has made him break the frigid facade he kept for a split moment - and way too stubborn to let anyone but Vinn know how twisted up into knots he made her. Sure, she was sure that Kos could read her feelings on the matter and Caez probably had an idea based on how well they knew Rhell by now. She was tense, and not her usual tense.
Grunting and finally giving up on letting Kos get that last strand of hair that was curling at the side of Rhell’s cheek, the Inquisitor stood up and looked back at her three companions, eyes dark and cold like the abyss as she all but commanded, “I’m ready to leave. Let’s go to this stupid meeting and get it over with before I decide I don’t want to go anymore.” She stated, tone begrudging in the quiet room.
Listening to Rhell then chuffing and smirking crookedly, Caez took to looking at the humour of the situation as they taunted, “Geez, bet you wish you were banned from events like this now, don’t you?” Their words jovial and almost egging the Inquisitor on as Rhell spun her head to look up at Kosmik, acting hopeful that she could maybe get that sort of fortune as the alien woman glared down at her temporary charge.
“No. You’re going and you aren’t being banned from events. Caez isn’t pertinent enough to warrant them at these types of ordeals, anyways. Now let’s get going or else we’ll be late.” Kos snapped, tone lacking any sort of malleability as she led the now despondent Inquisitor out of the room, the sounds of Caez and Vinn starting to bicker - well, more Caez yelling and Vinn taking the verbal attacks - just barely starting up as the door was slid closed behind them, Rhell being waved towards the small transport waiting for them outside of her room as she climbed on and tried to smooth out her stuffy dress.
While everyone else had been just wearing their normal clothing, Rhell - as the High Inquisitor - was expected to make her appearance as presentable as possible for the Dark Council’s presence, despite her protests on how necessary a full gown was for such a small meeting. As usual, her whining and bickering was ignored, but that just gave Rhell enough of an excuse to tune out and ignore everyone else in return, her retreating to her memories as she recalled how much her mother adored dressing up the young Inquisitor back on Thyferra.
Much like how Vinn was, Rhell’s mother was a beam of light, a rush of fresh air, especially compared to the Sith-oriented gloom her father was. Her mother Levallah was different, though. With not an ounce of force energy running through her, the Polith Governess was as blissfully unaware as one could come, and Rhell loved her mother’s purity. For as long as she could remember her mother had always wanted only the best for Rhell - the education, the notoriety, the beauty, the grace, and eventually the family and titles she had a right to - and even though she had never taken well to Rhell generally showing no long term interest in people, Levallah held onto her old traditions and had hope that her daughter would be great one day, even if that meant her daughter never had the chance of having a family of her own. Not that Rhell really cared for her mother’s ideals, but she still wished to make the older Lior woman happy somehow.
Sighing and closing her eyes, the Inquisitor remembered how her mother’s smile looked, recalling the excited clapping that she always did when Rhell let her dress up her daughter. Longing to see her parental figure again, she exhaled for a moment before sitting up again and climbing off of the small transit vehicle as it stopped in front of the large doors that kept the High Sith Inquiries room from being seen by prying eyes. In all fairness, Rhell thought the large doors to be useless except for statement, considering the room had all-around windows that allowed people to see into it from below the landing hangar. But whatever, it wasn’t her goddamned design choice and she didn’t really care enough to do much else besides silently judge the stupidity of others.
Finally working up the nerve to push open the large doors, the Inquisitor was greeted by eleven notable Sith figures, all holographic and watching her in that odd bluish glow that holograms always had as she entered the room swiftly, taking her seat in the chair placed specifically for her in the center of the lavish space as she gazed over at the hooded figures, finally after a moment clearing her throat and inquiring cooly, “Hello, Dark Leaders. Thank you for permitting my presence. Now, may I request the reason for my summons?” Rhell asked, tone strong and controlled as she kept herself steady under the gazes of the eleven dignitaries.
With her question, a hooded figure in the middle of the ring of eleven spoke up, voice raspy and tired as he toned, “You may, High Inquisitor. What we had summoned you for what to inform you that your previous teacher, Darth Marvelle, has passed.” He stated, Rhell blinking for a moment as her body went rigid, trying to not betray her emotions as the Sith continued, “We are sorry for the loss, for Marvelle was a strong Sith delegate and the keeper of the Sphere of Mysteries. He was a valuable component in our battle with resurrecting the Order.”
“Is this all you have to give me? To inform me of my Teacher’s death?” She asked out of turn, her voice unwavering despite the tears starting to sting the edges of her eyes as she gazed intensely at the council member, the other ten members murmuring at her sudden outburst as she looked at all of them in turn, eyes clouded with hurt as she raised her voice slightly, “Surely, you could have sent someone to inform me instead of demanding my presence. Unless you have more to tell me.” She snapped, sitting back slightly in her seat and crossing her legs as she rested her hands demurely in her lap, awaiting an answer.
More murmurs, and another council member spoke up, her voice light and weak as she hissed out, “Madame Inquisitor, we know you have a great mantle to uphold with your fath-” She started, only to silence as Rhell raised her hand for quite, eyes still like storms as she stood up from her seat, standing tall in front of the group of Sith sphere holders as she thought of what to do.
Finally taking initiative and stepping into the very center of the room so that the holograms all encompassed her, the Inquisitor clenched her fists as she stated darkly, “I, am not my father. I will surpass him in every way possible, so is my birthright and calling by fate. If you think that comparing me to him is flattery, you are wrong. Now, either get to the point of this meeting or prepare to witness me walk out, for I have work you are taking me away from. Work I do for you.” She bit off, the room going cold as Rhell’s mood while the shadows beneath her feet began to move and slither in and of their own volition, her mood affecting more than just her attitude as another member let his voice boom, making her spin to face him.
“Inquisitor Rhell Lior, daughter of Lavellah Khars and Tamerad Lior, last inquisitor to the Sith Empire and First Order, we the dark council request you take up your teacher’s position as the holder of the Sphere of Mysteries. May your insight and skill benefit this new task, should you accept.” The man’s voice boomed, his crossing his hands over his body as Rhell took in their request and finally exhaled, looking up at the pillar-like holograms for a moment before something out the window caught her eye.
It wasn’t anything special, just a transit ship dropping off people and picking up more, but as she glanced out the window she swore she saw a familiar face exit the ship, her eyes going wide for a moment before quickly whipping her attention back up to the council members, stating sharply, “I accept the control of this sphere, under the understanding that I may not share this information from such a task with anyone else. Now, this meeting is dismissed, for I have work to do in the name of the Empire.” She stated, waving her hand and shutting off every hologram promptly before she could be met with protest, the Inquisitor quickly running to the large doors and pushing them open as Kos looked over at her with a confused look, the alien kicking the trooper beside her to start up the transit vehicle just as Rhell started to trudge past them.
