Four more days had passed inside Gooi-Moord on the planet Kasiya. For the first two of those days, Mandalorian Jaz Holden had reentered a horizontal bacta tank to help continue the healing of his badly broken body. Thankfully, Maeva and the team at the hospital had helped to craft a special helmet for him that he could wear inside of the bacta tank. This had allowed him and Maeva to communicate much more easily and naturally.
After those first two days, he had finally gotten out of the tank and been placed in a more normal hospital room. He had a bed, a pillow, and a wonderful view of the mountains outside of the hospital. Things had been progressing very well. He could walk mostly unassisted now except after the most extreme of physical therapy sessions. Rumor had it that he would be released from the hospital completely within the next couple of days, if not sooner.
This morning he was sitting up in his bed, looking at a covered plate of food that a droid had brought to him for breakfast. He grabbed a glass of milk and a drinking straw that had been provided. He popped the straw into the glass and tucked it under his helmet, taking a few quick sips. As he placed the glass back on the food tray and uncovered his food, Maeva walked into the room.
Jaz tilted his head at her and spoke.
“Well, hello you. What’s the good news today?”
Maeva had been tired and missed her own bed. Not to mention the additional stress of her other job had started to pile up rather quickly while she was busy here.
The dark circles under her eyes indicated she had not been sleeping well. Despite that, she gave Jaz a smile. Having someone like him as a patient had really helped made things a lot easier for her. If he was some bitter old Mandalorian, she was certain she would had turn to blackmail to get someone to take care of him instead of herself.
She knew she took a lot of risk in telling the karking Hand of the Empress that she would be his nurse the entirely during his recovery program.
She playfully rasied an eyebrow, “are you a mind reader? What made you think there’s good news today?” She swiped her ID card and his file was coming up as she was checking up and finalizing a few things.
“You’ll be released tomorrow. You can be now actually but, we like to be on the caution side. I bet you’re looking forward to your bed. I know I am.” She walked over to him with a blood pressure cuff.
Jaz could see her exhaustion. It was clear as day. While he felt better and better every day, he couldn’t help but feel guilty that Maeva seemed to be feeling more and more exhausted every day. His feelings were conflicted. He had enjoyed his time with her more than he could have ever imagined enjoying any hospital stay. He almost wished he could stay another week, but it would just be an unnecessary burden on her. He smiled beneath his helmet, glad that she couldn’t see the conflicting emotions on his face.
“Oh, wow. You know, I had considered being a fortune teller before this whole Mandalorian thing dropped into my lap…”
He paused for a moment.
“No, not really…” he laughed. “But, I have to say, this feels a bit like when you’re a kid, and you’ve been stuck at home for a few days because you’re sick and can’t go to school. Then one day you wake up and you’re better, and you have to go back.”
He took a quick look out the window and then returned his gaze to her.
“A big part of me looks forward to going home. A smaller part of me even looks forward to getting back to work… but there’s another part of me that dreads the responsibility.”
He looked her up and down. The bags under her eyes were so dark.
“But… if it gets you back home and rested, it’s a sacrifice I’m willing to make.”
Maeva gave him a small, ‘oh really?’ look when he brought up about the fortune telling before she rolled her eyes and chuckled. She wrapped the cuff around his arm and listened. She couldn’t relate the school issue. She hated the orphanage and she hated school. Both were hell in different ways but she kept a stoic face.
Then she looked at him, going from no-expression to pure confusion. Her brows furrowed as she paused for a moment.
“I-” How much can she tell him really? He was part of the Brotherhood but what she was doing on the side was only known by three people. Not even the Hand of the Empress knew.
“Hold on, Jaz, my lack of sleep has nothing to do with you. It’s… my other job. There’s a bit of consequence of being away for too long.” She finished taking his blood pressure as she removed the cuff and went back to put in the numbers.
“But it will be alright. I have dealt something similar with this job. Messy to clean up when I return but can be done.” The Evereni gave him a reassuring smile.
He was honestly, the best patient she ever had and she didn’t want him to feel like it was on him.
Then she chuckled, “having you as my patient actually made things easier if I’m being real here.”
That last statement made Jaz very happy. He was glad that she didn’t feel like he was a burden. Deep inside he still couldn’t help but feel a bit selfish at his desire to stay just so he could spend more time with her, but at least she seemed to feel like the experience they had shared was a good one.
