#if this was the original still and i saw 2 of kaz's hands bare i wouldnt have made it past that week

[sleepless-crows]

I CAN NEVER CATCH A BREAK HERE CAN I

[marcykinsmaki]

The despair disease request anon, yes the reader has the despair disease, sorry if the original ask was kinda vague :( thank you! Also I love your writing!

hi hi!!! thank you so much, i’m glad you like it! even though this is my second piece, i really enjoy that people are so enamored with it already. thank you guys for being patient and here it is!!

Kazuichi Souda x Reader.

Words: 2,267 (medium)

CW: 90% of this pierce is in the hospital, mentions of hospital equipment, DANGANRONPA 2 CHAPTER 3 SPOILERS, flirting at inappropriate times, suggestive moments

Rating: Teen 

--

[Your POV]

You felt horrible. Your body ached, your temperature was a high 102 degrees, a migraine raged in your head. You weren’t sure what happened, feeling just fine before you went to sleep and by the next morning you could barely get out of bed without some help. That would have been fine if every word out of your mouth didn’t come out some degree of seductive or flirty. Of course, you didn’t think those things, but your body just forced it out like that. You tried to apologize, but it just came out all wrong. Everyone was looking at you weird all morning. You were brought to the diner by Sonia that morning, complimenting her looks and personality the entire way there. Thankfully, she was understanding that you weren’t feeling yourself. A few others arrived looking and feeling just as sickly as you are, all with different ‘symptoms’. Monokuma suddenly appeared, giving us our next motive.

“The Despair Disease!” He announced, looking among you all.

“The what?” Hajime squinted. Monokuma bore his sharp teeth.

“The Despair Disease! A disease carried around by  little bugs that carry certain…. Side effects. Well, good luck! And be careful, wash your hands, you filthy teenagers!” The bear snickered before disappearing. You almost fell down, Kazuichi, who is your crush of all things, quickly scooping you up before you could hit the floor.

“Woah there, Y/N, you almost hit your head on the table! Are you alright?” He didn’t seem worried to catch the disease, looking down to you. You took a deep breath, before a smirk grows onto your face.

“Oh my, have you come to save your royalty in distress?~” You look deeply into Kazuichi’s eyes, swearing you almost saw the embarrassment in his eyes. He quickly set you down.

“H-hey, how about we slow down a bit…” Kazuichi laughs awkwardly, looking desperately to Mikan.

“R-right, we should g-go now, before they g-get worse!” Mikan nods, everyone helping assist everyone who has been affected to the hospital two islands away. Kazuichi helps you, since you’re closest, and you can see him dreading the trip. You don’t blame him. You were quiet, reserved, kept to yourself and stayed out of people’s ways. But now you’re a huge flirt who can’t keep to themselves. You felt really bad, your heart is racing and you’re sweating beyond belief and that just makes it worse.

“Kazuichi, darling, you should stay in my room with me!~ I get so lonely, and I think I’ll need your company.. It’s what you deserve after you saved me.” You coo into his ear. He groans, biting his lip a little.

“Do you really need me to? I-it was no trouble-”

“God, Kaz, just stay with me, pretty please? I’d die if you didn’t!” You call out loudly, people looking back to you two, Kazuichi’s cheeks flushing over.

“Alright, alright! J-just stop yelling, people are looking!” He shakes his head, causing you to giggle softly.

You all eventually make it to the hospital, Kazuichi setting you down on the hospital bed and Mikan quickly handing you a change of clothes, Kazuichi turning to leave before you hook onto his shirt with your finger.

“Now where are you going, handsome?” You look onto him with a flirtatious gaze.

“Uh, o-out of the room so you can change?” He gasps as he falls back onto the bed, looking up to you.

“You can just turn around, I don’t mind.” You smile. He shakes his head, quickly making a bee line for the door. Your heart aches with sympathy for him, definitely needing to make up for this later.

“You’re not well right now, Y/N, I need to keep my distance anyway!” He calls out, before he finally leaves the room and slams the door behind him.

--

[Kazuichi’s POV]

I pant as I finally escape them. Geeze, what a workout.. It’s a damn marathon to run around flirting back with them. And I got to carry them… b-but I need to calm down, before they get well again and never talk to me again! Y/N is so nice to me, they hang out with me and listens when I speak to them! I try my best to treat them as nicely as I can, but every time I look into their eyes they make me swoon... everyone calls me obsessed but I’m just admiring them! Plus, I’d totally stop if they asked. But what am I gonna do? I can’t keep up this facade for long, they’ll totally notice!

