Teamwork
"Don't even think about it," Laura stated without looking away from the ongoing swoop race.
Carmilla froze mid reach and turned to stare at the blonde in alarm. "Who goes to a swoop race without betting anything?" she exclaimed as she pocketed the credits she was about to lay down at the table.
"We're not here for fun. We're working," she clarified as her eyes scanned the crowd in the stands.
"We're always working!" Carmilla groaned as she leaned her back against the pillar behind her; crossing her arms with a huff.
Laura glared at the brunette. "You haven't even been my partner for that long, drama queen."
The pilot suddenly smirked. "If we were really partners, cupcake, we would've definitely had some fun by now."
The blonde rolled her eyes. "Can you try to help me find this legendary pick-pocket?"
It was Carmilla's turn to roll her eyes. "If I find him, can you at least permit me one fun activity, or are my slave rights too restrictive?"
The Jedi let out an exasperated breath. "Fine. Whatever."
The brunette pushed herself off of the pillar and walked three pazaak tables over with her hands lazily in her pockets. Then, she pulled out one of her pistols, and slammed the butt of the gun against the back of a man's head. He fell to the ground unconscious. The brunette then bent down and pulled something out of his pocket.
Laura gasped before running over and immediately checking the man's vitals. "Carm! What the hell?!"
"That's your man, princess. He knocked into you earlier and stole this pretty locket you wear under your robe," Carmilla answered nonchalantly, tossing the piece of jewelry down to the Jedi.
Laura stared at the locket she caught before staring incredulously at the brunette. "Wait, you've known who it is for this long and you didn't say anything?!"
Carmilla rolled her eyes. "I was gonna tell you eventually."
"Why not immediately?!"
The pilot shrugged. "You looked all cute trying to stay alert and focused," she answered before turning and taking the pick-pocket's place at the pazaak table. "I'm cashing in my fun activity right now, by the way," she called over her shoulder.
Laura frowned before noticing the crowd that formed around them. "Sorry, folks. Nothing to see here. Police business," she clarified with a smile. She then turned on her comlink and called Danny.
"Hey, Danny. We got him. Yeah, it wasn't as hard as I anticipated," she answered with a sheepish laugh. She looked over at Carmilla looking through pazaak cards in her hand. "Yeah, we'll be here. Send some people over to pick him up," she finished the call.
Since returning to Coruscant, Danny had asked them to help her and the police with some favors since the whole letting Carmilla roam free thing. Laura couldn't really deny her. LaFontaine was testing out their serum within the quarantine sector. It was still rather hush-hush.
After winning a decent amount, Carmilla and Laura left the arena. They were walking carelessly through the streets before the blonde broke the silence.
"So you're good at pazaak," she stated more than asked.
Carmilla shrugged. "To an extent. The extra cards I keep in my pocket help though."
Laura scoffed and shook her head with an exasperated sigh. "Of course you cheat. How foolish of my to think you were honorable in any way."
"Hey! If you think every person that sits down at a pazaak table is honorable, you're more foolish than I thought," the brunette defended. The pilot's eyes widened suddenly. "Speaking of not being honorable," she said before grabbing Laura by her elbow and pulling her into a small alleyway. She pushed her up against the building; an arm lazily raised to lean against the wall as she hovered close in front of the Jedi.
"What the hell are you doing?!" the blonde hissed.
"Shut up for two seconds!" Carmilla spat back. The brunette bowed her head toward Laura's shoulder to try and conceal her face even more. Laura felt hot breath against the skin of her neck. She clenched her jaw at the sensation and slammed her eyes shut. The Jedi focused on steadying her breathing.
"Okay," Carmilla finally announced as she leaned away. "Sorry about that," she surprisingly apologized as she rubbed the back of her neck.
"And what was that?" the blonde replied in irritation.
"Uh, I may have pushed a guy I was working with down a garbage chute and taken all the payment for the job for myself?" she answered sheepishly.
Laura frowned. "You are honestly the worst. How do you live with yourself?!"
The pilot stared at her, unaffected. "I eat, sleep, and drink like everybody else."
"Ugh!" Laura let out in frustration as she shoved the pilot out of her way and left the alleyway.