Brows knitting together at the odd action from Rhell, Kosmik watched her friend wander off on foot, her calling over to the inquisitor, “Rhell? Where do you think you’re-”
“Stix is back. I’m going to go see him.” She cut off, tone determined as she trudged on foot, for some reason not bothered by the hinderance that was her dress as she continued on, Kos just staring for a moment before shrugging and deciding that if Stix was around Rhell was no longer her problem. Continuing on her trip, Rhell did not stop until she all the way down in the landing hangar, her running through swaths of troopers and other workers as she looked around, sticking out like a sore thumb in her regalia as she tried to spy her guard. After a few more moments of wandering, though, a laugh she was narrowly familiar with broke out in the space, causing her to whip her head and rest her relieved gaze on a familiar trooper. Turning to head in that direction, Rhell stopped herself from walking over as she saw Stix laughing and smiling with his squadron. He was... She could never make him smile like that.
Trying to decide on what to do, Rhell chose to not be selfish as she let her heels click across the metal floors, her backing away slowly before turning to leave, a flurry of blue radiance leaving a parted sea of people in her wake as she kept her head down, walking to her quarters in total silence. Getting to the doors, Rhell nudged open the door and slid herself in, not even bothering to change her attire just yet as she walked over to her bed and sat down, thinking about the fact that she accepted a job she didn’t want for a person who didn’t want her. She was sure of it now. It was such a simple thing for her to ignore, too. She could just ignore the mannerisms she didn’t like in others, only focusing on glances that were too long, touches that were too tepid, words that were never fully spoken, and now she wondered why she felt so stupid. Because red flags through rose coloured glasses just looked like flags to her.
Exhaling raggedly and getting up to go and wash all the gunk out of her hair and to maybe undo all the laurel-shaped clips in her hair, Rhell went to make her way towards her private bathroom just as the door opened, her whipping her head over and looking at an all too familiar silhouette - the same one she’d seen a hundred times before - as it entered the room, one travel bag being dropped on the floor with a solid thud as Stix approached casually, getting to about a foot’s distance from the Inquisitor before stopping and watching her carefully, taking in Rhell’s scared gaze and attire before stating gruffly, “You could’ve come and seen me in the hangar. I was waiting for you, but then you left. It isn’t very polite t-”
Before being cut off by the air leaving his lung abruptly as Rhell slammed her body against his, making Stix stumble backwards slightly as he tried to adjust himself, arms up in the air for a moment before realizing that his charge was hugging him. Pausing for a moment, the trooper let his face flush darkly at the odd and sudden action before finally carefully lowering his arms to wrap safely back around the small Sith woman, not sure what to even say to her until he felt something wet soak through his shirt, her voice coming out in a quiet sputter as she hushed, “... Don’t leave me... I missed you... Don’t leave me...” in repetition, her fingers tensing against his back as she clutched at his framework, letting herself feel this for just one fucking moment instead of being stiff and cold. Now wasn’t the time for that - for the same mean remarks and sharp snaps at each other that usually went down - but for Rhell to just let herself feel better, even if it only gave relief for that single moment.
Trying to understand what had her so upset, it finally dawned on Stix that she was trying to hold onto him like a child trying to grasp a butterfly in their hands, him relaxing himself and carefully easing Rhell’s hands away from their firm placements around his waist as the trooper knelt down in front of her, their eyes mostly level for the moment as he kept his usual dark gaze on her. Feeling embarrassed, Rhell shifted back and tried to turn her face away from his only for Stix to grip her cheek and force her to face him, their eyes locking for a few moments before he stated slowly, “I missed you too. You look lovely in blue, as always.” He stated, the compliment making Rhell’s face flush even more as she nodded and hiccuped, wiping tears from her eyes as he continued, “You look tired. We should sleep. I’ll give you one of my shirts if you stop crying.” The trooper offered, standing himself up and starting to remove his travel jacket and boots, turning his back so that Rhell could remove her dress without feeling his gaze lingering, despite his best personal interests.
Finally both turning around to look at each other as they were both in their underwear - all regulation grade, all black on black and plain - Stix handed over the shirt he had been wearing, feeling the corners of his mouth twitch slightly as the Inquisitor accepted the article and pulled it on, the shirt looking like another dress on her as she tugged at the hem, looking back up at Stix and beaming up at him with her tear-streaked face before carefully taking his wrist in her small hand, pulling him over to the bed that was originally hers, but had incidentally become theirs as they both got adjusted how they usually did. With Rhell resting her head on Stix’s chest and his hand coming around her back and resting on her hip, they laid how they usually did, the silence in the room palpable as Rhell finally raised her head and loomed slightly over the trooper, their two pairs of dark eyes meeting again as she thought about what she wanted to say - “I need you here, with me” - about what she wanted to do - grip his face, close her eyes, and pull his mouth flush against hers, letting their tastes mingle together as she gave into the urge that’s been suffocating her for weeks - but instead of making those actions happen she just kept her gaze with his, mouths maybe an inch from each other as she whispered rushedly, “You aren’t allowed to leave me anymore. You don’t get to go where I can’t follow.” and flopped back into her usual placement, closing her eyes tightly and ignoring the shaky Oof! Stix made from her rushed gesture, him exhaling raggedly and lowering his head back onto his pillow.
Looking up at the ceiling for a moment before relaxing again, Stix waited until Rhell began to snore before closing his own eyes and mumbling under his breath, “I don’t plan on leaving. Don’t worry.”
((Stix and Caez belong to @caezsucksdangs, Kos belongs to @skelemitis))
He compared her to the knight sky, yet she was only one single star in an ocean of them. But he did not care, for that single star made up his night sky in much the same way he was the safe call of a fire in the forest that was her soul.
One thing Rhell did constantly was stop by the maintenance hangar. Not because she liked ships or really cared for flying - she was actually banned from being in the driving seat of any craft, simply due to her brutal flying skills - but because she greatly cared for the man who ran most of the operations there. And so that was where she was headed while Stix was in a debriefing meeting, her black boots clicking rhythmically against the solid metal floors as she made her way down the hall, stopping at the open door that was blaring unreasonably loud music and poking her head into the doorway, the robotic chirps of her favourite droid bounding up to greet her making her grin widely as she heard a thump come from under the ship that was propped up, a familiar voice grumbling as she laughed and called out, “What, you hit your head again? Haven’t you learned by now to be more careful?”
With her response, the Inquisitor could hear a snort followed by a laugh from under the ship, the person creating such a noise wheeling himself out from under the TIE and rubbing his forehead as he sat up, grinning over at Rhell and waving while calling back, “Well yeah, but you also should’ve learned by now not to surprise me when I’m under a ship, so I guess we both got some stuff to pick up on!” He teased, Vinn giving his friend a dazzling look with his dark eyes as he stood himself up, wiping his hands off on his pants as Rhell scrunched up her nose in distaste.
One thing Rhell was, was tidy. She liked her room tidy, she liked her appearance tidy, and she liked her general existence to be clean and orderly. Vinn, despite being her best friend, was not at all clean and organized the way she liked everything. Vinn was only that when Rhell prompted him, which was exactly her purpose for that day. Walking in and rolling her eyes at his comment, the tiny Inquisitor walked up to her mountain of a companion and proceeded to grab his large hand in hers, dragging him along to her quarters as she barked out, “Ugh, look at you! I feel embarrassed for you, Vinn. You’re so dirty I can’t even tell if your hair is blond anymore!” She stated, ignoring his original comment and further protests as she pulled him along, not caring about the crew giving her funny looks as she pulled along the dirty flyboy.
