Crimson Eyes ~ Sequel to: The Valkyrie, An Obi-Wan Story (completed)

Chapter 31: Rising heat

"We have to talk."

"Yes, yes we do."

A silence followed, as if he hadn't expected me to agree so soon. I heard his footsteps coming closer cautiously, probably overthinking every move he made. My eyes stayed clued on the stars, knowing that if I turned around and faced him my mind would drift to other things that I had no luxury thinking of at that moment.

"So, what shall we start with?" I couldn't bear the pressing silence. There was no doubt on my mind that he had been trying to find the right words, the right thing to begin with without the threat of me exploding. While I, I had been thinking if I could tell him about Maul. If I should.

"I don't think I get your meaning."

"Well, there's the attack that your colleagues most definitely want you to talk about." Turning around, I glanced at his figure standing in the midst of the room as my arms wrapped before me. He was huddled in his brown cloak, wearing those light brown tunics underneath. Dammit, why does he look so soft?

"I don't think you're interested in the months I've spend here doctoring away while you were out there playing hero, so that's not an option. Somehow I get the feeling you definitely don't want to talk about us, either. What does happen to be a necessary subject is the fact that I've just broken your nose, and with good reason."

"Mmh." Obi Wan scoffed as a small smirk started to appear and his hand went to stroke his beard in thought, but his eyes remained without humor. "Let's start with the attack, so we don't throttle each other before we get to the more pressing matters."

"Pff." I waved my hand at him as I made my way towards the cabinet filled with liquor. Numerous bottles lined the shelves, some unopened and some still half full. There were empty bottles littered around the dorm too, ones I hadn't bothered to throw away. I spent so little time here, anyway. At least time when I was sober.

"What do you want to know?" I spoke as my eyes landed on an unopened bottle of whiskey stuffed away in the back of the cabinet, saved as a last resort during the worst moments. I guess this is as good a time as any. I opened the glass door, reaching for the bottle and sniffing on the cork before opening it. The stench that followed had me huffing before I heard his voice fill the room.

"Who were they?"

Your long lost nemesis. Thinking, I closed the door and studied his reflection in the glass. There was no sign in his eyes that he already knew, that he knew that his worst nightmare had almost repeated itself. That he, in failing to kill him before, had allowed Maul to return and grow stronger in the meantime. Did I want to lay that on him? Did I want him to become even more afraid, while he'd already locked me up in here? While he'd already locked the granite doors to his heart, too?

Before I knew it he'd stuff me somewhere even deeper in the middle of nowhere, locked away from any kind of civilization where there was no possibility of Maul finding me. Where even he would never venture. "Pirates." A deep sigh escaped my lips as I filled the glass, way more than I was supposed to. Oh, you horrible, horrible person.

"Pirates?" In the reflection of the class I saw him crossing his arms and his frown deepening, those eyes studying me. "Attacking a medical station?"

Somehow, I had missed that sass. "You want one?" I held another glass up for him and glanced backwards, just a second, to see him shaking his head warily. At least it gave me the time to think about what I was going to say that didn't sound like I was hiding something. Because I knew him, and I knew he'd notice the second I was lying to him. Maybe giving him half-truths would be enough to occupy his mind.