“Well, that’s very reassuring.” he said. “I can’t imagine having a better caretaker than I’ve had, and I appreciate everything you’ve done and all the time you’ve sacrificed for me.”
Then an intrusive thought entered his mind, a joke that was risky, but might just make her laugh as hard as he had ever made her laugh. The risk/reward ratio ended up tipping in his favor, so he cleared his throat and spoke again.
“And a second job, huh? I knew it! A pretty woman like you! You must make a killing stripping in the evenings!”
Maeva lost it. She went into a fit of giggles and laughs as she tried to control herself.
“That’s-”
She couldn’t even get the words out. After several minutes, she managed to compose herself. She shook her head softly. She knew she wasn’t beautiful enough to even be considered a stripper.
Now, a different kind of venue… she mentally shuddered at the thought of that one.
“You’re too kind.”
Jaz laughed right along with her, glad that his joke landed and that he didn’t end up slapped upside the head. His smile was large and his heart fluttered. He was fully stricken by this woman.
“Oh, I just call it how I see it.” he said with a chuckle.
Just then the room’s door opened once more. In walked Warlord Vincent Brujah wearing his armor with the exception of his helmet. He had promised to stay by Jaz’s side during his recovery, same as Maeva, but unfortunately the Empress had other plans for him. He had returned to Seraph a few days ago, but here he was again, and he looked quite pleased to see Jaz in the state that he was in.
“Jaz, you’re looking better every time I see you. I’m sorry that I couldn’t stay, but, when the Empress calls, the Hand must answer.”
Jaz turned his head to Vincent, partly happy to see his friend, partly annoyed to be disturbed.
“It’s okay, Vincent. After all, I did ask for privacy before. Maeva had just told me that I’m due to be released tomorrow.” the Mandalorian said.
“Excellent!” Vincent responded, a smile on his face. “We’ve made some good progress with the mission since I last left. I can’t go into full details here, but we’ll just say that I interrogated our prisoner and gained some information that will be very useful to the Empire. I’m due to meet with a group in two days, and we’re off to Bakura.”
Jaz only nodded, fully understanding what methods Vincent would have used to interrogate Hruber, and what a trip to Bakura likely meant. They had found a spy. Just then, Vincent turned and looked at Maeva for the first time since he had entered the room. He nearly gasped at how exhausted she looked.
“Holy druk, lady! You look like you haven’t slept in 5 years!”
Jaz wanted to reach a leg over the bed and kick Vincent in the shin, but he restrained himself for now.
“I owe much to you, and I’m not sure how I’ll ever repay you. Don’t forget that card I gave you when we arrived. I’m a man of my word, and if I can ever help you, I owe you. For now, can I bring you a caf?”
Maeva became quiet as she let the men talk things out. It was none of her business. She use this time to start the checklist of getting Jaz discharged. Recent X-rays, recent lab work-
The gasp drew her attention because sometimes members do that if there was something wrong with the patient but he was looking right at her. She gave him a reassuring smile, “just the stress of my other job not related to this. That’s all.” She gave him a nod, she still had his card though she wasn’t sure what she was ever going to use it for.
Not like she can handle herself. But not like anyone knew that to be honest.
“I will be alright. I had my caf for the morning.” Then she looked to Jaz and gave him a small smile, “maybe you two can walk to the cafe together a bit? Would be good on those legs. Can even order food you want on your last night and they will bring it to you.” She then look to Jaz’s wrist, where there’s a little temporary bracelet, “they can scan it and know what room you are in.”
“That sounds like a great idea!” Vincent chimed in immediately. “Get up and show me how those legs are working!”
Jaz nodded at the Sith, spinning his waist until his legs dropped off of the bed and then popping right up to his feet.
“Yeah, sure. Might as well get some movement in, and you can fill me in on what I’ve missed and what I’m coming back to.”
Vincent smiled and clapped his hands.
“Well done! Well done to both of you!” he said as he turned to face Maeva. “Don’t worry, I’ll have him back before curfew” he finished, smiling playfully at the Evereni.
With that, he put an arm around Jaz’s shoulders and led him out of the room.
Maeva watched the pair of them leave.
What an odd man… Then again, he was a Force User. The first one she met, he’s a bit odd himself but nothing like Vincent. With a bit of digging she did a few days ago, it turned out that he was a Sith. He seemed too nice to care about Jaz or was there something more between the two of them?