And then it was just routine, going through the same motions they went through every few days as Rhell took her best friend to the private bathroom in her quarters, running a bath as Vinn begrudgingly stripped down and climbed into the soapy water. From there Rhell would scold him on how messy he let himself get, her scrubbing his hair with as much soap as she could fit in her tiny palm while he relaxed and enjoyed the feeling of her knuckles managing his scalp. Usually they did this in total silence, water splashing and the sound of scrubbing being the only things that broke the silence. That is, until Vinn exhaled and asked carefully, “So, any reason why your favourite guard dog isn’t around today? Did he get fed up with seeing my naked butt when he was trying to watch you?”
Pausing at the inquiry, the Inquisitor was relieved she was behind Vinn so he couldn’t see her face flush darkly, her biting out, “He had a meeting. Troopers sometimes have duties to complete, so he can’t always be around me. And I’m just fine on my own, it’s Kylo who decided I couldn’t handle myself and needed a babysitter.” She snapped, scrubbing a bit harder out of aggravation and refusing to let up even as Vinn gasped out in discomfort.
Grunting at the newfound pain, the flyboy huffed, “Okay, okay! Let up! Geez, I get it, you don’t want to be treated like a little kid!” He defended, flopping his head back to look up at Rhell as he changed his tone, teasing lightly, “Oh, but you like your guard dog though, so it’s fine.”
Scoffing at Vinn’s accusation, Rhell pulled her hands away from his quickly, looking away and crossing her arms as she snapped, “No! Ugh, he’s insufferable! Vinn, you should just see how he acts! He’s stiff, and his only emotions are spiteful and grumpy! He-”
“No, he thinks you’re great. He’s just bad at conveying that.” Vinn defended, trying to keep his tone even as Rhell’s escalated with her mood.
Huffing and adding a pout to her crossed arms and huffiness combo, the Inquisitor snarled quickly, “Oh, like you’d know! What, are you two best friends now? Why don’t you get Stix to wash your hair then!”
“Not what I meant, Rhell. But he’s asked me about things you like. Well, things that aren’t contraband booze and shitty nuts.” He replied, sinking in the tub slightly and blowing bubbles out his nose as the memory of the trooper bothering him made his brain hurt. Yes, sure, he was glad that someone liked Rhell enough to take note of what things she enjoyed, but talking to the impassive brick that was her tedious suitor made Vinn’s skull pound. Especially because Stix was just too damn stubborn to take any and all helpful advice from Rhell’s best friend.
But alas, Vinn’s thoughts were snapped away as Rhell got defensive again, her barking out, “My nuts are NOT shitty! But Stix is! Like, sure, we sleep together now, and-”
“Woah! Hold up!” Vinn cut off again, sitting upright and turning himself around in the tub as he looked at Rhell with wide eyes, concern reading all over his face as his tone went dark, him asking tensely, “You let him fu-”
Getting exasperated at the accusation and letting out a disgruntled scream, Rhell flopped herself backwards onto the stack of towels she had on the floor, her groaning, “No, we don’t. We don’t kiss, we don’t fuck, we do nothing besides we share my bed for sleeping purposes ONLY! Gods!” She hissed, feeling under pressure now as her friend put her on the defensive, Rhell fighting with herself about how she even felt about Stix at the moment.
God, he was just so infuriating. Everything about his demeanour left her feeling like she wasn’t enough, like she was some child being scolded, and the fact that she just allowed him to treat her that way made her question her own sanity. Rhell was a high Sith Inquisitor, dammit! And she tolerated being pushed around and bitched at by a trooper, of all things? It’s not like he was ever kind except when it was to his benefit, and even then she questioned how genuine he was being. Sure, he made her heart beat faster and the few fleeting times they shared what felt like moments together it was... Fuck, she could still remember that first night they had slept in the same bed, how his fingers lingered on her hip comfortably and she had watched him sleep. There was something innocent, something soothing about the way people slept, and Rhell herself wished she could experience sound sleep anymore. When she slept everything when she closed her eyes reminded her of the hell she had been through for an entire year, a year that moulded her, yes, but took away a part of her that made her feel... Human. But that feeling - that estranged hopelessness - became less, when Stix was next to her. Even if she hated admitting it.
He was devoted to his task, despite her deliberately going out of her way to make it more difficult, and all she could ever think was that he could never look past her status or her stubbornness to appreciate her, until she was selfish and took a dip into his mind. It made her question her actions, doubt herself, when his brain showed such stupid levels of admiration for her. Especially with how she usually treated him. But he was patient, and even gave her one of his shirts to wear when he said he hated her wearing Vinn’s old shirt. That didn’t... But that didn’t mean anything. None of this meant anything special, and her catching herself staring at him and imagining his stubbly face against her skin, his mouth leaving warm trails across her body while she tugs his hair and holds him as close as physically possible, not wanting to let go as he mumbles small praises to her and moves a hand to clutch her- No, that was nonsensical.
Shaking her head and blinking a few times as Vinn snapped his fingers in front of her face, Rhell’s cheeks burned crimson as it was evident she had tuned out, her sitting up and quickly grabbing a handful of the flyboy’s hair as she dunked his whole head in the water, listening to him splash for a moment before letting him come back up with a gasp and a laugh, Vinn spitting out water and propping himself up on the edge again as he teased, “Oh yeah? But I bet you wish it was used for more than just sleeping, right? Man, and he’s pretty handsome when he isn’t in that shitty helmet, huh? I bet you could jus-”
“Stop it. Stop it now.” Rhell snapped, tone tense as she lowered her head and pulled her knees in to her chest, shielding herself from the world as Vinn stopped in his tracks and went quiet, mentally kicking himself as he climbed out of the tub and grabbed one of the towels, drying himself and covering his indecency.
Scooting towards his friend and cooing comfortingly as he lowered himself to her level, the flyboy wrapped his arms around her while hushing, “No, no. Rhelly, I didn’t mean to make you upset. Rhell... Rhelly, what’s wrong? C’mon, it’s okay, it’s just me. I’m h-” Vinn started, being cut off as the Inquisitor’s hand came up to grip his face, silencing him as he raised an eyebrow.
Shuddering and swallowing the hard clot in hr throat, Rhell unfurled herself from her ball and looked down at her empty hand, eyes looking dewey with impending tears while she finally let herself break down, feeling mad at herself as she howled, “I don’t know how to feel, dammit! I always know me! I know who and what I am! But he... Urgh! I want to strangle him, but I also cling to him like a fucking child! I want... I... I...” She sputtered, feeling her temper dissipate as she curled in on herself again, thumping her head against Vinn’s still-damp chest as she hushed, “... I could never find the right way to tell him anything, and I... Can’t even understand myself enough to convey that... How... How pathetic is that?” She asked, tone dull and sad as she laid there.
Feeling Vinn begin to comfort her by rocking her against his body, the man pulled his much smaller friend into his lap and stroked her hair, hushing out carefully, “Rhell, you’re an amazing person and if you ever felt inclined, I’m sure Stix would feel relieved that you reciprocate even a fraction of how much he enjoys you. Which he does, because why else would someone go out of their way to ask someone about someone else’s interests?” He responded, trying to be assuring.
