Another Batcher (Hunter)

Twelve

*Talia's POV*

I clean my blaster, Crosshair nodding in approval. I sigh as I finish, stretching my back from being hunched over. "Hey," Hunter says as he enters the ship. We both turn to look at him. "Busy?" he asks, leaning against the wall of the ship. I shake my head, "we just finished."

"Good, come with me, bring your helmet." I do as he says, walking off the ship after him with my helmet propped by my side. We landed on a Republic planet to refuel and rest before our next mission, and things have been pretty relaxing so far. I follow him through the thin trees and bushes, him stopping as he reaches a grassy clearing.

I raise my eyebrow at him as I watch, confused at what we are doing. "You won't need your blaster," he states, turning to face me. "What are we doing?" I finally ask, setting my blaster by a tree. "We are teaching you hand-to-hand combat. Blasters won't always be there to help you," he states, putting his helmet on. I internally groan as I do the same.

"I'm not as strong as you," I state. His head tilts to the side, "and I'm not as strong as Wrecker, but I could still take him." I sigh, knowing I won't get out of this. "We'll start easy, your goal is to hit me." I furrow my brows, though he can't see it under my helmet. "That's it?" I question, he nods in response.

I step closer to him, him bending his knees and lifting his hands is response. I narrow my eyes as I watch him, then swing my hand out towards him. He deflects it easily, my hand practically sliding off his arm. I swing again, getting similar results. I frown in response, taking a step back as I study him. I decide to swing twice, and try to catch him off guard.

This fails horribly, and he ends up grabbing my hand, and somehow twisting me so my back is to his chest, and his arm is securely around my neck. He lets go a moment later, and I stumble away from him. "This is impossible," I complain, lifting off my helmet. "I can't see in this." He huffs in response.

"Fine, no helmets. Just don't hit your head," He jokes, a cocky grin on his face. I sigh, lifting my hands to try again. After a few terrible misses, I find myself growing annoyed. I believe Hunter can tell, because his moves are becoming more and more taunting.

I stare at him, brows furrowed as he watches me, us walking slowly in a circle. I yell out and charge him, fully planning on body slamming him. His eyes go wide but he reacts quickly, tossing me to the side like I weigh nothing. My back makes rough contact with a large tree, the air leaving my lungs. Hunters face is hovering awfully close to mine, his vibro-knife placed lightly against the fabric of my blacks.

I stare into his eyes, completely annoyed as I catch my breath. His head tilts ever so slightly to the left as he stares back, clearly holding back a satisfied grin. My heartrate picks up as his eyes bore into mine, my cheeks flushing as I realize just how close we are. He must pick up on it as well, because he quickly backs away, putting his knife away and clearing his throat. "Lets take a break," he suggests, turning to retrieve his helmet. I shake my head slightly, trying to clear my mind as I head towards my own helmet.

"We'll go again tonight," he states, leading the way back to the ship. I head inside as he heads over to Crosshair and Wrecker. I place my helmet and blaster on my bunk, walking back out to see what Echo is up to. He's propped under the ship, tinkering on something per usual. I seat myself nearby, him glancing at the noise of my approach.

"So, how'd it go?" He asks, turning back to his task. I shrug, the heat returning to my face as I think about the final moments. "It was terrible, I couldn't do anything. He said we'll try again later tonight," I state, realizing he isn't looking towards me. He hums in response, asking for me to pass him a tool. I get up and grab what he needs, handing it to him before sitting back down.

"Well, not many of us could take Hunter in hand-to-hand, so don't feel discouraged," he continues. I sigh, resting my arms on my knees, "Then why is he the one teaching me," I complain. "Because he's the best, who else would be better than that to learn from." I roll my eyes, "I guess. Still annoying," I joke.

I sit with Echo for most of my time on 'break', listening to him complain about whatever he is trying to fix, or modify, or whatever he is doing. "Oh, great," I mumble when I spot Hunter walking over. He slides out from under the ship, spotting the leader and grinning. "Don't go easy on her," Echo states, Hunter letting out a short laugh in response.

I reluctantly push myself to my feet and follow Hunter to the clearing once more. The sun is setting, shining through the trees at odd angles. He places down his helmet, noticing I forgot mine. "This time, you block me," he states, turning to face me. I stare at him dumbfounded, "you're joking." He shakes his head, encouraging me to try, promising he'll go easy.

I lift my hands, anticipating his swings. He throws a few lousy swings at me, which I manage to block fairly easily. I also start to notice that my reflexes are decently good, and blocking is much easier then swinging.

He slowly increases how hard he is trying, and I manage to keep up. I grin as I continue blocking his swings, gaining a bit of confidence. He then swings a foot at me, causing me to raise both arms to deflect it. He takes this opportunity to kick my feet out from under me, and I fall backwards. I manage to catch myself a bit, lessening the fall. I glare up at him as he stares down at me.

"What was that?" I remark. He lowers a hand to me, "I couldn't let you get too confident," he jokes. I try to hold back my smile as I take his hand and pull myself to my feet once more. The sky is much darker now as I glance around the clearing. The moon is beginning to rise, covering the planet in a soft white glow. "Ready?" He asks, staring at me as he waits.

"It's a little dark.." I trail off. He shrugs, "do you want to quit?" I watch him as he straightens himself, studying me. He places his hands on his hips, and I find my eyes trailing, taking in the little details on his armor, the scuffs and scratches earned from various missions, his gloved hands tapping lightly on his sides as he watches me. "Tiny?"

I bring my eyes back up to his, my train of thought broken. "Sorry, I got distracted," I state, fighting to keep my heartrate contained. What has gotten into me? "Do you feel alright? Your face is flushed," he asks calmly, walking towards me while removing a glove. He places the back of his hand lightly on my forehead, only fueling the fire in my face. "Just tired," I whisper, my voice failing me. He tilts his head down towards mine, creating eye contact as he removes his hand.

"We'll continue another day, lets get you to the ship." I nod, and walk beside him as we head back. We both board the ship, him turning to the cockpit while I settle into my bunk. I remove my armor as I stare at the floor, mind racing. I sigh, giving up on analyzing what's going on, blaming it on me actually being tired. I lay back on the bunk, forcing my mind to clear, and drifting to sleep.