Maeva figured she’ll use this time to change out the bed sheets and clean things up. Once she was done, she sat down on the chair. She pulled out her device and rolled her eyes at the messages.
She started typing, I will return tomorrow, if the queue is not met, someone will pay.
Vincent and Jaz made their way through the halls of the hospital, mostly in silence. Vincent was keeping a close eye on Jaz’s every step. He looked well. His cadence was back to normal. No obvious signs of a limp or any kind of distress. His friend seemed to be back to his normal self.
The two rounded a corner and entered a turbolift that took them to a lower level where the cafe was. As the doors closed and the lift began to descend, Vincent turned to Jaz. A serious look covered his face.
“I’m glad to see that you are well. I can’t even really tell that you were ever injured, except for maybe a bit of hesitation on your part occasionally, but that’s to be expected, and even wise.”
Jaz nodded at the Sith.
“Thank you. Without your help in getting me here, I’m not sure how well I would be right now.”
Vincent waved him off, as if positive emotions weren’t something he was prepared to hear.
“You’d do the same for me. Don’t put another thought into it. Besides, we have more pressing matters at hand than shelling out our gratitude to each other.”
“Oh?” Jaz responded. “What’s the word?”
“War.” Vincent responded.
Jaz tilted his head at the Sith.
“It turns out that the Collective is not very appreciative of us destroying two of their ships, killing dozens of their men, and capturing one of their high ranking officials… but it’s more than that. This is greater than Scholae Palatinae. I can’t go into great details, but I expect that full blown war will come knocking on the doors of all Brotherhood systems within three months.”
The Warlord paused, giving Jaz a moment to register the words.
“As usual, that is between you and I. It’s highly classified information. Don’t go sharing it with that nurse that you have the hots for.”
If Jaz had a mouthful of liquid, it would now reside on the inside of his helmet. He stumbled over his words.
“W-what do you mean? I…”
“Oh come on, Jaz. Don’t forget who you are talking to. I can hear your elevated heartbeat around her. I can sense your desire. I may be many things, but a fool, I am not.”
The turbolift came to a stop and the doors opened. In front of the two men stood the entrance to the cafe. Vincent smiled a reassuring smile.
“After you!”
Meava scoffed as she closed her device. Great. Tomorrow was going to be a stressful day but at least, she would have some outlet. It was always weird how peaceful and still empty rooms were. Was this another reason why she preferred being a medical examiner?
She brought one of her leg up close to her chest and rested her cheek on it. Her eyes watching the shadows pass underneath the door. None of the shadows were big enough to indicated it was Vincent and Jaz coming back.
Her eyes gazed over to the floor. The past week and half had been lovely and great but it was also conflicting. She wasn’t sure of what to make of Jaz.
Might just be another guy who flirts a lot and can’t keep it in pants. Bang and then leaves. Not that she would complain, she had done the same. She just never seen such an effort for someone like her before. It might be because he was trap here. The hospital was mainly humans and Twi'leks, surely he rather have one of them than just her. She caught herself staring at her own skin with the vitiligo patches as she scoffed. With a shift and turn, the chair was now sideways so she can keep an eye on the door and look out of the window.
Either I’m ugly or exotic.
The Evereni-hybrid started to think of what she would do if Jaz ask her out. The next several days was going to be hotter than Mustafa while she has to put out the fires. Not to mention the karking war that was coming up. By the Drevdea, how they expect her to manage all this? The undercover work and fight the Brotherhood battles for them?
She might accept his invite to a date if he does ask her out. Just so they can get the tensions released and then never see each other again. To really know his real intentions, so he could stop fracking confusing her. She haven’t been this bewildered since Barafu first hugged her. Maeva genuinely thought Barafu was trying to choke her and using a new move but was doing it wrong. She chuckled to herself at the past memory when they all discovered that Maeva constantly misinterpret positive body languages. As of now? She likes hugs but only from Barafu and Vigo.
Without her realizing it, the exhaustion set in, she started to doze off watching the mountains.
Vincent and Jaz were in the turbolift again, back on their way up to the room after having ordered dinner for Jaz.
“That Twi’lek lady really wanted me to try the fish. I thought she might put me back in the bacta tank when I insisted on hot wings.”
Vincent spoke through bites of a seared fish fillet as he shoveled food into his mouth from a to-go box as if he hadn’t eaten in three days.