"We were both doing a smuggling job! It's not like he was an honorable person either!" the brunette called after her.
The Jedi spun around too quickly for Carmilla to prepare for. The blonde was standing directly in her space. "So just because you're a criminal I should treat you like dirt?"
The pilot scoffed as a smirk came to her lips. "All our conversations come back to the same thing, sweetheart. I'm bad, you're good. Blah, blah, blah."
Laura groaned loudly in frustration. "You're not even that bad!" she answered as she turned and began walking again.
Carmilla stared at her back incredulously before hurrying after her. "You literally just called me 'the worst' thirty seconds ago."
The Jedi continued to walk harshly with furrowed brows. "I keep expecting better from you!"
The brunette openly laughed. "And why the hell are you doing that? I'm here serving my sentence, remember? Because I'm a bad person."
"But I don't-" Laura started to yell, but cut herself off. She took a deep breath and shook her head.
"You don't what?"
"Nothing."
"No. Tell me."
"No."
"Hey!" Carmilla pushed as she grabbed the blonde's wrist and stopped her. Laura looked down at the contact before frowning at the pilot. Carmilla immediately pulled her hand away self-consciously. "Uh, sorry," she muttered. "I just wanted to know what you were gonna say." Her honey eyes were far too powerful at the moment.
"Why does it matter? You usually care less about whatever I have to say," the Jedi answered firmly.
The pilot shrugged. "I don't know... I just..."
"It doesn't matter," Laura said with finality before walking off again. Carmilla watched her walk away before groaning in annoyance and following after her.
The two hadn't spoken in some time now. Carmilla followed silently as Laura attended to certain duties within the precinct. The brunette managed to spare a glare or two to Danny when they met up to finalize specific tasks. The blonde sensed the animosity between the two, but chose to ignore it.
As they approached the hotel they had been staying in the past few days, Carmilla finally spoke up.
"You know, as much as I like getting my bed made every day, we don't have to stay here," she said, surprisingly bashful. Laura turned to her with furrowed brows, waiting for her to explain. "My ship has more than enough beds for us. Why waste the money?" she suggested without making proper eye contact.
The Jedi eyed her curiously. "You're offering your ship?"
Carmilla rolled her eyes. Apparently she was going to have to spell it out for her. "Yes, cupcake. I'm offering my ship. So do you want a temporary home or not?"
Laura was taken aback. "I-" she then watched as the brunette ran a hand through her hair uncomfortably. The Jedi smiled. "That would be great. Thank you," she said sweetly.
The pilot chanced a glance at the blonde before turning to lead them toward the spaceport. "Whatever," she mumbled, but Laura smiled nonetheless.
After walking for a few minutes, Carmilla surprisingly broke the silence.
"What's up with the locket?"
Laura looked up in alarm; her hand subconsciously rising to feel the pendent beneath her clothes. "My dad gave it to me a long time ago." The brunette nodded slowly. "How did you even know I wore a locket?"
"We've sparred a few times now. When you bend the right way, I can see right down your shirt."
"Really?" Laura exclaimed in disgust. Of course the brunette had to turn the conversation sexual.
"What? That's how I saw it! We were grappling! There's no other way to say it!" Carmilla defended.
"There's every other way to say it," Laura quipped with a bored stare.
"Jesus, you're the only woman that's ever been appalled by me appreciating their body," she said with a huff.
The Jedi glared. "How tragic for you."
"I didn't mean-"
"I'm an actual person, Carmilla. I'm not some piece of meat that you can constantly degrade!"
"I wasn't even- You know what? It doesn't even fucking matter. Thank God you're a Jedi because any person crazy enough to sleep with you would end up jumping into the nearest garbage compactor the moment you started talking!" she spat out before storming ahead.
"What is that supposed to mean?!"
Carmilla turned around roughly to face her. "It means trying to have a conversation with you is less appealing than the idea of getting crushed to death!" She spun back around and continued toward the direction of her ship; leaving a fuming blonde trailing behind her.
Laura sat trying to meditate in her new quarters on the Lustig. Carmilla left her relatively pissed off, so she had to separate herself after boarding the ship in order to calm down.
