🐺 ~PROJECT SAC-1~ ⚔️

Chapter 42 - New Developments 👀

- Used a shampoo prank on Crosshair so he temporarily had this same coloration, which completely backfired because he infuriatingly flaunted the new do instead of cursing her out as expected, his genius form of payback.

- Researched and experimented with modifications for her helmet.

- Finished an entire six-season holodrama with Wrecker.

- Dabbled in carving a wooden accessory to attach to a nexu tooth for a sweet new necklace pendant.

- Treated her nexu battle wounds.

- Gambled way too much at sabacc and dejarik.

- Brushed off the cobwebs on her Ryl (Twi'leki) that Nik and Sky had been teaching to Talla, who's brave buddy also venturing into this new language territory being Wrecker. He was doing quite well since his motivation was to learn more about his girlfriend's culture! Him and Talla learned quite similarly: verbally with tons of repetition through interpersonal practice sessions with each other. And they often watched reruns of favorite holovids translated into Ryl for visual lessons too, though the Tiima's helped them sound less stiff and formal, and the soldiers were adopting the dialect from the part of Ryloth the Tiima's originated from.

Almost ten days of activities have passed... There was no call to duty that interrupted them.

It was a bit alarming for the best squadron in the GAR, but perhaps the Separatists had taken a few days off? Highly unlikely, but Wrecker had no complaints, which was as phenomenal as say, the Eye of Aldhani, because Mr. Demolitions Expert used to constantly complain about the lack of exciting explosions in between those long hours dragging on between missions.

But Hunter and Talla were beginning to understand how having an equally electrifying distraction off the battlefield took away that restlessness. And Talla managed to only nearly ruin the big secret that was their secret romantic relationship a small handful of times... A day. 😀👍🏻

She couldn't help it! Two people could only hide out in some distant part of the starship so many times before it started becoming suspicious.

And while the Agent was good at thinking up excuses on the fly when nearly caught in a compromising position-

'Hunter is helping me with my Mando'a!'

'Hunter is helping me dye my hair!'

'Hunter is getting another sword lesson!'

- it wouldn't matter how believable it was because while Hunter did help with her hair (usually someone else's job because he hated the smell of the chemicals) and Hunter did get another sword lesson (he was becoming a formidable opponent) and Hunter did help Talla brush up on her Mando'a too (quite the linguist, she discovered), when stupid Hunter found out that him speaking to Talla in that particular language with his apparently 'sexy voice' caused her to become an outright ooey gooey, goofily giggling and grinning mess, the stoic man's previously shot confidence levels SKYROCKETED. And alongside that, his cheekiness.

Sergeant Hunter had the audacity to start using it against her. It was in these moments Talla could see how him and smug Crosshair were brothers! And it didn't really matter what Hunter said, it was just the accent and his smoky tone that never failed to crumble her coolness.

After washing out the dye she asked what he thought of the color so far, and when he couldn't sputter forth a compliment 'cause he sucked at those, he tested the Mando'a Speaking Theory instead by simply going 'You just look like a drowned womp-rat, to be honest' in said language, and viola - amidst the goofy giggling she tried hiding behind her hand, she'd actually given a little pig snort that was incredibly embarrassing on her end, incredibly confidence boosting on his end.