Exhaling and slumping against her best friend, the Inquisitor muttered, “You’re being obtuse, but I appreciate the gesture.” Before sitting up and pinching her nose, hissing out, “Ugh, even after I scrubbed you, you still reek like wet dog! Get back into the tub, I’m cleaning you until your skin bleeds or until you don’t smell like a tub of bantha fodder! Whichever comes last!” She snapped, smacking Vinn in the chest and making him whine as he climbed back into the bath, not particularly enjoying how strict Rhell was about his personal hygiene.
After a few more hours of Rhell cleaning her friend and making sure not a single spot was missed, the Inquisitor finally led a nearly unrecognizably tidy Vinn out of her room, waving him off just as the flyboy passed an ever stern looking Stix while he tromped over to the Inquisitor. Going tense and leaning against the doorway as she crossed her arms, Rhell shifted into a more defensive attitude, ready to make a snappish comment back at the trooper just as he removed his helmet and handed her a worn envelope, causing her to knit her brows together in confusion as she held up the object and was about to inquire about it just as Stix cut her off.
“I had heard you liked pressed flowers, so I pulled some strings with a flyboy to pick you up one on an equipment run. It’s good you enjoy pressed ones, because any living ones wouldn’t fare well getting to the station, they’d become too damaged in transit and would die. I have another meeting to go to, but I’ll be back later tonight. Don’t wait up.” Before nodding slightly and leaving, his ears going pink as he walked away, and leaving Rhell feeling rather dumbfounded for a moment before remembering she had an envelope to open.
Taking off the string and opening the paper packaging carefully, the Inquisitor gasped as a blue flower she couldn’t identify was slid into her awaiting palm, her admiring the fact that the plant was encased safely in a thin sheet of glass to ensure it stayed preserved. Needless to say it was... A very thoughtful gift. And Rhell wasn’t about to leave it unreturned as she walked back into her room and placed the delicate object on her bookshelf to be properly displayed, her musing to herself slightly, “Hm, now is dark blue my favourite colour now? I’m not sure, but I do know that the things I seem to like the most like such a colour.”
Gasping, waking, and finding the light in an otherwise dull, meaningless world is gone. Metal on metal, all steel grey like her gaze when she’s angry. Blue, everything in her is blue, as if her soul was formed of stained glass, of crystal and ice and water and skies. She’s aqua, she’s teal, she’s the deepest blues of every ocean in the galaxy. And now it’s only steel grey on grey on metal.
Of all the things, Stix had really royally fucked up this time. He had one fucking job - to watch the Inquisitor - and now what had happened? Oh, very simple, she had kept him up for seventy-two straight hours because she couldn’t sleep and it was his job to make sure she didn’t get into trouble, and after exhausting himself for that long he finally cracked and dozed off when leaning against the wall in her room watching her do work. He really couldn’t help it though, after three days of being awake and running around with someone who seemed to have endless amounts of energy, watching her just sit still and levitate her holocrons and oracle stones to do her work was just so... Soothing. The way her hands were so gently poised, how the objects just smoothly hovered around her in patterns, every once in a while landing in her hands and either helping her foresee information or catalogue it, then floating back in beautiful patterns around her. It was relaxing, and in the quiet room with just her breathing punctuating the silence, the trooper guard had unfortunately dozed off.
It wasn’t a long time he had been out, but it was a deep enough slumber to have Rhell sneak out by the time he had woken back up, bolting awake and stumbling away from the wall as he scanned the room and found it tidy as usual, but completely void of the insufferable charge he had acquired. Trying to look around for clues on where she might’ve gone, the trooper was about to make a call out to other guards to be on the lookout for Rhell only to see her regular clothes laying on her bed, neatly folded. Dammit, she had most likely changed into something else to avoid being spotted. Getting down on his hands and knees and trying to find some sort of clue about wha she could be in, Stix let out a growl of frustration as a small wooden chest was just barely obscured by a pile of blankets under her bed, him pulling the chest out and popping it open only to groan louder as he found her stash of extra clothes. Gods, she was cunning enough to know to have some sets of uniforms stowed away, and none of this was enough information to figure out what she might be wearing.
Standing up quickly and looking over at her holocrons which were once again shelved neatly against the wall - one thing was for sure, Stix appreciated how organized and generally clean Rhell kept her things - the guard debated on wether or not he could try to crack one open before remembering that those stupid memory banks could only be opened using Sith magic. Of all the people he had to be stuck with, it had to be someone smart enough to evade capture. Taking a moment to try to calm down a bit and think reasonably, the trooper tried to figure out what Rhell could possibly leave to do and who she might try to see to the point where she’d be willing to sneak off. Okay, she wouldn’t sneak off to go see Kos or any of the other generals, she hated Kylo and didn’t keep that a secret to anyone, but she might slither off if it meant being around either Caez or Vinn. But Vinn was on a surveillance flight all day and Caez... Shit, where the fuck even was Caez?
Taking his one lead and running with it, the guard grabbed his blaster and pulled the strap over his head to hang it across his chest, closing and locking Rhell’s room quickly before setting off to the room that Kylo had given Caez to live in. If they weren’t there, then he’d look in other places he knew the wannabe Sith liked to lurk. Finally getting to the room and sighing at the very obvious burn marks that were crisscrossing the large metal door, Stix inhaled before opening the door and walking in, looking around the messy and rather cramped quarters before exhaling and stalking back out to try and find where the indolent whelp could possibly be. Okay, the next closest place was the dinning hall. It was about the time that some people would grab a late lunch, so maybe Caez had finished their training late and was getting something to eat.
Once again breaking into a hard trudge, Stix tried to look like he knew what he was doing so people didn’t draw attention to him and his very slowly escalating panic. By gods, if the stormtrooper had lost the sole Sith Inquisitor, he knew very well that Hux, Phasma, Kylo, and Vinn would have his skin torn off, then repaired, then torn off a few more times for good measure before making a fireworks show of him using enough force-lightning to shut off half the station. In all honesty, the only person he actually was worried about was Vinn, but that was more because of how eerie the flyboy was when Rhell had introduced them. She had walked off to chat with Kos about something, and as Vinn was shaking Stix’s hand he very sweetly smiled and charmed, “Oh, and just so you know, if you ever dare hurt Rhell or let anyone hurt her, my new life goal will be to make sure you live through every ounce of suffering I can dole out.” Before taking his hand away from the trooper’s and returning to his work, the odd assuredness in Vinn’s tone sending an involuntary shiver down Stix’s spine that he would never admit happened. Well fuck, now he really had to find Rhell.
Skidding into a sudden turn into the dining hall, Stix scanned the space once again as he tried to spot- Oh, there Caez was. And with Turbius, too. Feeling slight relief wash over him, the stormtrooper walked over to the table where Turbius and Caez were, looking down and observing they were trying to play cards - Caez was losing - as the guard cleared his throat and removed his helmet, unruly hair now sticking to his face slightly due to overexertion trying to get around half the station while running on foot as the pair paused their game, Turbius wailing something that Stix didn’t understand at all as Caez answered promptly, “You’re right, Turbz. What could this jerk want now? And where’s Rhell? Is she stuck in another meeting?” They inquired, looking slightly confused and setting down their cards as Stix swallowed the panicked lump stuck in his throat before sitting down next to Caez.