Instead, she let her mind replay the conversation she had with Danny a few days prior. She was able to speak with her fellow Jedi while Carmilla was put to work at fixing some of the police equipment around the station.
"Darth Mailwil?" the tall redhead repeated.
Laura nodded. "He knows about the cure, Danny. He wants to stop it." She flung her arms in the air in frustration. "I don't even understand why! Laf said the disease was man-made. What could a Dark Jedi gain from that?"
Danny furrowed her brows in thought. "What else drives the Darkside? Hatred, pain, death, destruction... Mass murder by illness isn't the usual approach, but it still gets the job done. Like the rakghoul disease the Sith spread. Makes the galaxy tremble in fear. Basic Dark Jedi aphrodisiac."
The blonde's face scrunched in repulsion. "Gross."
"They're testing the serum now though. He won't be able to get to them."
Laura stared absently at the wall beside her. "She knew him," she said softly before looking up at her confused friend. "Carmilla and Darth Mailwil. They knew each other."
Danny's expression remained pensive. "And what'd she say about it?"
"That they knew each other a long time ago." The redhead nodded slowly. "But when she saw him, she seemed terrified."
"She was face to face with a Dark Jedi. Not to mention she used to know him. It's not that hard to believe she was scared."
"I know, but..." Laura shook her head as she tried to find the words. "He wasn't menacing. I mean, he seemed like he was kind of a dick, but not terrifying."
"He did kill a bunch of people in front of you guys..." Danny pointed out.
Laura shook her head rapidly. "She isn't a stranger to people dying, Danny. I don't think that kind of thing gets to her."
"You don't think people getting murdered in front of her bothers her?" the other Jedi questioned incredulously.
"I don't- I don't know!" Laura exclaimed in frustration. She took a deep breath and let it out dramatically. "I just- I was getting the impression she was scared for a different reason."
"Did you ask her about it?"
"No, of course not! She barely wanted to admit to knowing him. Asking that wouldn't be any of my business."
"Yet here you are talking to me about it."
Laura glared. "Excuse me for venting to someone who is supposed to be my friend."
The tall redhead let out a sigh. "Listen, Hollis. Maybe she had a bad childhood or something, and he reminded her of it. She clearly doesn't want to see him again, so if you're planning on having a good relationship with your little prisoner over there, I'd recommend avoiding the subject."
The blonde frowned, looking up through the window to see Carmilla fiddling with the insides of a droid.
"I'll contact the Council and tell them about what happened. Maybe they've heard of this Darth Mailwil."
And from a message Laura received from Danny later that evening, the Council had no record of the Dark Jedi. They did, however, send their approval of Laura's assistance to the good doctor, and encouraged any further aid LaFontaine may require for this endeavor.
"Knock, knock," Carmilla's voice sang from the open doorway. The blonde's eyes immediately opened in surprise before she pushed herself up off the floor.
"Hey," the Jedi said hesitantly. "About earlier..."
"Don't bother, cupcake. We've tried the whole getting along with one another thing. It doesn't work. You think I'm an asshole, and I think you're way too tightly wound," she answered exasperatedly, leaning against the door frame.
Laura scoffed. "What? Are you breaking up with me? You're working for me, remember? As long as we're working together, we're going to keep trying to get along because I am not dealing with you being an asshole every second of every day."
Carmilla crossed her arms over her chest. "That implies that I'm not already an asshole all the time."
"You're not," Laura answered back firmly, surprising the brunette. "Believe it or not, I actually enjoy your company."
The pilot lifted an elegant brow. "You're insane."
The blonde rolled her eyes. "When we're sparring or when you actually let your guard down and talk to me, it's... nice."
Carmilla let out a chuckle in disbelief. "So when you can punch me in the face or learn secrets to hold against me, you enjoy my company."
"You don't know how to take a compliment, do you?"
"Not when the person giving them has been biting my head off since day one."
"I haven't been biting your head off-"
"Oh, please! What world did you grow up on? Because you naturally breathe in denial." Laura stomped toward her with furrowed brows. Carmilla leaned away from the door frame with wide eyes, and straightened her posture as the blonde approached her.
Laura leaned into her space; her honey eyes piercing into Carmilla's. "I'm trying to be civil with you. If you don't like me, fine. The least you could do is pretend. You're serving a sentence. Remember that there's such thing as getting let go for good behavior."