I turn back to the room after a minute, knocking on the door.

“Y-Y/N? Are you done yet?”

“One sec!” They call out, spending a few moments to myself before they open the door and look at me, their legs shaking, but seemingly ignoring it as they lean against the doorframe. “Hello, Kazuichi~ You may come in now-” They began to fall again, quickly going to save them before they hit the floor again, shouting out a little before I get them into my arms again. Thank God I’ve been putting a little more elbow grease into my work lately, have they noticed I’ve been working out?

“You have to be more careful, Y/N, you’re still sick!” I sigh, bringing them to their bed. “I-I’ll go get Mikan, you stay here. P-please.” I kinda beg them. I don’t want them falling again. I feel them grab onto my shirt again. They pout up at me, they look even worse.. They’re sweating really bad! I grab onto their hand, and we both blush. I peel their hand from my shirt. “Please.” They sigh, nodding, still pouting. I smile, nodding down at them and turning to go get Mikan.

--

[Your POV]

You still feel horrid. Kazuichi has refused to come by your side, and you’ve flirted up a storm with Mikan, which she could only blush and say thank you, offering a few things that you thankfully declined, quickly and silently reminding her that you’re still sick and most likely don’t mean it. Oh, crap, you forgot Kazuichi probably thinks that, too.. Oh well, there go your chances. You’re alone, eating a cup of jello before you hear a knock on the door.

“Come in~” You speak up enough to let whoever’s behind the door hear you. You reach your hand up to cough into your elbow. You were getting better today, your fever down to 101. The door creaks open, Kazuichi stepping in and poking his face in. Your smile widens. “Don’t be shy, I don’t bite.” You wink. When will this be over.

“Right, t-thanks, Y/N. I kinda wanted to talk to you, actually.” He grabs a chair, sitting next to you. You look down to him with curiosity. “Uh, you don’t mean the things you say, right? L-like, this is all part of the illness you have?”

“Well of course it’s genuine, Kaz, why would I lie to you?~” Well, you weren’t wrong, in a way. You did like him, but you weren’t this flirty. It’s more like a truth-telling disease than a flirting disease.

“Ugh, I’m so stupid, I know you’re only saying this stuff because you’re sick.” Kazuichi groans, looking down to his lap. You reach down, taking one of his hands.

“How about, we go out sometime?” You lean in towards him. He looks up with an even deeper blush, lips wobbling.

“R-really?” His eyes kinda light up. You feel super embarrassed. You’re not ready to go this far, but apparently your illness is. Oh well, why not? It’s already on the table, just go on with it. What’s the worst that could happen?

“We could go and take a walk on the beach once I’m out of here~” You turn over a bit. Your body ached. Your throat was sore from coughing all night. Kazuichi looks hopeful.

“Wow, that’d be great, Y/N. So get better soon, o-okay?!” He stands up with his hands on his hips in a sort of hero pose, which makes you giggle. It was genuinely cute.

“I will. Don’t worry, baby~” You coo up at him. He looks back down with a blush as pink as his hair. He nods.

--

You wake up the next morning, your condition significantly improving. Your headache is gone, your body aches have gone down, your body temp is at a normal 98.5. Still have a bit of a stomach ache, but nothing a few tums can’t fix. Mikan shuffles out as she’s done with your daily examination, and a few minutes later, the body discovery chime goes off. You sigh, watching the screen in the corner of your room play through Monokuma speaking to you and hearing the same dreadful, tension building announcement sound through the air. You push yourself up slowly and redress yourself, going to go join everyone in the music venue. You tear up a bit seeing Ibuki laying on the stage and Hiyoko propped up against the pole, joining everyone in the investigation. You join Kazuichi as a silent ‘I’m better’ and stay back to your reclused self.

--

The trial passed and the execution almost flies by. Everything was blurry when it got like this. It was terrifying, though, how the rest of us could have died as well from the same person who swore to make us better. We silently think about if the body discovery would have been for us, but I didn’t spend too much time on it. You return to your cottage, only to hear a knock at your door. You grunt, dragging yourself to the door and opening it. You were met with vibrance, your heart thrumming with nervousness.