Looking directly at the Sith delinquent, the trooper paused before gaining back his cold demeanour and stating plainly, “Don’t you fucking lie to me, Caez. Where the hell are you people hiding Rhell. You’re the only person on the station she’d sneak off to meet, so where are you people keeping her hidden.” He demanded, tone a little too tense and betraying the slight worry as Caez blinked, then cracked into a mean grin.
Leaning in and resting their chin in their hands, the rebel gave Stix a mean look as they finally answered cruelly, “What, you think we hid her? Oh, like we’d be able to hide Rhell from fucking you, Mister Guard Dog Extraordinaire. What, did you get too focused on something stupid and let her slip off? Did she trick you? And why do you even care, you fucking loathe following Rhell around like a trained dog.” Caez taunted, turning back to their game with Turbius as the Wookie raised his stakes with a bag of sweets, the trooper not standing for this type of sass when he was already starting to stress out and slamming his fists against the bench-style dining table, the surface groaning in disapproval of the action as the few other people in the dining hall looked towards the trio nervously, room silent for a moment while Stix tried to calm himself down a bit.
Finally exhaling and leaning in towards Caez, the trooper whispered angrily, “Do. Not. Play. Games. With. Me. I need to find Rhell, and as soon as possible. If the flyboy comes back and finds out I lost her and she got hurt or something I’m doing to be launched into the vacuum of space in nothing but my skivvies. So quit joking around and either tell me where she is, or help me find her. Now.” He all but demanded, tone wavering slightly as he glared right at Caez with unbridled intensity, ready to kick both theirs and Turbius’ ass if they didn’t give him what he wanted in that moment. This wasn’t a time for fooling around.
Pausing and freezing up at the minor outburst from Stix, Caez relaxed after a few moments with a hard glare back, growling under their breath, “We literally don’t know where Rhell is. She could be anywhere from sector one to sector fifty-eight, and she has clearance everywhere so if she was hiding she could easily go somewhere you don’t-”
“I’m her retainer. I have universal clearance for the express purpose of being able to access my charge at any time when necessary. Did she tell you she was going anywhere? With anyone?” He asked, cooling down slightly as his head whipped over to look at Turbius, the Wookie bellowing out something that he once again, did not understand, as Caez nodded along and shrugged, Stix scowling and inquiring, “What the hell did the space bear say this time.”
Packing up their stuff and ignoring Stix for a moment, Caez finally sighed and muttered, “He said that unless Rhell got someone to take her off the station, she’s gotta be somewhere here. And even then, there’s been no messages on the intercom saying that any ships have left recently.” They commented, Stix nodding along as Turbius called again, Caez continuing, “Turbz said we should probably try the places she frequents, then move from there. Also asking might help, if you aren’t so fucking prideful you can’t admit that Rhell slipped o-”
“We can’t ask people for help. If Kylo, Phasma, or Hux hear I lost the fucking Inquisitor they’ll have my head for a hood ornament. Now hurry up, we have a witch to hunt.” Stix stated plainly, standing up and stretching out his back slightly before putting his helmet back on, heading toward the dining hall doors as Caez and Turbius exchanged glances, really unsure of how to take Stix’s volatile mood but not about to quote him or ask him about it as they just followed suit and began to assist in looking. And really, how far could an impish inquisitor go?
Well, they had asked themselves that, but as it turned out Rhell was very skilled at hiding when she wanted to. Going from one end of the station to the other and looking over every single inch of the metal floors and walls - and a few ceilings, as well - if had finally gotten to the point where Caez sent off Turbius to try to sniff out the Inquisitor while they stayed with Stix and looked over Rhell’s room once more. Sure, Caez couldn’t open Rhell’s holocrons or use her oracle stones, but amidst rifling through her closet and digging in the pockets of her bodysuits, the rebel finally stated, “So. You really want to find Rhell. Is it because you’ve gone all stupid and decided you have a shitty crush on her?”
Going rigid at the question, Stix paused his leafing through Rhell’s bookshelf and didn’t look back over at Caez, thinking for a moment before stating carefully, “What kind of a question is that. Rhell is my charge, and I’m meant to protect her. And besides, she’s an Inquisitor, so even if I felt inclined towards her pathetic, pushy, intolerable nature it wouldn’t be feasible. And I’m not saying yes or no with that question in saying that, I’m just pointing out fact.” He commented blandly, practically hearing the teasing dying in Caez’s throat as Stix returned to leafing through Rhell’s books.
Or at least, he would’ve continued if Caez hadn’t countered quickly with, “No, you shitbrain, you can’t lie to me here. You like Rhell, just not the way everyone thi-”
“I like her when she’s quiet. And when she isn’t saying stupid pick-up lines or getting the two of us into trouble. I like Rhell when she isn’t who she is, which is pushy, insufferable, and privileged. Plain and simple.” He snapped, tone getting slightly more agitated with the constant questioning as he tried to not think too hard about the Inquisitor as a whole. And sure, there were a lot of things that Stix liked about Rhell - the way she smiled, how she got excited about simple things, how she was okay with him being stiff and never apologizing even when he was in the wrong - but she was pushy, and frustrating. She didn’t like respecting authority unless it benefitted her, and without inclination to do so she never took her title of Inquisitor seriously. She was bossy, stubborn, and didn’t expect people to like or appreciate what hard work she put into honing her force abilities. She never expected any adulation for going above and beyond with her work, and never expected a thanks from others.
She had the makings of an amazing leader but never honed it, and when told to shove off she respected Stix’s space more than most. She took a blaster shot for him and just took him lashing out at her for that action, she was arrogant but cared deeply for her friends. And fuck, he was positive she barely tolerated him. He knew he had been in the wrong for a fair bit of things, and surely to god she just kept her civil guise up because she had to. The bad flirting? Probably because she was trying to play it nice but was bad at it. Her taking a shot for him? She already explained that she wouldn’t’ve been able to get back without him. She was unpredictable, and questionable at best, and yet he didn’t just throw in the towel with dealing with her antics 24/7. If he were reasoning with himself, he’d say it was because she was dynamic and outrageous enough to keep his interest piqued. And like he had said to Caez, she was an Inquisitor. They weren’t compatible as people - personality-wise, morality-wise, etc - or even on the same status level. There’d always be that cruel and jarring imbalance no matter what. So that’s what Stix stuck with. That they weren’t compatible.
Or at least, he was forced to stick with that thought as the comm system pinged on and announced the arrival of Vinn’s squadron’s return, the sinking feeling that Stix had been ignoring dropping like a shooting star into the depths of his intestines as he kept his face stern in front of Caez, wordlessly waving for them to follow him out to the landing bay so that he can face his imminent end promptly. Hell, maybe having Caez there might postpone Stix’s demise in some way, either through Caez stepping in or Vinn not wanting the wildcard in the room while he’s going medieval on someone. Really, the best the trooper could do by this point was hope.