“Well… to be fair… it’s really good fish…”
Jaz chuckled. The door to the turbolift opened and the two made their way down the hallway and back towards the room. As they approached Jaz’s door, Vincent tossed the empty food container in a trash bin.
Jaz opened the door and began walking in, but almost instantly backed out and put a hand on Vincent’s chest to stop him from entering the room. Vincent raised an eyebrow. Anyone else, anywhere else would have lost that hand.
“Problems?”
Jaz shook his head, his voice almost at a whisper.
“No… she’s sleeping. Let’s just keep it down if we can. She really needs the rest.”
Vincent smirked. His friend truly was enamored with this Evereni. He patted Jaz on the shoulder.
“I think I’ll take my leave for now. The Empire needs their Hand, these are troubling times. I will have a ship here to pick you up tomorrow morning. I look forward to seeing you back home on Seraph.”
Jaz nodded at his friend, a small smile forming on his face.
“Oh… and Jaz?”
“Yeah?”
“Go get her, tiger.”
If looks could kill, and Vincent could see through Beskar, he’d be a dead man. Jaz waved him away. The Sith chuckled as he turned and departed back down the hallway. Jaz entered the room as quietly as he could; slowly and gently closing the door behind him. He made his way to the bed and gingerly climbed back in. He looked at Maeva for a moment, considering what he may or may not do over the next 24 hours. He wasn’t sure of himself, but he knew that he liked her. He thought that maybe the feeling was reciprocated, but she was so deadpan at times that he couldn’t be sure.
Maeva’s leg slipped forward as she gasped and woke up. Her heart pounding as she frowned and her hand instinctively went to her necklace, hidden under her shirt. Her eyes darted her surroundings and-
“Oh, Drevdea-” Maeva hopped up from the chair as she look to her watch quickly.
Oh. She didn’t doze off that long. Thank kark. She cleared her throat.
“Sorry about that.. that was unprofessional of me.” She sighed and tried to joke it away, “maybe I should’ve taken Vincent’s offer for another caf.”
Maeva went to the cabinet and figure to keep herself busy as she started to get Jaz’s armor out of the bag and onto the chair by his bed so he can put them on by morning.
“I hope the cafe had something you wanted for dinner?”
Jaz smirked as he watched her fumble with herself and scramble to make herself busy.
“Please. You clearly needed the rest. Don’t worry, I won’t turn you in.” he said, slyly.
He watched as she placed his armor on the bedside chair, piece by piece. Without her really having any way to know, his eyes never left her when she turned and went back and forth between the cabinet and the chair. Maybe for once, Vincent was right. He’d make his move, but not until he was discharged in the morning.
“I’m sure the cafe would be happy to give you a caf, just… be careful… that Twi’lek chef is very proud of her fish. I thought I might end up as the next fillet she sliced up when I insisted on hot wings for my final meal.”
He laughed lightly to himself.
Maeva gave him a small gratitude thanks when he said he wouldn’t turn her in.
“Regardless, I am on duty. I should do some things.”
The Evereni laughed as she sighed, knowing exactly who he was talking about.
“That’s actually the entire thing with Port of Kasiya. We take huge pride of our fish. Want anything else?” She mocked a gasp, “blasphemy! Slander! Lies!” Once she made sure she got his armor, she frowned.
“Your weapons… Oh, right. I nearly forgot.” Next to the cabinets was a durasteel locker with brightly lit keypad and an ID card. She swiped her card as it gave a warning beep. Then she punch in some numbers as it popped open.
“I’ll leave it open for you instead of messing your weapons. As for Chef Jan'isca, I wouldn’t worry. While she takes pride in her seafood, she takes pride in all food. She’ll rather burn everything than to mess up any of the food.” Maeva grinned.
Jaz eyed the open locker, spotting his WESTAR-35s. He breathed a small sigh of relief. He didn’t think anyone would mess with his possessions, least of all Maeva, but those blasters were all he had left of his mentor. He put that thought out of his mind for now, preferring happier thoughts. His gaze returned to Maeva.
“That makes sense. Vincent seemed to enjoy the fish. I’m pretty sure he bought a to-go order just to make sure that Jan’isca didn’t turn a knife on me. If she ever does need help burning things, that’s one of Vincent’s specialities. If you can’t think of any other reason to call him on what he owes you, there’s an option.”
He laughed.