“H-hey, Y/N, sorry for bothering you so late.. But can we do that thing?” We both stood in silence for a minute. A blush was brought to both of our cheeks. “N-not saying that you have to! I’m just r-really excited that you want to hang out!” He waves his hands in front of him. It makes me giggle.

“That was a genuine statement, Kaz, don’t worry. I would love to.” You said this… easier than you thought you would. This was crazy. This is crazy. Oh well, there’s no going back and this was your chance. He held an arm out excitedly, and you take it anxiously, closing the door behind you and walking off to the beach. You almost shook with nerves. You two exchange small talk until you get there.

--

You arrive at the beach, you both taking off your shoes and carrying them as you approached the soft and increasing sound of the crashing waves as they settled on the shore. The twinkling of the stars and bright light of the shining moon casting its bright rays onto the beautiful scene. It’s breathtaking, but if walls could talk, the beach would lose its worth. You two quietly stand in front of the ocean, watching the water.

“Thank you for doing this with me, Y/N.” Kazuichi mutters quietly. You notice him looking at you, returning it with a small smile.

“Of course. I know the Despair Disease really threw me off, which I am very sorry if I made you uncomfortable, but…” You drifted off with your words. He quirked a brow.

“But?”

“... I have something to tell you.” You turn completely towards him. Body facing him and everything. Your heart thrums again, reminding you of your anxiety. You shove it down for now. “I am terrified of how this will end. If we’ll be walking out of here hand in hand, if that’s even possible.”

“Hey! Don’t be saying stuff like that-”

“What I mean is,” You interrupt him. “, I need to tell you this, before it’s too late. I love you, Kazuichi Souda.” You look at him deeply into his eyes. He looks relieved. 

“I love you, too Y/N. I know saying I love you this early is really fast, but ever since I met you, I knew you were the one for me. And you actually gave me the time of day unlike everyone else. I can be myself around you.” He nods. Your blush from earlier returns, as if it’s never left.

“I… feel the same. You don’t egg me to speak or be included in conversation. You can tell when I don’t feel like it, and just respect my boundaries. I didn’t catch right away, but eventually I just fell.” You shrug. It also baffled you how open you were being right away, but the Despair Disease make you worse than this, so it didn’t really matter. He’s opening up, too, so you’ve gotten a vibe that you both enjoy on the table.

“Can I kiss you?” He suddenly spurts. Your eyes widen. You aren’t  sure what to do, but it’d be hypocritical if you didn’t follow through with your whole ‘confession before tragedy’ narrative.

“Yes.” And that sealed the deal. His surprisingly soft lips were onto yours, his hands slowly snaking on your hips. He was reluctant about his hands, but yours slowly guided his to stay there. You could feel his slightly rougher hands, tracing across his physical efforts as proof of his Ultimate. He smiles into the kiss, and you do as well. A soft breeze blows through the gentle warmth of the summer night heat. The stars and moon feel brighter before, almost as hot as the sun itself. He slowly dipped you, one of your knees bending so your foot relaxes onto the soft sand. 

Maybe having the Despair Disease wasn’t that bad after all.

--

AAAAAAA OKAY HERE YOU GO! I HOPE YOU GUYS ENJOYED!!!

edit 1: i wanted to mention that the reason i chose the point of view/style of writing i did for the reader is because it’s what made sense to me. it was starting out as a description but i like it to be a “surprise” until you read it fully. i felt like the jolt would be too sudden from that “you/your” style to a “i/me”. so yeah just wanted to say that

[trassellynn]

A journey to the past

Hope I’m still on time for @weeklygrishaprompts Week 1! PROMPTS: 1. A torn garment 2. Counting down from 10 3. Hiding under the bed - OR - hiding in the closet

“A journey to the past”

Main characters:

Kaz Brekker, Original Character, Inej Ghafa

Main relationships:

Kaz Brekker/Inej Ghafa; Kaz Brekker/Original Character 

Plot: 

Twenty-three years after Crooked Kingdom events. Kaz and Inej are now the adoptive parents of two little orphan siblings. Kaz struggles a lot with his new role, especially with the oldest kid, who often suffers from mental breakdowns and nightmares, a scar left on his young soul by the harsh life of Ketterdam streets. One evening, Kaz is the one who has to help the child during a crisis.

You can also find on Ao3 here.