Entering the landing bay, five near-identical ships rolled in, the only deviating things to them being the numbers on their sides and the colours those numbers were painted in. Looking at the ships, Stix could immediately spot Vinn’s ship due to his droid and the orange spattering on it where he had undoubtedly messed up painting his numbers onto the craft, swallowing and observing the ship pulling into its parking section so that it may be pulled away for maintenance later. Well, the best Stix could say to Vinn was that he had tried and failed, and just as the door to the ship opened and the flyboy poked his head out, he began to remove his helmet, completely not acknowledging the pale and tired looking stormtrooper or the rebel as he unlatched his helmet and made sure that his short brown hair wasn’t- Wait. Fuck.
What Stix and Caez had assumed was Vinn originally, was startlingly Rhell dressed as a flyboy - the surprise revelation catching Caez looking like a fish out of water as Stix tried to keep from expressing his disbelief, blinking rapidly to make sure he was seeing things correctly as Vinn popped up behind Rhell and helped her off the ship, handing her a few large travel bags of stuff before waving to her as he began to pull his ship in towards his maintenance hangar. Waving goodbye and spotting Caez with her guard, the Inquisitor dragged her large bags over as she bounded along, happy and overly energetic spring in her step as usual while she trotted over to Caez and grinned widely, chiming, “Caez! What’re you doing he-”
“Where the hell were you. Who said you could go off without me. How dare you trick me, you conniving, indolent little...” Stix immediately interjected, trudging over and letting off all his steam by scolding the hell out of Rhell as he grabbed her cheek, pinching her face and making her whine and kick at his knees while he growled out, “I can’t fucking believe you’d be so selfishly underhanded as to leave the station without telling me. You’re a goddamned adult, what makes you think you can-”
“Awe, didja miss me that much, Stixy? I’m flattered! And to think I thought you didn’t care if I got lost!” Rhell quickly quipped, ceasing her struggling in his grips as she broke into laughter as Stix’s face turned a completely different shade at her new form of torment. Going rigid, the trooper promptly released his charge and watched as she rubbed the sore spot he had left, sticking her tongue out at him childishly before returning to talking to Caez, leaving Stix to be ignored as he tried to mentally clamp down on the aggravating and freshly revived mental predicament he was once again facing. No, he didn’t miss her, he was just the kind of person to take his job seriously, to the point where he’d push his devotion to his task to an unreasonable and sort of obsessive length. That was it. That was all he was allowing himself to think.
After a few minutes of Rhell explaining that Vinn had agreed to take her on his surveillance flight so she could stop at a nearby planet and collect supplies for herself, Stix had cooled his attitude slightly. Sure, she had tricked him, but at least Vinn wasn’t about to beat the trooper to death for losing Rhell because she was with the flyboy the entire time. Finally dragging the Inquisitor away from Caez and back to her quarters, Stix didn’t waste his time with pushing his charge into her room and locking the door behind them, gaze exhausted but still angry as he stated gruffly, “Listen. You were an ass today. I was running around trying to find you all day because you ran off when I fell asleep, so you owe me one. And I’m redeeming it now.” He commented blandly, moving to remove his armour while Rhell raised an eyebrow, confused by what the hell he was doing as he sighed and grumbled, “Don’t take it like that, you pervert. You’re going the fuck to sleep, because I need sleep. Sorry I’m not an energetic Sith demon entity like you that doesn’t need physical rest.”
Scowling at Stix’s retort but not disagreeing with him, the Inquisitor just shrugged off his comment and walked over to her closet, pulling out an old oversized shirt and a pair of black shorts as she changed into more comfortable clothing. Switching her attire as Stix finished removing his armour and boots, Rhell walked casually over to her bed and sat down, patting the open space on the large bed and stating cooly, “Well, if you’re going to sleep then you might as well sleep on a bed instead of on my couch. I promise, I’m not trying anything funny.” The small woman stated, watching Stix pause for a moment as he tried to figure out if she was bullshitting him.
After a moment of finally deciding that he was too tired to care if Rhell was being a fucking jackass, the trooper made his way to the bed and laid himself down on top of the covers, not wanting to let himself get too comfortable just as the Inquisitor scooted towards him and slung an arm over his chest, causing Stix to look down at her questioningly for a moment before relaxing again. She usually liked physical contact with people because she was always cold, and so long as her hands didn’t roam anywhere else he guessed he could tolerate her clingy nature in this sort of situation. That is, until Rhell opened her mouth again and muttered, “I just didn’t want to wake you up. I wasn’t trying to be sneaky, but you looked so nice and relaxed when you were asleep. That’s all.”
Thinking for a moment about her words, Stix was initially unsure if her comment meant she always watched him sleep. In all fairness, he really didn’t think he had ever seen the Inquisitor actually rest - every time he had being going to bed she had been either reading or meditating - but he wasn’t about to ask her about that just in case he got an answer he didn’t want. Well, at least she was giving an apology in her own ridiculous and not really apologetic way. Just sighing and shrugging off her comment before stating tiredly, “Yeah, whatever. Just sleep already. Oh, and orange doesn’t suit you, by the way.” He commented, sighing and closing his eyes as he reclined himself.
Knitting her brows together and looking up at Stix with his comment, Rhell let her free hand tug at the hem of her shirt - which was Vinn’s originally, so of course it was obnoxiously orange - while asking, “Yeah? And what colour would suit me better then, Mister Wise Guy? Ya got a suggestion or are ya just bashing my sense of style for fun?”
Grunting at the fact that Rhell could never just leave anything be, Stix opened one eye and met her deep gaze, asking, “If I tell you will you shut up and go to sleep?” Before watching Rhell nod quickly, him sighing and closing his eye again while mumbling, “You look best in blues and reds. That dress you wore to that stuffy induction ceremony made you look stunning, like the stars were woven into that fabric. Now. Sleep.” He stated, yawning and dozing off quickly as the Inquisitor tightened her grip on the front of his shirt, hard blush spreading across her face for a moment before she rested her head on Stix’s chest, his arm underneath her instinctively clutching around her back as Rhell felt unbelievably embarrassed by his compliment. Finally slumping and moving to close her eyes despite knowing she didn’t want to sleep - to dream, specifically - the Inquisitor relaxed herself against her guard, listening to his heart beat steadily in his chest, feeling the rise and fall of his torso to indicate he was breathing while she let herself enjoy the moment, liking having someone close to her while she was letting herself relax.
With one last deep inhale and exhale, Rhell started to feel herself get pulled under into sleep, eyelids drooping tiredly and fingers going slack against the coarse regulation fabric of Stix’s uniform shirt while she hushed out, “Sleep well, Stix. Maybe you’ll be less of a grump with some rest...”
(Stix and Caez belong to @caezsucksdangs, Kos belongs to @skelemitis)
And they made you question everything you were, because they knew you better than yourself. And you knew that was never a good sign.