The brunette forced a swallow. Carmilla was always stepping into Laura's personal space and making her feel uncomfortable. She found it amusing when the Jedi's cheeks would redden and the woman began to squirm. But this moment felt different. Laura was emitting so much power. It radiated off her to a point where Carmilla felt suffocated. The dark eyed woman stared back into Laura's piercing gaze.
The Jedi was suddenly hit by Carmilla's gentle voice. "You don't like to give up, do you?"
"And you clearly do." The words were out before she could even remove the harshness in her tone.
The pilot frowned in response. "Why push something that's bound to fail?"
"Why assume something's going to fail without even trying?"
"Oh, we've been trying, sweetheart. It usually ends with one of us storming off."
"Stop storming off."
"Are you trying to do your little Force Persuade on me? Because I hate to break it to ya, but you're the one that runs off more than I do."
"I run off because it's better than punching you in the face."
"You know, for a Jedi, you've got quite the temper," Carmilla commented with a smirk hinted on her lips.
"And for a supposed slave, you don't know when to shut up," the blonde shot back with a glare.
"But then we'd never be able to explore this chemistry between us," the pilot teased; her eyes darker than usual. Laura went to swat at the pilot's shoulder, but was caught off guard by the brunette's reflexes; the Jedi's wrist was firmly in Carmilla's grasp. Dark eyes penetrated through Laura's defenses. "And since you don't plan on letting me go easily, I'd really like to see how far I can take you." Her dark eyes held a fire that made shivers run up Laura's spine.
"Take me where?" she asked shakily with a concealed gulp.
The brunette stepped even closer to her; her grip on the blonde's wrist turning from forceful to possessive. "Curious?" she asked playfully.
"No. Just... confused," Laura answered with another gulp. Her eyes flicked down to the pilot's lips, and watched as they curved even more into a smirk. Carmilla knew where she was looking.
"Would you like me to help clarify?" she asked huskily, taking another step forward, which forced Laura to take a step back; her eyes widened when her back pressed into the door frame. Carmilla grinned.
"Nope! No! All good here," Laura exclaimed cheerfully with a nervous laugh.
The pilot began to chuckle before stepping back to give the Jedi some space. "You're right. I gave up too quickly. Teasing you is absolutely worth all the lectures you spit at me."
Laura's cheeks reddened as she let out a huff. "Our relationship is not being based off of you making me feel uncomfortable! We are changing that right now!"
"Oh yeah? How can I make you feel more comfortable, Miss Hollis?" Carmilla purred as she stepped back into the Jedi's space; the blonde pressing her back firmly against the door frame again.
"This is definitely harassment," Laura weakly replied. Her eyes danced across Carmilla's features; drinking in the details from being so close.
"Not once have you told me to stop," the brunette replied in amusement. Her warm breath slid across Laura's skin and made her shiver.
"I didn't realize you needed to be told to stop being a creep," the blonde managed to throw back at her.
Carmilla chuckled darkly as she remained in Laura's bubble for another moment. Then, she took a step back; her hands folded behind her back. "My apologies, princess. I must have gotten mixed signals."
The Jedi raised a brow. "Yeah, right. The only signal you should ever get from me is a 'hell no'."
Carmilla smirked. "Your body says a lot more than you think, cupcake," she finished with a wink before walking off.
"Hey! My body doesn't say anything!" Laura yelled after her as her comlink began beeping in her ear. She groaned before answering the transmission. "Hollis."
"Hey, so I'm hoping you could help me out," LaFontaine began. "The tests aren't exactly going great. It looks like I'm missing something. The toxins of the disease are still overpowering the serum. I need an ingredient to battle the toxins, and after studying them for awhile now, I think I found a solution. How do you feel about hunting?"
Laura's brows furrowed. "I have to go hunting?"
"For a pretty ferocious creature, yeah."
The Jedi sighed as she paced back into her room. "Of course, it's ferocious. It's probably big with sharp teeth and massive claws."
"That's fairly accurate."
Laura groaned in frustration as she ran a hand down her face. "Couldn't be worse, I guess."