"Inej!" Kaz entered the room with the grace of an ox, but he immediately froze at his place and shut his mouth when he saw his wife glowering at him. She pressed the index finger against her mouth, nodding at the sleeping baby girl she was cradling. "What?" she asked, moving her lips without letting a sound out. "The boy," Kaz whispered. "He's having another crisis..." Inej sighed: “If I put her down now, she'll wake up” she whispered back. “Please, go to him. You can handle it.” “He doesn't like me!” “This is not true,” the woman replied. “You take part to impossible heists everyday, Kaz. You can help a child to calm down.” “I would gladly take part to an impossible heist right now, rather than this!” he grumbled, walking out of the room. What was he supposed to do? At the age of forty, he went, almost out of nowhere, from no children to two. Before he could realize it, he was a father. Rani, the little girl, wasn't a big deal, she was actually a quiet, cheerful kid. But Adhyan, her brother, who was eight and had already faced the cruelty and the dangers of Ketterdam streets... Kaz stopped himself in the middle of the aisle, his hand firmly clenched around the handle of his cane. Inej's voice in his head told him to go ahead and enter the room where the boy was hiding, but he turned around and went to the kitchen instead. “Aenya?” A tall girl around twenty, with long dark hair and a curvaceous appearance, was standing in front of the window, eating a cold waffle. She turned her head, staring at him. Her eyes were the same color of Fjerdan ice. “Uncle Kaz?” she replied, raising an eyebrow. “What is it?” The man nervously ticked the tip of the cane on the floor: “It's... it's Adhyan. It's happening again...” Aenya sighed, shaking her head: “Kaz... I cannot use my powers on that kid every time he has a crisis. It is not a real help, to him, it's just... a temporary manipulation of his feelings. It's not fair, nor healthy.” “You don't need to use your magic. You can simply talk to him, and...” “And what would you do, should you find yourself alone with the kid?” the Heartrender interrupted him. “Inej cannot be omnipresent, nor do I, nor does any of us. You must learn how to help him by yourself.” Kaz bit his own tongue. He hated everything of that situation. He hated feeling so scared, he hated asking for help and showing things weren't under his control. It was easy, to him, to be Kaz Brekker, Dirtyhands, the Bastard of the Barrel, the King of Criminals in Ketterdam. But to be a father... Ghezen, that seemed to be the most impossible of the heists! “That kid hates me,” he finally replied. “Or he's afraid of me, or both. He doesn't like having me around. With Inej he's completely different. Last night, before sleeping, he called her “mama” for the first time. While with me... he barely talks. I'm not made to be a father.” “No one is,” Aenya said, swallowing the last piece of her waffle. “And Adhyan doesn't hate you at all. Maybe he doesn't feel completely comfortable with you, but it's understandable, since you're not doing much to appear less scary and distant.” Kaz opened his mouth, but the girl didn't give him the time to reply: “Go to him. You must try, at least. If you don't succeed, you can call me.” The man sighed, raising his dark eyes to the ceiling, but then he said: “Accepted.” He was sure he would have needed Aenya's help soon, but he didn't add any kind of comment, he didn't want to risk to annoy her and make her change her mind. He walked to the kid's bedroom, trying to suppress that unpleasant sense of anxiety rising in his chest, and he slowly opened the door, taking a peek inside. There was no sign of Adhyan, except for a nervous whisper coming from under the bed. Kaz cleared his throat, cautiously entering the room. “Adhyan?” he called. “It's me. Kaz.” The whisper stopped for a brief moment, but it soon started again, louder and angrier. Kaz approached the bed and knelt, looking under it: the kid was curled up, his hands pressed against his ears, his eyes closed, his lips moving frantically. He was counting down from ten, again and again. He did it every time he faced a crisis, but he had never told the reason, nor to Kaz, nor to Inej, nor to anyone. Brekker sighed and sat, his back against the side of the bed. “What am I supposed to do?” he thought. “What would Inej do?” The answer wasn't so difficult to guess: Inej would have talked him, quietly, kindly and wisely. Dirtyhands could deal with wisdom, but he still had to work a lot on quiet and kindness. Which words could he offer? Which words... A sudden idea stuck into his mind. “Which words would I have needed to hear, when I was a lonely kid in the streets?” He closed his eyes, his thoughts wondered back to his painful past. “I was about you age when I started living on the streets. I wasn't alone, at the beginning: there was my brother, Jordie, with me. We only had each other, like you and your sister. But Jordie, who was the oldest, didn't protect me like you did and still do with Rani. I mean... it wasn't his fault... but I cannot help to think that... if he had been like you...  maybe things would have been different... maybe I would be different... maybe I would be better...” He suddenly realized silence had fallen into the room. Kaz opened his eyes: Adhyan was sitting in front of him, his legs crossed. A tiny kid he was, with soft, black curls and dark skin; his big, brown eyes were fixed on him, a sparkle of interest and curiosity enlightened them. “I didn't even hear you coming out from your hiding place,” the criminal said, a little smile on his lips. “You're silent like mama Inej.” “What happened to Jordie?” the kid asked. Dirtyhands straightened his back, sighing: “We both fell ill: Jordie died, I survived. And from that moment... I could only rely on myself...” “I'm sorry,” the kid replied. “It's okay. Now I'm here and I'm no more alone. There are Mama Inej, Uncles Jes and Wy, Uncle Matthias, Aunt Nina, Uncle Kuwei, your cousins, the Dregs... I have a family. I just hope you and your sister are happy to be part of it.” For the first time, Adhyan smiled at him: “We are.” Kaz smiled back, then, he nodded at the sleeve of the kid's white shirt: “What happened? Did you tear it while hiding under the bed?” The child nodded, lowering his glance to the floor: “Yes... I'm sorry... do you think... mama Inej will get angry for this?” Dirtyhands shook his head, standing up: “Nah, it's not a big deal, it can be fixed. What about you? Do you feel better?” Adhyan nodded timidly: “A bit...” “Would you like... some waffles? I just hope Aeny hasn't eaten them all...” The little boy giggled: “But there's a lot of batter! If she has eaten them all, we can make others! It's not a big deal!” Kaz couldn't help but let a little laugh out: “That's true. You're very smart.” Adhyan stretched his little hand towards him and, after a little hesitation, Kaz took it with his, bigger and gloved. “We must give a waffle also to mama Inej.” “That's a good idea.” Hand in hand, they walked together out of the bedroom.

