Chapter Two
Lylaa woke to the sound of light clinking. She lazily rubbed her face, wiping away the first decent sleep she'd had in months. When she opened her eyes, the sight of Bo returning to the tent met her. She had stopped at the opening, the dusty curtain falling behind her. In her hands she held two bowls, steam rising from each of them. They looked at each other for a moment, a strange tension seeming to fill the void in front of them.
"Oh, you're up," Bo said softly "I made stew." She slowly made her way across the small space, handing a bowl to Lylaa before returning to the cot.
The taller woman sat down and rested her arms against her knees. She sipped from her bowl slowly, her eyes never leaving the other woman. She had a strange look on her face, but Lylaa couldn't place it. It wasn't hate, it wasn't trust, it wasn't anything she had seen from someone else before. Silence hung heavy between the two of them until Bo spoke up again.
"Looks like a storm is coming. The breeze feels different." She nodded towards the small opening. Lylaa sighed, setting her bowl on the small flat rock in the center of the room. She got up from her seat and walked to the entrance, exiting and coming back a few moments later with any equipment she stored outside. She stashed it in the corner and fastened the door, tying it as tightly as she could.
Bo couldn't think of anything to do but stare at her. She scoffed, looking down at her boots. Lylaa turned to her, her brows knitting together in a confused look.
"We aren't going anywhere until it passes if that's what you're so upset about. You're wounded and we won't make it half a mile in the winds." She unbuckled her holsters from her legs and dropped them to the ground. Bo's eyes followed, then flicked back up to her face. She raised her eyebrow, smirking as she leaned into a more intimidating pose.
"I need to find my people. The storm is the least of my worries," she clenched her jaw, gripping her hands together in anger. "When will it pass?"
"They can last weeks depending on the planet rotation. I don't know much about this place but we can't travel until it settles."
Bo groaned, rising to her feet in frustration. She ran her hands over her hair and huffed. Looking at Lylaa she gestured to the cot.
"Take your bed, I'll sleep in the chair tonight. How secure is your shelter?" Lylaa just looked at her. What was so important that she would brave lightning and wind just to leave the planet in her state? Family? Friends? A lover?
She shook her head and pushed past Bo, earning another scoff from the ginger behind her. She tossed a tarp to the side, revealing another folded cot just above and to the right of the other. She rummaged underneath pulling out another blanket before carelessly tossing it on the frame. Bo stood motionless with her arms crossed, an agitated look taking shape across her brow. The two stared at each other in silence, daggers shooting from Bo's eyes straight into Lylaa's. She was the first to move, stepping to the side in an attempt to get the stubborn Mandalorian to sit down and relax.
"Are you going to answer my question or are you just going to stare at me?" Bo snapped, sending a chill across the room.
"The shelter is fine. I set it up during the last storm a few days ago. I understand that you have matters to attend to but that's going to have to wait until the storm clears and the spaceport opens up again," The angry woman raised her eyebrow at the other, opening her mouth to speak before Lylaa continued "I'm not going to argue with you, so sit down and rest. There's nothing more we can do right now."
Hours had passed since their little stand-off and neither of them had said a word. They each sat on a cot, Bo looking at the ground while Lylaa stared at the ceiling. The howling wind outside had brought a sort of unease to the room, only worsening the feeling they each had in their chests. What were they supposed to do until the storm had passed? Were they going to sit and suffer under the blanket of anxiety that riddled them both with dread?
Lylaa turned her head, Bo's side profile coming into view. She had a soft strength to her features, her smile lines and strong cheekbones prominent as she ground her teeth together. Her eyes were unfocused, her mind clearly somewhere far away from the dimly lit room they shared. Before she could move to see her better, Bo lifted her hands to her head and removed her headband letting loose strands of hair fall over her face. She set it beside her, removing each of her gloves before running a slender hand through her red choppy hair. A flush fell across Lylaa's cheeks and she turned away. Her beauty was so effortless, yet her aura remained unwelcoming and cold. Almost as if she were forcing herself to remain shielded form any form of connection.