It was a mess, just a big fucking hot mess and the unintentional companions coming out of the elevator - both Stix and Rhell bruised and bashed up, Rhell covering a large bloodied patch on her side with a torn off leg from her pants as Stix cradled his head and solemnly clung to his helmet - and just shuffling into the communal changing rooms, not making eye contact as they both stripped down their attire and began to assess the damage. The one who had shown the most damage was Rhell easily, but she could’ve cared less about her wellbeing as Stix’s angry mood filled the air in the room with a suffocating dread. She felt bad about what had happened on their mission, knowing very well that it was all her fault. Truly, it was, and he wasn’t about to disagree with her on this.
Not even a full two days since she had been paired off with Stix as her new escort, and Rhell had already walked them into blasterfire. It was supposed to be a clean cut mission to some planet she didn’t even bother to recall the name of to get a Sith artifact and attain it for future use, and yet everything that could go wrong went fucking wrong. First there was gunfire from the enemy as they expected the Inquisitor, and then they had to cut down these assailants to get in. That wasn’t the worst, though. As a rule, charges didn’t run in between their retainer and take a shot for them while their back was turned to the enemy. One also didn’t proceed to become the shield for both of them as the shock of getting struck by a shot immediately sent oneself into a panic, kicking up a force-lightning storm that almost blew half the building off.
And now they were in the change room. After narrowly escaping a building collapse and just barely getting the artifact their mission was based upon, the pair found their pod had been damaged in the structure failing they had caused, leaving the two to wade through the swampy terrain for an entire day just to get to their shuttle port. It was long and tiring for both, and the angry silence between them almost had Rhell just give up - her not being used to others being actually furious with her actions - and lose her mind on the trooper that thought he had the right to make her feel horrid for making an executive decision. A decision that was either let him take the shot and watch him die, or her jump in and take less damage through countering the blast with a field of force lightning.
As an inquisitor, it was her right to make those calls. And Stix was mad at her for not allowing her retainer to die? For not letting him perish, leaving herself alone and stranded in the middle of some swampy hellish planet? That wasn’t his decision to make, regardless of what he thought. And considering the shit they went through, their damages were minimal besides the angry buzz that filled the room all courtesy of the man’s mood.
Unzipping her bodysuit and letting the smooth fabric sluff off her skin in soft grey cascades, Rhell didn’t even pay her compatriot a single glance as she stood there in just her underwear and bra - all uniform grade, regulation black and plain as they could come - finally removing the fabric wadded up against her side as she assessed the damages inflicted. It wasn’t a deep wound - nothing that couldn’t be patched in a few days so long as she salved her bacta liberally - but the damage covered a goodly chunk of her left side, spanning from her lower rib to her hip as she inhaled sharply, biting her lip to keep from making any pained noises as the person beside her finally piped up gruffly, muttering out, “Why don’t you just heal it with your force powers? I know you can do it, but you’re refusing to. Don’t be a child and pretend to be a hero.”
Unsure of how to respond to Stix’s sharp comment, the sith witch felt her fingers tense as her irises went grey with power, not turning to so much as see him in her peripherals as she hissed between her teeth, “What does it matter to you, anyways. You weren’t grateful when I stuck my neck out fo-” before being cut off as Stix slammed his fist against the solid metal of the clothing locker, shirt off but pants and boots still on as Rhell jumped slightly, startled by the outburst as her eyes went wide, unsure of what to do.
Breath ragged, face flushed with anger as the man doubled over slightly against the damaged locker, Rhell didn’t move a muscle as she listened to him growl out loudly, “- Because that isn’t how it works, you indolent fuck! You’re an inquisitor, the last one we have and might ever have, and you thought it wise to throw your ass in front of mine?! If I died it would’ve been because I was doing my job of protecting you properly, but if you died I would’ve failed at the one fucking task I was given! Gods, are you really that stupid?! Did you ever stop to think that what you were doing was wrong?! Selfish, even?!” He barked out, hackles up and tone venomous as the inquisitor just stood there, watching and nervous.
That is, she was nervous for a moment before she realized Stix had finally taken a breath after his long rant, the sith witch very trepidatiously edging towards the trooper as she picked up her container of bacta, eyes fixated on his form and fading back to their usual mud brown as she bridged the small space between them. Forcing herself to not show her fear, the Lior dragged her fingers through the bacta goo before reaching her hand up and smearing the healing gunk over a cut on Stix’s face, not speaking for a few minutes as she took her time with rubbing the salve over any wounds he had sustained.
And it was silent again, Stix for some reason not pushing her away as she went on with dressing his wounds but keeping his eyes hooded and averted from her own. Finally clearing her throat, the inquisitor found her voice as she toned emptily, “... I don’t expect you to respect my decision, but I took action for what I thought would give the best outcome. I don’t expect you to respect that, or even accept this as the best outcome given the situation, but I knew I couldn’t complete the mission if you had died suddenly. I can’t fly a pod, let lone navigate back to the shuttle port without you.” She stated, trying to keep her voice even and her attitude in check as she went to set down the container of bacta, until Stix’s hand grabbing her wrist stopped her.
Brows knitting together, the force user tried to read the trooper without sifting through his thoughts, eyes betraying her confusion as the man pried her salve jar out of her grasp and knelt down in front of her. Still not making eye contact, Stix began to meticulously apply bacta gel to the witch’s wounds, her not moving as his rough, work-hardened fingers danced across her skin in confident patterns, his actions not faltering and neither of them speaking a word until he was finished and had set the now empty container down. Standing to his full height, the stormtrooper finally let his gaze lock with Rhell’s - her suddenly feeling like his gaze was boring holes through her, judging her every being like she was the most foolish and insignificant thing he could have the disdain of meeting - as he toned emotionlessly, “... Make sure you keep that wound clean. And don’t fuck up the healing process by fighting with Kylo or Caez, or I’ll kick your ass myself.” He stated, Rhell looking away as he partially scolded her.
Face flushing darkly at Stix’s edgeless inflection, the inquisitor rubbed her forearm uncomfortably before taking a step away from him, his dark eyes still locked with her own muddy ones as she kept her distance now, unsure of what to even do or say but letting her brain go on auto as she sputtered out hurriedly, “I-I’m not afraid of you. You don’t intimidate me, Stix. If I so wanted, you’d be dead in an instant.” She tried to threaten, the waver in her voice clear in the near-still room as the stormtrooper chuffed - a sound that almost sounded like a chuckle - and let the corner of his mouth turn up in the slightest way. Wait, was his mouth actually twitching into a phantom-like smirk, or was it Rhell imagining things due to bloodless and exhaustion? Either way, his expression probably didn’t change despite her feeling her heart slam roughly against her ribcage due to her assumption of the minute change, blinking slowly and turning herself so she wasn’t standing completely parallel to the man.
Watching the grey witch flinch away from him and begin to falter, Stix let the edge and aggression in his body melt away, bowing slightly to the woman before standing upright again and stating frankly, “I know you don’t fear me, Rhell. You’re too strong to fear your own retainer.” He quipped calmly. Turning to grab his ripped apart shirt and walk out of the room, only halting at the doorway to call back, “Oh, and Rhell? You may kill me if you so please. I know you won’t, though. You’re too empathetic to take the life of someone who knows your name.” He recited, leaving the inquisitor to her thoughts as the door closed behind him, Rhell doubling over and cradling her head as she tried to make sense of her thoughts. She was used to being assured in how she felt, but this man made her feel ranges of emotions from rage to mirth and anything in between and it was making her chomp at the bit. Gods, she really needed to find a personal guard that wasn’t as good at reading her, and fast.