[scarjarbinks]

The Fool’s Journey: A Star Wars Story (2)

Episode Two A Ballad of Self-Preservation

"Two?" The pilot spat through the comlink that was tightly gripped in Rokkna-1's hand.

"I-I didn't think it'd be a problem."

The transport shuttle increased speed and navigated away from the pick-up zone with a steady hand. Vrina busied himself while the two argued by plucking larger shards of glass from his sand-brown tunic. He winced after extracting a particularly long specimen. The Human, now tilted by the heated debate between him and his pilot, examined both guests while a grimace strained his face.

"Critical mission failure, Kaz. Remember when you said we wouldn't be wasting our time? And now—blast, we have sky skiffs on our trail."

"Easy. Open the hold and keep us steady." The man brandished his brand new DL-44, straightened his wrist, and locked his shoulder.

A long pause preceded the pilot obeying the command. Air escaped Vrina's lungs and he held onto a groove in the wall. The still-unconscious Zabrak was only a short distance away in case he had to reach out to save him from slipping out of the shuttle.

Kaz was greeted with a powerful bolt striking the hull just above his head. He recoiled and recovered within the same movement. The weapon's iron-sights hovered over two slender vehicles that struggled to maintain ascension. Their noses were pointed at the shuttle and fired off another debilitating round. Only one struck the underside of the ship, but the impact was enough to knock the Human to his knees.

He threw himself into what insignificant amount of walled cover there was between the open door and bay. The pilot shouted, "It's not like this thing has shields! It's not military!"

"That's right," Kaz exhaled under his breath and steadied his breathing and brought the comm to his face to respond. "Slow down and descend—hard."

Panicked but attentive, she asked, "Like, cut engines?"

"That works!" Kaz turned to the Mikkian. "Hold onto your pal."

Vrina stretched to grab ahold of Wegil's arm and brought him closer. "Just so we're clear, I wouldn't really call him my 'pal'."

The Human frowned, his posture suddenly tense. "Then why is he here?!"

A lurch from the shuttle drew Kaz back into the plan. He pulled himself up and aligned his heavy blaster onto one of the two sky skiffs. Its pilot had a difficult time readjusting the nimble vehicle's altitude and left its underside open for a volley of well-timed shots.