“I’m sure that the hot wings will be fantastic. I’m actually quite surprised at just how great the food has been here. I’m not used to that from a hospital. It’s usually something like you’d expect out of a frozen dinner. But it would seem that this place has filled every position with ideal candidates.”
Maeva smiled and shook her head.
“Hopefully, I won’t need a favor.”
There’s others I rather contact if I find myself in tight spot underworld.
Maeva nodded as she understood where he’s coming from.
“We fought pretty hard to get the credits to make it all happen. To really provide a good hospital. It wasn’t easy with the pirates, xenophobia- You know, politics things. It took… a lot of ass-kissing and humiliations for some of us to make this happen.”
She sighed heavily, remembering some things she had to do.
“We’re still.. struggling but there’s some at least, mutual understanding to keep the hospital off limits when it comes to politics… in a way. There was talk for a bit there between criminal syndicates to get this ‘territory,’” she air quoted and shook her head, “but then they realized who would heal their asses- Oh. I’m sorry-” She looks genuinely shocked to how much she just now talked. She cleared her throat.
“Is… there anything you need before tomorrow? Any questions, concerns? Besides the usual take it easy as much as you can.”
“No need for apologies.” Jaz insisted. “I find it all very interesting, and perhaps with enough influence I can talk Vincent into pushing the Empress for a similar facility on Seraph.”
He thought for a second, and then continued.
“I hope you never end up needing a favor from him either, but he’s not the only one that owes you. I can’t help but sense a lack of confidence from you, and it perplexes me a bit. While I was joking before about the whole stripping thing, I wasn’t about you being beautiful enough to make a killing in that field.”
He wanted to say more, but he didn’t want to push things too far.
“I think you’re stronger and more capable than you know, and I hope someday you can realize it, even if it takes some annoying Mandalorian telling you all the time.”
Okay, ease it up, Jaz. Don’t say too much, too quickly.
“I think I’ll be fine for the evening, but again, thank you… for everything… even the laughs.”
Maeva gave him a friendly smile, “I’ll be willing to work again to make this possible for Seraph but I am not kissing asses again or other things.” She joked but also sounded serious. Doing it for Kasiya was enough for her. And she doesn’t know the ongoing of Seraph just yet. Just a few things here and there about the Chiss.
She looked at him in shock and then silently scoffed. Her expression became a bit bitter but silence filled the room.
She can still hear the laughter from them teasing her mercilessly. The constant loneliness she had. The hate. The xenophobia. And when she was old enough and developed?
I was their bucket list.
Her hand rose as she brushed her bangs away a bit. The mention of her being stronger than she knew had brought up some confusion. She knew she was physically strong and was capable of making executive decisions and that’s why her bosses chose her for her undercover.
Or did he mean something else?
By Drevdea, dead bodies was less confusing.
At least she didn’t have to struggle trying to understand what was positive body language and what was not.
Then Jaz’s voice broke her out of her stupor, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to-” Maeva quickly rose her hand and shook her head.
“I… was lost in my thoughts. Thank you for having a positive attitude with your recovery-” She started as the door beeped and then slid open. Jaz’s hot wings, sides, and drinks had arrived. There was even a box of wet wipes and dry towel at the ready. Maeva smiled softly.
“And for the laughs as well.” She realized she would miss him. It felt good to not be serious. She only felt like that around her military squad when they weren’t on duty.
“I should get some food. Enjoy. I’ll be checking on you while you sleep. Jaz, if you need me, just push the call nurse button and I’ll be here as soon as possible.”
“Thank you, Maeva.” he responded gently as he watched her turn and leave the room.
The night progressed a bit slowly for Jaz. He had his hot wings and fried Correlian potatoes. True to Maeva’s words, they were fantastic. Some of the best he had ever eaten. Even so, he was restless. His emotions were getting the better of him. He couldn’t stop thinking about Maeva, but Vincent’s words about war on all Brotherhood systems made him fear for not only her safety, but the safety of others who had no business in a war and had done nothing to deserve the likes of an orbital bombardment.
After some time and thought exercises, he was able to doze off for the night. His sleep was not peaceful. In his dream, he was back on the bridge of the Collective Dreadnaught. He watched in horror as Komilla Lap’lamiz pulled a sonic imploder and prepared to activate it. He tried to tell her to stop, but it was of no use. He tried to run towards her to stop her, but he felt like he was running through quicksand. Just as he was about to reach her, she activated the device and tossed it. Jaz tried to reach out with his right arm to grab the device, then he felt something grab his arm.
