We're Different Than the Rest

Chapter 43: Setting A Date

"So. I guess you weren't lying." Faylin waited for a response. "Reno, if you don't say something soon-"

He could see a tear threatening to roll down her face.

"Your stubbornness is so cute."

"That's one word for it."

"What is a real Faylin punch, if breaking your hand wasn't?"

"Kriff. I forgot about threatening you. Sorry about that."

"Want to tell me about that hidden part of your past now?"

"So you figured that out, huh?"

"Fay, if you pay attention, you are not hard to figure out."

"Oh."

"C'mere." Reno sat on the couch and patted the spot next to him. "Before you start,"

"Yeah?"

Reno wiped a small tear off of her face. "Will you be my guest to Aayla and Bly's wedding?"

"Of course, Reno. I'm glad I don't have to punch you now."

"Right- about that story."

"When my father was in trouble on Pantora, my family was always on the move. Granted, I was young, but I picked up a few things on fighting. Then when the war started, there were a few battles that went unnoticed by the Jedi and the Republic. One of them was out here. There weren't battle droids, but there was a Separatist militia of real people. I couldn't stand actually hurting or- or killing them, so I did what I could. I fought like how I learned to on Pantora. That's about it."

Reno looked at Faylin. "No it's not. I can't relate completely, but I know that look. You lost someone close."

Faylin lifted her head off of Reno's shoulder and looked at him. "It's nothing compared to how many brothers you've lost." She brushed his comment off.

"No, it is something. Obviously they meant something to you."

Faylin rested her head on Reno's shoulder again.
"There were about two hundred of us from town who went into the fight. About one-hundred and fourty made it back here safely. Almost fifty were- killed." She paused for a minute. "Nine of us had been taken. No one knew for a few days. By the time we got to wherever they came from, only six of us were left."

"I'm so sorry, Fay."

"After-" She paused. "I don't know how many days it was, but two more people passed in the first few days. The four of us who were left got separated into pairs. I was in the cell with my best friend. He was more than that, both of us knew, but we never actually... did anything about it. His name was Rune. Kriff I miss him so much. He was Dhara's son. She never talks about him, but if you look around her house there are pictures everywhere. No one came to our cell for over a day, and then three Seppies came." Faylin paused as a few tears rolled down her face.

"You don't have to keep going." Reno offered as he wiped the tears off of her face.

"They tried to... to take me away. I hope to try and get information out of me - nothing... else. But Rune fought them. So I joined in. One of them pulled a gun on us, but a siren went off before he shot. It-" Faylin wiped another tear off of her face as she paused. "It distracted him. He was aiming at Rune's chest. He only clipped his leg, but it wouldn't stop bleeding."