Two struck the skiff in its tail, flipping the pilot off after an explosion launched the nose upward. The shuttle made a hard bank to the left and Kaz was tossed to the ground. His new weapon tumbled out of the open door.

Vrina was desperate to maintain upright while struggling with the limp weight of Wegil. He shouted to the bearded man and asked if he was injured.

"I'm okay," the man crawled backward and found himself back behind the same feeble amount of cover as before. Into the comlink: "Tam, what happened?"

"They're called buildings, Kaz. Maybe you've heard of them."

He rolled his eyes but could not prevent a smirk from creeping onto his face. To Vrina: "Hey, throw me that blaster I lent you." The Mikkian's eyes widened and he patted his chest and hips before shrugging. "Are you serious?! Then, I don't know, use some kind of Force power and knock this guy out of the sky!"

The skiff had managed to catch up to their shuttle but missed each shot as Tam gently bobbed the ship from side-to-side.

Vrina let go of Wegil long enough to rub either eye with his palms. "I don't know what you're talking about! I don't even know where we're going!"

"Well, buddy, as of right now, we're all on the same page." Kaz's eyes searched the small cargo bay for some kind of answer.

Adjusting himself and the unconscious body, he shouted, "Why did you set off a detonator in Wegil's club?" The Mikkian raised his voice and repeated his question after a moment of silence from the Human who appeared to be lost in thought.

Kaz looked up to Vrina and grinned. "Quick, turn on that grav-lift and shove it my way. Tam," he spoke into the comlink. "Nose up and route everything you've got to engines. Seal the hatch in sixty. Does this thing have a charged hyperdrive?"

"Surprisingly."

As soon as the Mikkian stood, the shuttle began to pivot and he nearly lost his footing. A stray bolt from the skiff struck the interior of the bay and a shower of sparks washed over both Vrina and Wegil—though, the latter of the two did not seem to mind much. Completing his task with only minor difficulty, a waist-high crate rolled toward Kaz after a dainty push. The Human drew another sticky detonator from his belt. "It's too slow!" Another blast hit the underside of the shuttle and an alarm began to blare.

Wegil slid down the bay floor while peacefully snoring. Holding onto a wall panel, Vrina could not extend his arm far enough to fetch him.

"Actually, that's perfect." Kaz set the detonator on a ten-second timer. Just as the Zabrak's body struck the crate, the Human attached the explosive and helped guide the heavy package out with one final exertion. In another movement, he crouched and whipped the body back inside just as the bay door began to seal.

Looking down and through the open cargo bay door, Vrina watched the crate skid off of the ramp and arc into the path of the skiff. The pilot was quick to pull right, but the compact explosion caused a nebulae of glittering debris to strike both him and his vehicle. The door sealed seconds later.

Kaz let go of the Zabrak and turned on his comlink. "How long before we find a route?"

"Routing power to stabilizers in thirty, will be free to jump in three minutes."

"No more friends?"

"Just the ones you brought on board. Hope they're worth it, Kaz. I saw what you did with our credits."

He chuckled and relaxed with his back against the bay door. "They were fake, anyway."

"Yeah," Tam's voice lilted. "But we could have done a lot of damage with thousands of fake credits."

From Kaz's point of view, the Mikkian held onto the panel for dear life. To his right, a groan from Wegil. "Hey," he greeted the disoriented Zabrak with a salute. "How was your nap?"

"M-my… What?" He blinked thrice and frowned. His gravelly voice dragged against their ears. "What's the clown doing up there?"

Vrina cleared his throat, his typically blush-hued skin became red with effort.

Both the Mikkian and Zabrak were ushered to the passenger hold and were instructed to find a seat from either row that lined each wall of the shuttle. The air was polluted with smoke that carried with it a scent of charred plastic.

With crossed arms, Kaz watched the two sit opposite each other. "You two really aren't friends, huh?"

Wegil clicked his tongue. "I barely know this fool, now I'm swept up in some anti-species terrorist attack. Some kind of protest, kidnapping."

"That's not quite what's going on here," the bearded man attempted to calm the Zabrak's nerves. He remained at a distance, choosing to hover in the central corridor that led to the cockpit. Vrina could make out a shorter figure operating the pilot system. Kaz looked to Wegil and offered a weak smile. "I'd like to start by saying, I'm sorry that I, erm, knocked you unconscious."

"Alright. So it was you, then."

"Nobody was supposed to get hurt. Well, maybe one or two specific people. You, uh, the one with the head wrap."