Maeva cried as she was being dragged down the ally. Screaming for someone to help her. Everyone was ignoring her. Some even laughed and spat on her. Others turned their noses on her and called her racial slurs. She begged and pleaded for them to stop and let her go. She saw the light reflected off the blade as it went down to her leg-
Maeva winced as she woke up in cold sweat. Her muscles were so tensed she could feel a headache coming. Her hand went to back of her neck and she tried to massage it away. It wasn’t helping. She glanced to her watch and noticed that it was time for Jaz’s check up. He wasn’t hooked to the machines anymore for the past few nights so she had to manually check him. The door silently slid open and she poked her head in. There was little floor light to help nurses maneuver through the room and she can tell he had his helmet on.
When she grabbed the blood pressure cuffs, she could hear his fast breathing. Maeva paused for a moment. Was… he having a nightmare? With a small frown, without thinking because her own mind wasn’t clear, she reached over to grasp his arm and gently shook him, “Jaz?”
The Mandalorian was jolted to reality from his nightmare. Before he could tell the difference between the dream and the reality, he felt a hand on his arm. Instinctively and as fast as he could manage he reached over with his left arm, grabbed the arm that was touching him beneath the armpit and rolled just enough to fling Maeva from her standing position until she was laying on top of him. Her back was to his chest and everything happened so quickly that he found his arms trying to wrap around her forehead and throat in a sleeper hold to restrain her.
Then the dream was completely gone. He quickly realized that in the split second that it took him to flip her onto him and apply the sleeper, she had gotten an arm beneath the arm he had wrapped around her throat to protect herself from being choked out. Looking down, he saw her free hand reaching to her thigh… where a blaster holster would usually be located… but she didn’t have a blaster…
As soon as he realized where he was and what was going on, he released her as quickly as he could. He felt her body loosen up a bit and relax on top of his own. He could feel the warmth of her body pressed against his through his hospital clothes. He pushed the thoughts aside as best he could, instead struggling to spit out an apology.
“MAEVA! Gods! I… I am so sorry!!”
Maeva was glad her instincts had kicked in. But by Drevdea, why did she went for her blaster? She didn’t even have it! She heard Jaz’s apology and she wanted to get off but-
She wiggled a bit, it was almost unnoticeable but he would noticed. Maeva grimaced as a blush creeped to her cheeks. Wait. Why was she blushing? That wasn’t new to her-
Frack. She was developing feelings for Jaz. She didn’t know what to think. Or how to react. Part of her wanted to push it further, after all, no one was authorized to enter the room but her to respect Jaz’s culture.
“I…” She cleared her throat.
“It’s fine. I was not thinking clearly.” She wanted to quickly reassure him. It was her fault for being an idiot. He was a Mandalorian. She could feel her heart pounding so fast. She wasn’t sure if it was from the sudden scare or…
“Do… you want me to get off?”
Then she realized the-
“OH! Drevdea! I meant off of - I - Frack!”
As Jaz felt Maeva’s body wiggle he came to a very quick realization, one that made his face turn as red as Vincent’s lightsaber blade. How had all of this happened so quickly? He felt embarrassment wash over him, but then her wiggle and her words… they not only put him at ease, they made him sigh a huge sigh of relief and then laugh almost uncomfortably at first, but then naturally.
“Well, if I’m being completely honest… I don’t mind either way… clearly” he said between chuckles.
==============
He embraced her with both arms, but leaning them both back to the comfort of the mattress. His chest rose and dropped, lifting her with his breaths. He turned her head towards his once more and kissed her, much more gently and softly this time. As he fought to catch his breath he giggled a bit to himself, still a bit shocked at how this had all gone down.
“Well… I guess I don’t have to worry about you turning me down for a date, huh?”
Maeva was surprised by the kiss but she returned the kiss. She caught her breath as she steadied herself. She was confused by his giggle and especially the words that followed.
“Wait, what?” She breathed, confusion in her voice. She was going to take off her blindfold so she could get off properly but he still hasn’t put his helmet back on.
“I- what? You still want to date me?”
Jaz reached to the bedside stand and grabbed his helmet, quickly pulling it over his head. As soon as the helmet was on, he reached behind her head and untied the towel, letting it fall to the bed next to them. He was almost as confused as she seemed to be, but he was confident in the answer to come.
“As much as I want anything else.” he said.