There is speculation that there is such a thing as a soulmate, and that force-sensitives can sense who this person may be for them. These two, are not that.
It was mandatory that any high-profile guests on the ship be given an escort if their personal one was not present, and while Rhell usually wouldn’t complain about such formalities, due to the nature of the relationship she had with a certain Kylo Ren - who had made the order, originally - she was less than cooperative about such notions. And really, she didn’t need to be babysat. While yes, maybe other guests were more likely to be vulnerable, the Inquisitor was more than capable of handling herself, much to the point where the other person would be rather unfortunate if they tried to attack her or so much as ruffle a strand of her hair in the wrong way. She knew this well, as did Kylo, but he still stood tall in front of her, eyes dark and unmoved as she glared up at him and barked out, “I’m a fucking adult and a stronger force user than even yourself, Ren. You have zero right to treat me as an indolent child!” She snapped, tone cold as she awaited his response.
“It is not my call to make, High Inquisitor Lior, nor is it my judgement of your skills and tact that are limiting your freedom. Perhaps you could take your discrepancies up with General Hux if you so wish to change your fate, but for now you will be paired with FN-6106 as your temporary escort until yours recovers fully from your last mission.” He cloyed, talking a little too formal for Rhell’s comfort just because he knew it made her mad while he waved off her outrage and began on his way, eyes shifting over the small inquisitor with a rude amount of mirth as he added quickly, “Oh, and make sure not to throw a tantrum. Non-force users happen to be much more fragile than you’d think, Madame High-Inquisitor.”
And then he was off, leaving Rhell standing in her high Inquisitor’s robes in pure silence as the door was slid shut behind the Knight, her usual tired brown eyes melting away into the colour of grey clouds lingering low in a dreary sky as her fists clenched, raising her hands above her head and yelling loudly as she stamped her foot on the downswing of her appendages, everything in the room quivering as a force tremor ripped through the single room. Exhaling after a moment and letting her body loose, the Inquisitor mentally decided on getting Knight Ren back at a later date - figuring that it’d be easier to think logically and actually hurt him if she let her anger clear from her head - for now opting to change her attire into something more comfortable before her new escort came in.
***
First being stuck babysitting the obnoxious runt that Kylo showed strange amounts of favour towards and now being requested to take watch over the new Dark Sith Inquisitor, Stix’s past few weeks had been going just swimmingly. That, was sarcasm. The kind of stone-faced and void of tone sarcasm that 95% of people mistook for his usual deadpannedness. He would have just preferred to go about his duties as usual, but alas after showing he can deal with Caez without losing any limbs General Hux as well as Kylo Ren had come to the census that Stix could most likely handle the young inquisitor, too. Well, one could only hope them to be right in their assumptions by this point.
There was little talk about the new inquisitor that wasn’t hushed, and that was for good reason in Stix’s opinion. From what he had heard, her first mission after her official induction and ceremony had ended with her being taken as captive by unknown resistance affiliates, causing her to be off the galactic map for almost a year. Just as The Order was about to give up on finding their first true inquisitor in many, many years, she was found just barely alive on a wreckage of a ship submerged just narrowly outside of a main city on Manaan. Surely, Stix assumed, that’d make one very cold and survival hardened, but most people who witnessed her attitude change said she had only become less trusting and more difficult to be around. A challenge he didn’t really feel like dealing with.
And yet, the stormtrooper still forced himself to don his helmet and head down in the direction of the room they had her living quarters temporarily set up in, the man duly slinging his blaster over his shoulder so that it bumped comfortably - familiarly - between his shoulders as he made his trek, half expecting the door to her room to be blown off its hinges and the quarters empty but being oddly surprised as everything was in tact. How... Ideal. Approaching the door with zero hesitation and using his clearance key to unlock the large door, Stix let himself in and thanked the force that his mask inhibited certain levels of sight, his head turning away abruptly as the Inquisitor pulled on her bodysuit, zipping up the front and adjusting her sleeves to lay evenly as she went to collect her accessories, not paying an ounce of heed to the stranger intruding on her temporary space. Odd, usually force sensitives revelled in making everyone else uncomfortable by stating their presence without physically acknowledging it.
Moving to stand tall and look professional, Stix tried to keep his tone clear and hard as he cleared his throat and announced, “Hello, Madame Inquisitor. I am-”
“-You’re FN-6106, I know. but why don’t you tell me the name your companions gave you, yes?” She cut off, flickering her eyes over at the intruder with dull grey eyes as they faded back into their usual muddy brown colour, not trying to sound cocky as she took in the stormtrooper and clipped her belts on, loading her holsters with equipment before stepping into her boots and bridging the space between her and the stranger, Stix looking down and taking in how oddly small the inquisitor’s stature was as she continued, “I’m assuming you just want to get on with this as much as I do, so let’s be off quickly. Oh, but you have yet to tell me your name, yes?”
Hesitating for a moment trying to read the person who’s personality already showed she was rather flighty, the trooper paused before stating plainly, “They call me Stix, Madame Inquisitor. You may call me whatever you wish.” He commented plainly, trying to be civil with the person who outranked even General Hux, leaving himself seeming like almost an ant compared to her own status. A meaningless ant that people wouldn’t mourn over if she got fed up with and killed him for fun. Yes, it was a sad thought, but an honest one if he was going to be fair to himself.
Glancing over at her new escort with wide eyes and a raised eyebrow, her warm brown hair falling in front of one of her eyes as she tilted her head, looking over at the stormtrooper for a moment before cracking a crooked smirk and teasing, “Oh yeah? So I could call you Hot Pants if I so desired? How demure of you, Stix. I didn’t expect my escort to be a good sport like that!” She commented while breaking into a laugh, snorting and catching Stix by surprise at her sudden mood change and terrible attempt at flirting as he watched her face go red with embarrassment. Letting the inquisitor laugh herself out and not moving a muscle or giving her a response as she finally pulled herself together again, Rhell cleared her throat as her blush still stayed on her face, eyes no longer dull and brown but almost amber coloured and full of vibrance as she beamed up at him with a smirk and waved him along, calling out, “Ah, s-sorry. Th-That was supposed to be... Y-You’re really just... Let’s go. We have things to do. And... You can call me Rhell” She toned quickly, obviously embarrassed as she began to trek out the door quickly.
Pausing where he stood, Stix turned and watched his new charge head off for a moment, unsure of what to really say besides droning out automatically, “... Whatever you wish, Madame Inquisit- I mean, Rhell.” He toned emptily, not really thinking about his words much as he righted himself and began to follow her off, letting the Sith witch take the lead as he followed behind, thinking to himself that he might have his work cut out for him if she’s one for having silly little outbursts like that. What even was that? Flirting? Most likely not, but he wasn’t about to put it past the woman he was following, him momentarily admiring her smooth, assured gait as they walked down the halls in a newfound silence.