The Mikkian blinked and touched the side of his head. "Vrina Hon."

Kaz nodded once. "Okay, Vrina Hon. I'd like to ask about your involvement with the eff-ess-ess." He watched the Mikkian's expression wilt into confusion. "You hid a lot of truths in your, I guess, comedy set. You knew that Gil's Gab was a meeting ground for several high-ranking members."

"I… Didn't."

"You—wait, what?" The Human's confidence diminished. He turned to the pilot and she shook her head, eyes still on the control panel.

Wegil lifted himself from the seat and approached Kaz with weighted steps. "Hey, now. That's an unfounded claim. Who are you to blow up my club and whisk me away into hyperspace?" The two were face-to-face, though the bearded man had no fear in his eyes as he stared down the irate Zabrak.

"We are agents of the New Republic, commissioned by Senator Hamato Xiono to piece together nuggets of intelligence regarding the networking and goal of the eff-ess-ess."

The Zabrak exhaled through a wide grin. "Your faith in yet another totalitarian regime stuns me." He turned and seated himself, this time much closer. "A flag can mean many things, agent, but it comes down to those who uphold its original intention."

"And we do."

"Republic, Empire. Good, evil. These words are ultimately meaningless."

Kaz furrowed his brow and straightened his posture. "What is the Federation of Six Systems, then?"

"It doesn't have a flag, I'll tell you that much." Wegil maintained a wild grin. "And it's name is subject to change. Our friend here, the joker—he was right on the money."

Vrina blinked. "You mean… About the name?"

"Six systems, sixteen systems. When news spreads, the name will, too."

The Human cautiously approached the Zabrak but kept several feet away. At that moment, he was glad to be unarmed. "You're giving away a lot of information."

"Just what I know."

Tam called back to her companion, her voice straining to compensate for the distance. "Breaking into neutral territory. We're going to need to find a place to hide out while Are-Nine and I change the shuttle's signature."

"Copy that." Kaz crossed his arms and pouted. He scanned Wegil's expression for a long moment before being interrupted by Vrina raising his hand. "Erm, yeah?"

"I know you already said we'd be back in time for breakfast, but I'm going to need confirmation on that." His shoulders shrunk. "I have a tooka to feed."

Wegil shuddered. "Disgusting things."

The Mikkian frowned and leaned forward with both hands on his thighs. "I happen to like mine and don't want it to starve."

A chain of electronic squelches sounded from the pilot's den. Tam removed herself from the cockpit and stood by Kaz with stiff eyebrows. "Who exactly are these guys and why did we waste our entire day and all of our resources to bring them on board?"

Kaz gestured to The Mikkian and introduced him with a bright disposition. "This is Vrina Hon, a comedian and Jedi."

Equally astounded, both Tam and Wegil repeated, "Jedi?" The Zabrak continued, humored. "Since when?"

Vrina wagged his hands and scrunched his shoulders. Through a grimace, "I'm not—sir, I'm going to need you to stop telling people that I'm a…"

"Got it," the bearded man winked. "You're undercover as a stand-up comedian and it's all super secret. Makes sense why your jokes were so bad." Both he and Wegil shared in laughter. Tam made her way to stand in front of the blushing Mikkian.

"I don't think he's lying." She craned her neck to take in his outfit. "No laser sword. Nothing useful utilitywise. Kind of run down shoes." The pilot turned her attention to the Zabrak. "And what about him?"

Wegil stood up from his seat and cleared his throat. "I'll introduce myself. I'm—" His voice trickled away at the sight of Tam's blaster. The line of sight was secured to his chest.

"I didn't ask you."

"Yup, that's fair." The Zabrak seated himself and held both hands next to either ear.

Her eyebrow cocked. "Well, Kaz?"

"Yeah," the bearded man stroked his chin and took in a sharp breath. "He's the owner of the same club that's been welcoming captains of the eff-ess-ess. He seems to know quite a lot about their affairs. All in all, maybe the mission was more of a success than we expected?"

Tam sucked on her teeth and mulled over the stream of potentials. "You seem pretty intelligent," she nodded to Wegil. He shrugged one shoulder. "Why are you wasting your time running a comedy club?"

"You have to be intelligent in order to know how to profit off of others while refusing to be profited off of yourself."

"Solid logic. And you've chosen the side of the Federation because they are a better option than that of the New Republic, or retrospectively, that of the Empire?"

