To Heal Poignancy ■ TECH - The Bad Batch ■

Time Together

She placed the items on the counter and turned to Tech. "Can you fire up the grill for me?" He nodded before he hurried back outside. Meanwhile, Adla grabbed two bowls, one larger than the other, a cutting board, a knife, and a spoon.

While Tech was outside, Adla unwrapped the kaadu ribs from their packaging. She placed them on the cutting board and grabbed a knife. Carefully, she cut even portions of the ribs. He walked back in to see her finishing up the task. She then turned to her smallest bowl. She pulled many spices from the cabinets. She snatched quite a few from the shelves before she turned to Tech and asked if he wanted to help pour the spices into the bowl.

"What is it that we are making?"

"Smoked kaadu ribs. My favorite dish from home," Adla nostalgically smiled at the bowl. "Omega had kaadu on a stick, so I know that she at least enjoys it. I think you will, too."

Together, the two mixed spices to make the dry rub. Tech poured while Adla supervised close by to make sure he poured just the right amount. She stood close to him, but not too close where it would become suffocating.

When Tech finished, she mixed the contents in the bowl thoroughly together to make sure the spices were all evenly integrated with one another. Next, she demonstrated to Tech how to apply the dry rub onto a rib. She pinched some of the spices, and then, with her fingers, she rubbed them onto the ribs.

The two sat in quiet concentration for a while. The excitement of having Tech learn the recipe they were making thrilled her, but the excitement was slowly dying down to a contentedness due to the rhythmic process. She grinned lazily as she patted the dry rub on another rib.

When they were done, she wrapped the kaadu ribs in tinfoil and took them out to the grill.

She walked back inside to see Tech cleaning up what they already used. He turned to observe her once more.

"You have that look on again."

She stopped and scrunched her nose, tilting her head slightly to the side. "What look?"

"That look... From before, back on Corellia."

She made her way to the kitchen counter, where he was, and rested her elbows. Her chin dropped on top of her laced-together fingers.

"Would you like me to change the look?" Her chin dipped, and she now looked at him through her lashes. The smile on her face was no longer innocent but sultry and dangerous.

"What? Do you want me to stop smiling?" Adla leaned forward as her forearms dropped to the counter. Her middle finger wrapped around a lock of her hair and slowly twisted. Her voice dropped a little lower, smoother. The new angle of her body and square neckline from the t-shirt she wore displayed the top of her chest a little more noticeably. Her warm, chocolate brown eyes dropped to his lips. "Would you prefer for me to speak to you differently?" She watched in satisfaction as the heat slowly crept up Tech's neck.

"You are flirting with me," Tech directly stated.

Adla hummed, still eyeing his lips. "Right you are, Honey. You really are the smartest, huh?" She presented a teasing smile. "Or are you just noticing now?"

Tech visibly swallowed. Subconsciously, he moved a miniscule closer to her and leaned forward. His eyelids drooped. "Where did you learn to flirt like this?"

Adla couldn't help the chuckle that escaped from her throat. "When I was younger, Padme and I would watch Sola with her boyfriends. We would pick up a thing or two since we imitated her. Sola's flirting was always more classical and sultry, surprisingly. Since she was older than us, we thought it was been quite funny."