This story features my character, Kein Rei, and Ruby, who belongs to ValarousDenivene . This is a collaborative story between the two of us, and it will span over a series of parts.
Cantonica: 3 BBY
Grasslands
Kein Rei
"Is that the best you've got?" He taunted, stalking around the clearing. Just as she'd promised, Ruby had been teaching him a few new tricks. Kein was quick to pick them up. After almost a week and a half, he felt like his skills had greatly improved. More so by his own hard work, of course, and less so by Ruby's teaching.
"I was going easy on you," Ruby shot back. She twirled her lightsaber in her hand. She only had one of the red blades activated. Kein was using two plasma blades. He'd been able to restock his weapons since the Scorpion had been retrieved.
Kein crept around her once more, then launched his new attack. He feinted left, then ducked right, but Ruby caught it. She blocked his attack and twisted around him. Kein scuffed at the ground, throwing dirt towards her face. Ruby turned away, distracted. Kein sprinted towards her and rolled over her bent back. Just as she straightened, he drove the hilts of his blades into her gut.
She coughed, the breath forced out of her. Ruby dropped to the ground and Kein flipped on top of her, pinning her legs down with his. "Sure you were," he laughed.
"I see you've been practicing that move," Ruby rasped. Kein let her up and she drew in a few deep breaths.
"It's useful," he admitted, sheathing his blades.
Ruby cocked her head curiously. "Why do you use plasma blades? I haven't met many bounty hunters who do." She clipped her lightsaber onto her belt.
"My targets sometimes carry lightsabers," he replied, gesturing towards her own. "They're not impervious to lightsaber attacks, but they hold up long enough for me to complete my mission usually."
"Oh." Kein waited for the guarded look to fill her gaze, but surprisingly, it didn't. In fact, he hadn't seen it as often as he had at first. "Come on. I'd better check your injury again and make sure you didn't hurt yourself."
"Hey, I only reopened the wound once and that was partially your fault. You shouldn't have kicked me on that side."
Ruby gave him a wry smirk. "I knew exactly what I was doing."
"I know." He followed her into the cave and sat down. Kein shrugged his shirt off and waited while she checked his side.
It looked fine to him, but he was no expert. He knew when he was dying and how to prolong his death, and that was the extent of his knowledge. Ruby's hands were gentle as she felt along the wound. It looked much better than it had originally.
"I think it's basically completely healed," she said as she stood up.
"Thanks to your miracle hands, Sweetheart," Kein teased. He threw his shirt back on and stood as well. "Although, you do know what this now means."
Ruby stiffened, her green eyes flashing with wariness. "What?"
"I don't have to hold back when we spar," Kein chuckled.
She slapped a hand against his chest. "Like you did before." Ruby crossed the cave and started digging through a crate of clothes.
"What are you doing?"
"I have another performance at the casino tonight. I've got to be ready to go soon."
"Oh. Well then, I just want you to know that you smell like a rancor that's been dead for a week."
Ruby grimaced and made a face at him. "In that case, I'll just use the shower on your ship. I can trust you not to capture me while I do so?"
"The idea is tempting, but yes, you can trust me not to."
Ruby rolled her eyes and shouldered her new set of clothes. She left the cave shortly. Kein sprawled out on his blankets and sighed, crossing his hands over his chest. I need to come up with a plan, he thought. Vader will have my head if I mess this up, but I don't know if I can stomach turning her over to him. Not now, anyway.
He would've been able to a week and a half ago, but things had changed since then. She was no longer just a name and a target. She had cared for him, in a way, when he had made it clear that he was her enemy. Despite himself, he'd come to know Ruby as...an ally.
And maybe something more, he added inwardly. Kein hadn't let himself process the new feeling of shyness he'd developed whenever she was close. He masked it with the arrogant bravado that he knew drove her mad. Still, butterflies filled his stomach whenever she touched him. It had been very difficult not to blush when she'd inspected his injury earlier. Kein shook his head. "This is so unlike me," he groaned. "I've been watching Ania and Ezra too much."