"The only known location I have for it right now is in the Shadowlands."
The blonde's eyes widened. "Seriously?! Do you realize how many people don't return after visiting Kashyyyk's forest floor?!"
"Um, a lot?"
"A lot!"
"You're a Jedi! You'll be fine!"
"If I'm not eaten or killed by whatever the hell lurks down there!"
"Carmilla will protect you."
Laura's mouth hung open in shock. "Did you honestly just say that?"
"Yeah, I don't know what I was thinking. She'd probably leave you down there if it came to it."
The blonde groaned. "What creature am I even looking for?"
"A terentatek."
"A teren-" Laura began to repeat in shock. "You want me to kill a fucking terentatek?!"
"Why are you yelling?" Carmilla asked in annoyance as she showed up in the doorway again.
"Laf has asked us to kill one of the most vicious creatures in the galaxy!"
The brunette raised a brow. "Are you being dramatic?"
"A terentatek."
Carmilla's eyebrows shot up toward her hairline. "Well, shit."
Laf spoke up again. "I just need a few blood samples!"
"Oh, is that all?" Laura answered sarcastically. "I'll be sure to tell the beast we only need a few blood samples while it's trying to tear my limbs off!"
The pilot took a deep breath and sighed. "Calm down, princess. We'll be fine."
Laura looked at her with an incredulous stare. "How are you okay with this?!"
Carmilla gave a nod toward the blonde. "Tell Doc we'll get it, and let them get back to work." Laura's frown deepened before she finally spoke.
"We'll take care of it," she replied grumpily through the link before cutting off the transmission. "So can you explain why you're so confident about taking down a dangerous beast that is Force resistant?"
The brunette smirked. "If that's the part that scares you, you're clearly too dependent on the Force."
"So you plan on just running into it's lair and shooting up the place?!"
"I plan on thinking up a strategy when the time comes. For now, we need to set a course for Kashyyyk," she said, turning around and heading toward the cockpit. Laura followed after her. "Going to the Wookiee planet is a little unnerving though. The last one we saw wanted to kill us," Carmilla admitted over her shoulder.
"Don't be species-ist."
"I'm not. I've been to Kashyyyk. They're not big on outsiders roaming around in their sacred Shadowlands," Carmilla explained as she sat in her pilot chair and began setting their destination into the ship's system.
"You've been to the Shadowlands?" Laura asked in surprise.
Carmilla continued flipping switches without looking at the blonde. "Yeah. Not a happy, sunshine-y place." She looked up at Laura with the hint of a smirk. "Although with you down there, you might blind anything still alive."
The Jedi put her hands on her hips. "What's that supposed to mean?"
The brunette lifted her hands up to show no offense. "Hey, I didn't mean anything by it. You're just typically glowing. The happiest creature I've ever seen."
"Well as of recently, I'd say you're wrong. Your presence has made me much less glow-y."
Carmilla chuckled. "Still shining brighter than anything I've ever seen, cupcake," she answered before hitting the last few buttons.
"I'm not that happy of a person."
The pilot turned and stared at her in disbelief. "I caught you playing tag with kids in the courtyard the other day. You were giggling like a fool."
"It was fun!" she defended, crossing her arms over her chest.
"You stopped making fun of me mid-sentence when the waiter brought you over your dessert. I've never seen anyone's eyes get so wide. You were grinning like an idiot."
"I like dessert. There's nothing wrong with that," she replied with her chin lifted slightly into the air.
"You gave your robe to a homeless woman without a second thought."
"You don't need to be happy to help those less fortunate. Plus, I was planning on getting a new robe anyway. She looked cold."
"Happiness isn't the only thing blinding about you," Carmilla answered lazily. "Your whole hope thing oozes out of you in the form of sunshine. It's obnoxious."
"I'm not going to apologize for being a good person."
"I didn't ask you to apologize."
"Then why bring it up like my entire existence bothers you?"
