The six of them followed Cass' lead into the city, and approached an endless wide lane of small storefronts and bars with market stands lining the walls.
Cass and Tech led the group with their hands melded together. Cass argued that they should remain hand-in-hand for warmth, and though Tech knew her hands were no longer numb and it was most likely a simple ploy, he complied and continued resting his palm against hers.
Omega perched happily upon Wrecker's shoulders, ooh-ing and ah-ing at anything she could spot. Hunter and Echo trailed behind conversing about their next move after this visit, but would occasionally get a hush from Omega telling them that everyone is on a break from missions that day. After the third reprimand from the child, the men gave up and finally decided to enjoy the peace of the quiet market.
Omega's eyes caught sight of something tiny and luminescent and as deep blue as the oceans of Kamino on one of the stands.
"Ooh! What's that?" Omega squealed and turned Wrecker towards the left, pulling on his ears and steering him like a bridled orbak.
Tech lowered his visor with his free hand and quickly scanned the blue gem she was pointing at. He waited for the information to appear on his screen, then relayed the text.
"It's an Azurite stone naturally found on Bandomeer, and is mainly used for ornamentation," he stated—and just as he was about to raise his visor, she spoke again.
"And what about that, Tech? I've never seen a droid like that," Omega patted the top of Tech's head and stuck out a finger towards the far corner of a small-scaled mechanic workshop.
"It's a DUM-series pit droid," Tech answered stately. "They're designed for maintaining pod racers-"
"A pod racer? What are those? They sound really fun!" she gasped—interrupting Tech as he was about to spew information—but nonetheless she was too delighted in other things to catch her fault.
"A pod racer is-"
"Ooh! What are those?" she interrupted again and gestured another time just out of pure excitement.
Tech was ready to erupt facts about pod racing and Tatooine and the Boonta Eve Classic, but he felt stunted when Omega halted him mid-sentence. Cass squeezed his hand to assure him the child didn't mean to break off his rant.
"Those...are just lemons, Omega," Tech squinted up at her.
"Oh, right," Omega shrugged sheepishly and tapped her thumbs against Wrecker's head.
Hunter and Echo chortled behind her, cooly observing the child and her wide eyed stares at anything and everything that moved or sparkled.
"Go that way, Wrecker," she directed and swerved the clone towards the next stand which happened to be covered with an assortment of flowers. "I like those ones."
Tech gazed over and scanned with his visor where Omega's eyes has landed—on the smaller bundle of pink flowers that were just beginning to bud. "Those appears to be a uneti blossoms."
The petite merchant woman who owned the flowers nodded at his statement, confirming that he was correct.
"The Great Tree at the Jedi Temple was an uneti tree," Cass added wistfully and smiled to herself, remembering the times she and her master would meditate underneath it.
"They're so pretty," Omega hummed.
The merchant woman waved at Omega, and Omega sweetly responded with a smile. The woman flagged down Wrecker with a gesture of her palms, then plucked two flowers from the bundle. When the woman motioned to the child, Wrecker kneeled down so Omega could meet the woman face-to-face.
Omega observed the wrinkles of time on the woman's face and hands, the same hands that brushed the snow from Omega's hair and placed one blossom behind her ear.
"Thank you," Omega peeped and ran a gentle finger over one of the rosy petals.
The woman then patted Wrecker's shoulder, signaling him to stand up, but as he hoisted himself back onto his feet the woman tucked the second flower behind his own ear.
Wrecker blushed profusely and nodded towards the woman, babbling a quick thanks before standing up straight again.
The woman only bowed silently in response, happy to treat those visiting her planet with love and peace. As Wrecker and Omega left the stand, the rest of the group gratefully nodded to the older woman and gave thanks for showing them such kindness.
Cass then noticed a glint of something shiny out of the corner of her eye, and stuttered in her tracks. Tech's hand yanked against hers, and he looked back to follow her gaze. She wandered towards a stand with Tech right beside her, and met a Mirialan mother and daughter polishing jewelry at the stand.
Cass looked down at the red velvety table cover laced with sprinkles of snow, then perked a corner of her lips as she more closely inspected the necklace that caught her attention. She delicately ran her finger over the golden plating of the round pendant, and Tech watched intently to try and find the correlation between the two.
"That one would look very beautiful on you," the green-skinned teenager dreamily encouraged and leaned over the table to rest on her elbows.
Tech mentally agreed and looked at nothing except Cass' face. Her lips were perked and her eyes were shining, glazed over just as though she were recalling fond memories. Tech's own smile grew inadvertently and he sighed dreamily.