Ruby returned after a while. He couldn't tell what her outfit looked like, seeing as she was wearing one of his jackets. Ruby gave him a sly smirk, noticing his stare. "I figured I'd make sure you smell like a week dead rancor as well."
"Thanks for that."
"If you're coming with me, you should go get ready."
Kein pushed himself to his feet and headed out to the Scorpion. He grabbed one of his more decent outfits and cleaned up a bit in a short shower. When he returned, Ruby had the speeder ready to go. He climbed on behind her and they took off towards Canto Bight once more.
Cantonica: 3 BBY
Canto Bight
Kein Rei
The casino was just as busy as when he'd first arrived. Each guest was dressed more richly than the last. Several had brought along servant droids, rather than their humanoid help. The gambling tables were full and music filled the many rooms.
"I'm heading backstage," Ruby said. "I'll come find you when I'm done."
Kein nodded as she walked off. He grinned to himself, eyeing everything that the casino had to offer. It had been a long time since he'd had a night off to do what he wanted. He kept his senses alert but accepted a drink when a serving droid brought one past.
Kein headed over to one of the gambling tables and sat down. They were playing Corellian Spike once again. He watched, for once, trying to piece together how this certain game of sabacc was played.
"Well, look who we have here!" Someone slung an arm around Kein's shoulders. He grimaced, recognizing the man. "So, you're back to watch Ruby play some more, aye?"
Kein rolled his eyes and removed the man's arm. "What's it to you?"
"Oh, it's nothing. Just surprising to see your type here more than once. Say, I never did catch your name the other night."
"I never threw it," he scoffed.
The man snorted out a laugh and slapped his knee. "You're a funny guy. I go by Scout."
"Scout?"
"Yep. Are you going to play?" Scout gestured to the gambling table. They were nearing the end of their round.
Kein shook his head. "I've never been one for Corellian Spike."
"You mean you can't play? It's easy. I'll show you how."
"You'll cheat me out of everything I've got, too."
"No," Scout lowered his voice to a mischievous whisper. "We'll cheat them." He pulled up his jacket sleeve, revealing a sylop card. "You supply the credits; I'll supply the victory."
Kein relented with a sigh. "You're on, old man. You'd better not mess this up, though, and don't even think about cheating me out of whatever we win."
Scout raised his hands defensively. "I wouldn't dream of it."
The game ended, finally, and the new players took their seats. Kein stood behind Scout, waiting. He placed some credits on the table and the game began. He still had no idea what was going on, but Scout clearly did. The old man was adding to their pile with each turn.
One by one, players were kicked from the game. Scout stayed in and their pile of winnings kept growing. Kein found himself half impressed. Finally, there were only two players left. Kein watched Scout's every move as he carefully played his hand. His opponent spread his cards on the table with a victorious grin. Scout gave him a lazy smile and revealed his own cards, the sylop in plain view. The other man's face fell. Scout began to collect the rest of their winnings.
Kein turned, hearing applause. Ruby appeared on stage, with her strange instrument slung over her shoulders. She was still wearing his jacket. She pulled it off shortly and began to play. Kein's mouth dropped open before he could catch himself.
She was absolutely stunning. She was wearing a short black dress with silver accents. A sparkling sheer black fabric draped past her knees in the back of the outfit. It was attached to her dress by a belt. She still wore her normal headpiece. Ruby's gaze searched the crowd and landed on him eventually. Kein closed his mouth, his face flushing.
"Hey, Boy, here." Scout's voice pulled his attention back. Scout was holding out a sack, filled with part of their winnings.
Kein shook his head and pushed it back towards him. "Keep it."
"But you said..."
"I changed my mind."
Scout gave him a wary look. "You aren't going to come kill me later, are you?"
"No." Kein shook his head with a smirk.
"All right then. Suit yourself." Kein turned his gaze back to Ruby. Scout chuckled. "So you did have good luck, then?"