She just couldn't figure her out. One moment Bo was thankful to be saved and cared for and the next she looked as if she wanted to drop Lylaa where she stood. In all her years she had never had someone bring her soup only to shoot hateful glances at her immediately after. She continued to stare at the woman in the dark, the only illumination being the lantern she had set up on her rock in the center of the space. Her eyes flickered between Bo's face and her armored arms, taking in the owl sigil on her left shoulder. It wasn't a clan she recognized, but then again the only Mandalorians she'd ever encountered had been much different from the woman sat beside her.
Lylaa was the first to break the tension, sitting up so that she could face the other woman.
"What clan do you come from? I've never seen another Mandalorian with armor like yours besides-"
"Death Watch?" Bo said shakily. Fear and anger flashed across her face, a deep sadness filling her eyes. "They don't exist anymore. They betrayed and killed my sister after allowing my planet to fall to an outsider. I fought and regained control during the Siege only to lose it as soon as Palpatine formed this new Empire."
This was the most Lylaa had heard her speak since they met, a stillness falling between both of them. She knew of the Siege but Bo made it sound even more frightening than the stories she had heard. Her gaze met Lylaa's, tears nearly spilling from her eyes. After a day of almost complete silence she was finally opening up, allowing her savior to better understand why she was so untrusting.
Lylaa ran a hand through her green tinted hair, rising from her bed to take a seat next to Bo. As she sat she felt Bo flinch, turning her face away from her.
"Tell me about her. Your sister." She rested a hand on Bo's shoulder piece and waited for her to speak. She turned back to Lylaa, their faces closer now than they had been before. She could feel the tickle of her shaky breaths across her eyelashes. Bo looked down at her shoulder then back to Lylaa's eyes. Her blue eyes shimmered against the warm glow from the lantern making Bo's heart skip.
"Satine Kryze. She was beautiful. She was kind, she was a generous leader. She only wanted the best for her people. Our people," she sucked in a deep breath before continuing. "I was a fool to leave her side for the Death Watch. If I had only stayed I could have helped, I could have done something." Her voice wavered as she fiddled with her hands in her lap. Lylaa's hand dropped from her shoulder, clasping one of Bo's in her own.
"Don't blame yourself Bo. Your sister would be proud of all you've done, you're doing her justice by trying to find your people." She ran a thumb over Bo's palm, tracing patterns as she did so. She wanted to flinch, she wanted to move, but something about Lylaa brought her comfort. Something she'd never felt from someone away from home. She wanted to crumple into her arms, to feel her warmth and allow it to wash away her worry but she couldn't. She wouldn't let herself.
Bo sighed, pulling her hand out of Lylaa's grasp. She rose to her feet, unbuckling her belt as she began to remove her armor. Her black jumpsuit was left bare, her armor now neatly stacked at the end of her bed. The wind continued to howl just outside as she ran her hands over her tired face. She returned to her seat, slowly sitting back beside the smaller woman allowing their shoulders to brush as she did so. Their legs were now touching, much closer than they had been before. Without her armor she felt small. She rarely let herself sleep without it, so used to the fighting and uncertain times she had lived through for years. She looked at Lylaa again and managed a small smile.
Lylaa had never seen her smile like this before, so calm and still. She looked at Bo, her dark eyes so easy to lose herself in. She smiled back, a warmth creeping its way across her face. She wanted to sit like this forever, her heart tugging her closer but her mind blaring warning signals. No one had been this close to her since before the war ended, and she wasn't sure what to do. Her mind raced and her heart throbbed, making it difficult for her to breathe. Bo's eyes lingered on her, darting across her soft features. Lylaa felt as if all of the air had been sucked out of the room, the banging in her chest so loud she was worried the other woman would hear.
"Do you know how to play Sabacc?" Lylaa's words spilled out of her mouth clumsily, shifting her gaze from Bo to a small box at the base of the rock in front of them. Bo chuckled, a smirk now replacing the smile on her face. She raised her eyebrows at the green haired woman, shooting her an amused look.
"I haven't played since before the Siege, but I've never lost a game in my life," Lylaa handed her the box and allowed her to open it, taking the cards in her hands. "Are you sure you know what you're getting into?"
Lylaa smiled wider this time, a glint of mischief dwindling in her eyes. She let out a light chuckle, looking from the cards back to Bo.
"Well then. Shuffle those cards and we'll see how good you really are Kryze."