"An individual alone can not choose to join the eff-ess-ess, though one can agree ideologically. The Federation makes an offer to the lower levels of planetary government, specifically federal and local. If the offer is pleasant, they are then hired to install the Federation's circuitry onto the entirety of the planet—not just measly occupations scattered about towns or cities."

"And you've decided to give us this information for free?"

Wegil leaned back in his chair. For the first time since waking up, he appeared to be completely relaxed. "What other ways are there to prepare you for the inevitable paradigm shift of shared galactic ideals? Brute force? Vrina," he swung his gaze to the Mikkian. "How many were killed while I was unconscious?"

He forced a hard swallow and looked to the Human with glossy eyes. The man's face hardened. After a quiet exhale, Vrina responded: "Just one." The lie scalded the inside of his ribcage.

"Just one?" The Zabrak bounced a loose nod. "And do you believe it was justified?"

Immediately, "Yes. Of course."

"Of course the death was justified," Wegil teased. "Of course murder was necessary." He turned his focus to Tam. "Now, I've only known you for a handful of minutes, but I know you wouldn't lie to me. Even with your blaster pointed at my heart, you'd at least grant me the courtesy of honesty. How many died—from the detonation, from your desperate escape?"

Her eyes flashed and her trigger finger shuddered. "One." Then, through her teeth, "It's about to be two."

"You agents truly are an extension of the New Republic. Go on, then. Eviscerate me."

A smirk creaked onto Tam's face, but she was mindful of her tone. "Why would we do that?" The blaster dropped to her side and found its way back into its holster. "We'll be more than happy to drop you off at the nearest waystation. I'm sure there are other shuttles who wouldn't mind making the trip to Coruscant."

Vrina stretched his arm upward once again, but did not wait to be called on. "My tooka," he shook his head. "What about my tooka?"

Kaz frowned. "I thought Jedi were discouraged from having attachments. I guess that doesn't extend to pets—"

The Zabrak scoffed. "Why do you keep insisting this one is a Jedi? The myths of the temple on Coruscant are false. It's no more than a glorified museum."

"Maybe," he crossed his arms. "But why would a museum need cycle-long protection?"

A small voice peeped from the Mikkian's throat: "I just want to go home."

After a click of the tongue, Tam shook her head. "No can do, not for hours. Are-Nine," she called back to the cockpit and craned her head. "Anywhere we can dock?"

Three distanced chirps were ostensibly translated by everyone except Vrina. Tam and Kaz glanced at each other with exhaustion painting their faces while Wegil shook his head. "What?" The comedian who was very much not fluent in droidspeak scanned the room. "What did it say?"

"I'm bringing it in," Tam elbowed Kaz as she passed him. He nodded and resolved to take a seat on the row opposite from the Zabrak. The pilot sustained a playful conversation with the astromech droid hidden somewhere in the pilot's den.

Wegil pressed his gaze on to the Human until he was forced to make eye contact. "I'd rather you just eject me now." Vrina furrowed his brow and shifted in his seat; frustration wound its way up his limbs and into his throat. Recognizing his body language, Kaz ignored the horned man's prod and turned to the comedian.

He proceeded to explain that their shuttle was to dock at a droid-operated refueling station called TIL-03. "A once-asteroid-turned-moon of the planet Kerrond. It's… It's perhaps not the most joyful place to land, but the droids are efficient to say the least."

Vrina straightened his spine and huffed. "I've never heard of any of these places." His peripheral caught a glimpse of the pilot's den. A massive, water-laden planet filled the window. The shuttle twisted its pathing left and carefully locked onto one of many empty landing pads. "Not a lot of business?"

"No need to pay droid employees, right?" Kaz scratched the tip of his nose and relaxed into his seat. "It can be as busy or as quiet as possible. Doesn't make much of a difference."

The Zabrak rolled his eyes and leaned forward with a sniff. "I never had droids in my club. I'm glad to have nourished the economy for organics. What?" He hissed at the two men who stared him down. "I'm not evil or anything. They are slaves, after all."

Vrina stretched either leg and began to massive his knees. The right side of his leg throbbed in a dull ache, a large, hidden bruise spread from his right thigh and past his ribs. "Can I stay on the ship?" With hope in the Mikkian's heart, he looked to Kaz who stolidly shook his head. "Ah. Dosh."