"What?" Kein arched an eyebrow.
"I'm guessing you had luck with her," Scout clarified. "Fancy that. See you around, Boy." He slung the bag over his shoulders and started off.
Kein moved away from the gambling tables and waited while Ruby played a few more songs. When she finished, he approached the backstage entrance. She appeared, finally, with his jacket and her instrument in hand.
"How did I do?" She asked, setting them aside.
"You did great, but I'm sure your fans already told you that."
"They're biased and I wanted an honest opinion," she laughed. "I'll believe it from you this time, seeing as you didn't smirk when you said it."
"You did great, Sweetheart," Kein said again, this time with a smirk.
"Must you always ruin things?" Ruby groaned. She swiped a drink from a serving droid.
Kein listened to the song that the new band was playing. It was more of a classical piece, better suited to the high class patrons that filled the casino tonight. He spotted a few out dancing and an idea began to form in his mind.
"Hey," he turned to Ruby, "do you dance?"
She raised an eyebrow and took a sip of her drink. "A bit, like what you saw on stage." Ruby followed his gaze over to the couples out dancing. "Nothing like that, though."
"Do you want to learn?"
"Are you offering to teach me?"
Kein smirked to himself, recalling what she'd said when he had asked a similar question. "That depends."
"On what?" She asked, catching on.
"Are you going to use my skills against me?"
"Do you mean am I going to expose the ruthless bounty hunter as a soft hearted Mon Calamari ballet dancer?" Ruby cooed sarcastically. "I'd be delighted to."
"First of all, I don't dance the Mon Calamari ballet, although I can appreciate it, especially Squid Lake. Secondly, I will tape your mouth shut before you can utter two words if you ever try to tell anyone that," Kein replied. "But seeing as how you so sweetly asked to learn..." He slid an arm around her waist and spun her towards the growing crowd of dancers. "You start like this."
He draped her arms around his neck and they began to dance. Ruby appeared a little nervous, but gradually got the hang of it. Surprisingly, she didn't step on his feet accidentally, only on purpose. Kein found it odd to be leading someone taller than him, but it was something he could work with.
He smiled as he led her into a spin, then dipped her low to the ground. Ruby laughed as he tilted her up again. It was the prettiest sound he'd ever heard and his face flushed once more. Ruby smirked as she noticed it.
"Are you flustered?" She joked. "I thought you didn't have actual feelings that could lead to that."
"Only for you, Sweetheart," Kein shot back.
"Sleemo." Still, her own face flushed and she averted her gaze for a moment. Kein led her into another spin and they continued to dance.
Cantonica: 3 BBY
Canto Bight
Ruby
After she had looked away, trying to hide her own flustered face, she didn't look back at him for a while. She didn't understand it, but this time, that little nickname had made her feel so anxious, yet warm. Something's wrong, she thought to herself. She contemplated what she was feeling. In a way, it scared her.
The longer the two of them danced, the more she began to relax. Her hands were resting at the base of his neck now, rather than clenched together, as she'd had them before. She eventually looked back at him, gazing into his eyes. Her chest tightened as she found that she couldn't look away.
"You're....surprisingly...good at this," she said rather quietly, a light blush filling her cheeks.
Kein tried to hide his surprise with a smirk. "Did you just compliment me, Sweetheart?"
She glanced away for a moment before looking back. "What if I did?" She asked, gaining some confidence. She began to gently rub the back of his neck, smiling softly.
He seemed caught off guard by her response. Usually, she would have given a snarky comment in return or just brushed it off. "Well...you're not wrong." He shrugged, looking over her shoulder. He cleared his throat, before continuing. "It's a hidden talent of sorts."
She chuckled lightly. "I'm sure the training kept you light on your feet," she teased, smiling.
He smirked, looking back to her and shaking his head. "Now you're trying to take credit?"
"Couldn't hurt," she said, still looking into his eyes. Her cheeks warmed as she felt butterflies.