"I didn't- I wasn't saying- Jesus, princess! We're right back at it again. You think everything I say about you is so negative. Me stating that you're a ball of fucking sunshine isn't a bad thing. The forest floor is a place filled with a lot of darkness. Some say the Darkside thrives down there. In a place like the Shadowlands, having you there is going to make all that darkness shrivel up like a Jawa's God damn testicles on Hoth. I was being optimistic, which I figured you'd appreciate since you're all about the having hope campaign. And since you're apparently scared shitless about this little mission, I was trying to help you relax. But fine. Everything about you is horrible and I hate it. Happy?" Carmilla turned back to her switchboard.
Laura was stunned. The woman lashed out at her, and for good reason. The Jedi was always confident with whatever mission she was given. She never complained. But this was different. She was going up against a beast that many only believed to be a legend. Her father was a treasure hunter. He would search planets for whatever they had to offer. That included trophies of any rare beasts.
And her father had fallen victim to a rare beast.
"I'm sorry," the blonde whispered.
"Don't be. What's the point? My opinion doesn't mean anything anyway," she grumbled without looking back at the Jedi.
Laura's hand fell to the pilot's shoulder. "Believe it or not, I do care what you have to say." Carmilla looked over at her in shock. Her dark eyes searched the blonde for any false sincerity. "You've been a great help to me so far. You know that, right?"
The brunette stared back at her evenly without responding. She cast her eyes down toward her lap. "Because I'm a pilot and gave you a free place to sleep," she reasoned.
"Hey," Laura said gently, squeezing the woman's shoulder and grabbing her attention again. "You know so many things that I have no clue about. Droids, ships, computers; anything with wires, honestly. You know about the criminal underworld and how certain people think. If I start getting too heroic and suicidal, you reel me back in. You're great with a blaster. And you keep me on my toes." She offered a small smile to the brunette. "I'm not giving up on you for multiple reasons. Your charming attitude is clearly number one though," she teased.
Carmilla scoffed. "Whatever you say, Master."
The blonde frowned immediately; sadness dripping from her words. "You're not my slave, Carm."
The brunette locked eyes with the Jedi and felt her heart grow heavy. She actually looked hurt. Carmilla didn't understand it. Why was she upset about it? Carmilla was the one under her rule. Laura was the one holding the leash around the brunette's neck. Carmilla could almost feel the collar around her neck. It had been so long since she felt it there, but in an instant, her mind could take her right back to her time on Korriban; her time of servitude. And that time was nothing like being with Laura.
"I know," Carmilla barely whispered as she hesitated to meet the Jedi's gaze. Laura stared into vulnerable dark abysses. There was something so tragic in the woman's voice. She sounded so defeated.
"Do you?" Laura asked for reassurance.
The pilot gave a single nod. She put on a smirk that didn't reach her eyes. "I'm your coworker."
Laura's chest collapsed. Carmilla noticed that her words still didn't ease the blonde. What else could she say to make her believe her?
The Jedi tried to read the woman in front of her. She never felt so completely lost when it came to a single person. Carmilla was a mystery from the beginning. The brunette knew she wasn't a slave. Laura believed her. But her response still bothered the Jedi. It was meant as a jest, but there was no change in the brunette's eyes; the heaviness remained. There was something deeper that the woman was hiding. Whether she was hiding it from Laura or herself, the Jedi didn't know.
"Stop with whatever sad face you've got goin' on there, cupcake. As cute as it is, I rather see you smiling. Or even pissed off," Carmilla said with a chuckle.
Laura took a deep breath and smiled slightly. "Well then give it five minutes. I bet you'll do something to get me angry by then."
The pilot smirked. "I can do it in five seconds."
The blonde glared and crossed her arms over her chest. "Oh please-"
"You should close your door when you're changing. You never know when someone is gonna walk by..."
Laura's eyes widened and her face immediately turned red. "Why didn't you say anything?!" she shrieked.
Carmilla shrugged before her smirk took over and her eyes began raking up and down the Jedi. "I got a great view. I love that hip tattoo you've got goin' on. Definitely surprised to see you in ink." The blonde's mouth hung open as she tried to pull her already tight robe even tighter around her body. Carmilla laughed at the gesture.
"Oh, don't worry. You're all covered up, princess," she reassured the Jedi. "But that image definitely won't be leaving my memory anytime soon," she grinned.
Laura was fuming now. She openly growled before spinning around and marching back to her room.
"Let me know when the next showing is!" Carmilla called after her.