Maeva gently sat up and carefully not to hurt him, and he would finally see her entire tattoo on the back of her neck to her between her shoulders.
“I- Jaz- I-” She stammered, her brows furrowed as she looked to Jaz. He had made her feel differently. Beautiful even. She wasn’t sure if that was the sensation from the blindfold or if he really meant it.
“I know you see this side of me,” she exhaled.
“But there’s-” She can’t even tell him as she let out another sigh of frustration. Maybe if she played her cards right and was careful, he wouldn’t find out? It would be bad if he got involved because it would mean that they would be close to finding out that she was working undercover.
“Complications?” he asked. “A lack of time with both of our busy schedules?”
He sighed a bit, not sure any longer if this meant as much to her as it did to him.
“Whatever there is… I think we can work through it… if this is something that you want even half as badly as I do.”
Maeva opened her mouth but quickly closed it. What was going on? What was he doing to her? Anyone else, it would’ve been so karking easy. ‘Thanks for a good time, see you later.’ She didn’t want to hurt him. She wanted to get to know him more. Have him make her laugh. To hear his laugh.
If the members of my circle find out about this… She wasn’t supposed to commit to anyone or work towards one. She looked away for a moment before looking to Jaz. If he didn’t already put his helmet back on… she would’ve kissed him.
And there’s my answer… Kark.
“I do. I- Kark, Jaz, I really do.” He would see that there was excitement, conflict, and fear before she smiled, her sharp teeth barely peeking.
“We can try to work through it, yea.”
He smiled at her beneath the helmet. Only two words came to mind.
“Roger, roger…”
Maeva busted out laughing as she giggled, rolling her eyes.
“Get your armor on and get out, mister,” her smile wide.
He laughed just as hard as she did. He stood from the bed and began putting on his armor. As he got the last piece on, he went to the locker that she had opened earlier and grabbed his weapons, securing them to his Beskar and their appropriate holsters. He took a quick look at himself in the mirror, and then looked back at her. He slowly backed towards the door, his hands raised to point at her like guns.
“I’m going. I’m going.”
Before he exited the room, he reached into a pouch on his belt and pulled out a card very similar to the one Vincent had given her before.
“Call me.” he said.
Maeva took the card between her fingers, her eyebrow raised in amusement.
“Oh? So I’m calling now?” she teased.
Jaz laughed.
“I suppose I could get myself patched through to the emergency services frequency here on Kasiya…” he said jokingly. “Or…”
He reached into the same pocket as before and handed her his comlink.
“You could enter your frequency into my contacts.”
For a split second, Maeva had a panic look on her face as she relaxed when she realized he was joking. Of course, he wouldn’t go that far to call the emergency services frequency.
“Hmmm.” Maeva took his comlink and entered hers as she handed it back to him.
“I am curious what you have in mind for our first date… I’ve never been on one- well. With dating, I have went out with my friends but never- wait - I mean we are friends- I mean we’re trying- I mean-” She quickly closed her mouth and puffed her cheeks slightly.
Social was hard.
He giggled just a bit at her awkwardness and how cute he found it.
“Well, there’s this bakery on Seraph that I like a lot. They have all sorts of great foods. Any kind of baked goods you can think of really, but I’m especially fond of their cinnamon rolls. If… that’s something that might interest you?”
Maeva cannot help but to squint at him giggling at her. Why was he-
“Cinnamon rolls? I karking love-!” She stopped herself and calmed herself down.
“I would love that.”
He smiled brightly beneath his helmet. He would have to make a stop by his armorer’s location soon, as he had an idea for his helmet that would make things easier in the future. For now, things seemed settled.
“Great! It’s a date! I better get out of here before Vincent assumes the worst and comes in here with his lightsabers drawn, but… I’ll call you soon.”
Maeva chuckled, “we can’t have that. I.. look forward to it.”
“Until then.” he said, blowing a kiss her way as he turned and walked out the door.
Maeva giggled and blushed like a schoolgirl-
What **is* happening?* Once he left, she exhaled sharply and started to clean up the room to prepare it from the next nurse and patient.
She sat on the empty bed when she was done and glanced out at the mountains for a moment.
Her circle was going to be furious.
They cannot find out about him. What they would do to her… would be sooner than she wanted. She did not wish to anger her Goddess.
At the very least, she can introduce him to Barafu and Vigo… if the dates goes well.
A date!?
What would she wear!?