The song ended and so did that particular band's session. Ruby heard the audience applaud and she shook her head lightly before taking a step back and applauding as well. She looked at the floor, clearing her throat, "I... think I'm going to grab a drink, I'll be right back..." She muttered before walking away to the bar.
Ruby exhaled deeply, not realizing she had been holding her breath. Once to the bar, she ordered some water. She rubbed her face as she tried to wrap her head around what had happened. She took a deep breath as she ran her hands over her montrals and down her lekku.
She looked at the water she ordered and grabbed it, watching the condensation drip down the sides of the glass. "What if he's still planning on handing me in?" She muttered to herself. She looked up from her glass, trying to spot Kein in the crowd. Her hands shook. "I'll just have to...talk to him about it?" She sighed, putting down the cup, before standing up and going to search for the Nautolan.
Cantonica: 3 BBY
Canto Bight
Kein Rei
He couldn't stop smiling and he didn't know why. Kein finally grimaced, his cheeks aching from holding the same expression for so long. He bit his lip, thinking. That was the most nervous I've ever seen her, he thought. And it was because of me? Stars, if she ever knew that I'm the same way...
"Hey," Ruby tapped on his shoulder, appearing behind him. "I'm ready to leave now. What about you?"
Kein shrugged. "That's fine by me. Where did you leave my jacket?"
"Over here." She led the way back across the casino. His jacket and her instrument were right where she'd left them. Ruby tossed the jacket to him and slung her instrument over her shoulders. "I forgot to grab it last time, thanks to a large distraction," she said with a laugh.
"I've been promoted then?" Ruby raised an eyebrow as they headed towards the exit. "It was Sleemo a little while ago. Now I'm a distraction?" He cocked an eyebrow and smirked.
Ruby shook her head and gave no comment. They reached the speeder and took off across the grasslands. Kein remained silent, sensing Ruby's shift in demeanor. She seemed thoughtful, but confused. Kein brushed a gentle hand over her back lekku. She glanced back and he gave her a small smile.
They reached the cave momentarily. Ruby parked the speeder and they jumped off. She grabbed her regular clothes and left once more. Kein changed out of his nice clothes while she was gone. Finally, she returned.
"There's something we have to talk about," she said, squaring her shoulders.
"What's that, Sweetheart?" Kein drawled. He laid back on his blankets and crossed his arms beneath his head.
"I think you know."
"Oh, that." He sat up again. "I suppose you're right. Well, go ahead and ask."
Ruby hesitated for a split second. "Are you planning on turning me in?"
Kein thought for a moment, then stood and joined her. He crossed his arms and met her gaze. "Previously, I would have. You were no one, just another target. I was your enemy, and yet, you helped me." He laughed to himself, a bit. "I suppose I've gone soft."
Ruby still appeared somewhat confused. "So...you're not turning me in?"
"Knowing what they'd do to you? No." Kein shook his head, lowering his gaze. He released a heavy breath, preparing himself. "I don't know what's changed, but something has. I can't describe it. I've never felt this way before. I know it hasn't been long but..."
He fell silent, unable to find the right words. Ruby waited, then let out a nervous laugh. "Don't tell me you've finally decided to shut up."
"Never, Sweetheart." He flashed her a grin. "It's just that you have this effect on me where I lose all sensibility. I don't know what to say, I can't decide what to feel, so on and so forth. I'm only certain that annoying you is fun."
Ruby rolled her eyes. "Ha, ha. Very funny."
"Ruby." Her eyes widened. He hadn't actually said her name before. It was strange for him too. "I'm not turning you in." Kein hesitantly took one of her hands into his own. "I'm not," he repeated. He met her brilliant green gaze, resolution burned into his mind. "But I am going to do this." She didn't pull away when he leaned in and gently pressed his lips against hers.
Ruby looked just as rattled as he felt when they stepped apart, at last. They were silent for a moment, before Ruby spoke. "Is this how you treat all of your targets?"
Kein laughed and shook his head. "Only you, Sweetheart. Only you."