"How much is it?" Cass inquired and sanguinely glanced up at the familial pair behind the cart.
"Ninety-five credits," the mother answered and held up the pendant to display it in the light. "It's pure mythra."
Cass deflated at the words she didn't wish to hear. She knew she shouldn't have gotten her hopes up so fast—for she wasn't surprised at the price...it was pure mythra after all—but she couldn't help herself.
She nodded and her eyes dropped, fully aware that the group had a measly amount of barely half of that. She thanked the pair politely and leaned away, then pressed her free hand against Tech's forearm to draw him back towards the group.
Tech bit the inside of his bottom lip, a faint grimace replaced the grin he once wore. She deserved every good thing the galaxy had to offer and it pained his heart not to fulfill that.
"Why were you so taken with that medallion?" Tech asked and focused intently on the micro expressions he was so desperate to master.
"I had one just like it," Cass explained and leaned into his body as she silently searched for consolation. "Except mine had the Kuat sun engraved instead."
"Had? Where is this necklace now?" he asked curiously, noticing the empty skin around her collarbones where said necklace would have laid.
"In the hands of some Neimoidian I'm sure," Cass exhaled and reactively drew her hand over her chest, still unfamiliar with the feeling of it's absence. "Perhaps at the bottom of some ocean or...melted down for credits, I dunno."
"Oh," Tech pursed his lips in realization. "I'm sorry they took it from you."
Tech reassuringly squeezed her hand and she lazily grinned into his touch just as he had hoped.
"May I ask what was so special about it?" Tech's eyes never left her face as the pair slowly continued strolling down the wide aisle, pacing a bit farther behind the group now.
"It was on me when they took me to the temple. I think it was from my parents...but I can't be sure," she murmured thoughtfully. "I wasn't supposed to keep it but I always left it tucked into my tunic until, well...you know."
"I see," Tech nodded. "And the Kuat sun? Is that of any significance?"
"It's the main star of the Kuat system, where my home planet is," Cass explained while she blinked away the frost that landed on her lashes from looking up at Tech. "I was born on Gatalenta."
"Gatalenta? I'm not knowledgeable about that planet," Tech admitted.
"Neither am I...I don't really wanna be anyways. I've never visited either," Cass shrugged and bit the inside of her cheek. "I think it would be too hard to go now."
"I understand," he stated curtly.
He didn't understand. For as curious as she was, he couldn't fathom why she wouldn't want to find out more about her origins. If the facts of his own creation were unknown, he would probably research endlessly day and night for answers.
But if there were emotional ramifications he couldn't fully interpret, he was sure to recognize her feelings anyways.
She hummed gratefully with a content grin covering her face, then rhythmically tapped her thumb against his arm as she thought.
"Do you miss Kamino?" she peered over inquisitively.
Tech pondered a moment then glanced at his siblings up ahead. "Not particularly."
Cass furrowed her brows and followed his eye line towards the group. "And why is that?"
"We were created there but I don't recall too many positive memories outside the boundaries of our shared room," Tech answered.
Cass nodded slowly. His comment only increased her desire to learn more about him, but perhaps Kamino was more of a sore subject than she realized, even for someone slightly aloof like Tech.
"Is there anything you miss?" Cass gently persisted, lifting her voice an octave to lighten the tone.
Tech's immediate answer was Crosshair.
The sniper wasn't exclusive to Kamino, but when Tech's thoughts raced back to that dimly lit room surrounded by the loud pattering of rain, all he could think of was his estranged brother.
Every time they would arrive back on Kamino, Tech would suggest modifications to Crosshair's rifle, or Crosshair would ask Tech what new project he was working on. He missed the comfortable silence between the pair, as they were often the last two still awake after the rest went to bed. Tech missed the way Crosshair always listened to his rambles (even if Crosshair wasn't truly listening). He had that conversational quality with Cass now but... nothing could ever truly replace a brother.
Cass sensed a bit of a shift in his energy, though Tech's expression didn't elude to anything concerning.
"The rain...I suppose," Tech replied, his voice a bit quieter and hesitant than before.
Cass didn't push any more, but only squeezed his upper arm and traced circles on the fabric of his blacks that poked out between his armor.
"Hm," Cass pursed her lips and nodded knowingly. "Well I'm sure everyone misses the rain too."
Tech gulped and glanced at Cass to see if she was indeed insinuating what he thought, but by that time, they were caught up with the group and she was already calling out to his siblings.
"What do you wanna do now Omega?" Cass peered up at the child as she and Tech released their hands and approached the huddled bunch.
"I wanna go in the bar!" she cheered.
"You want to? Or your brothers?" Cass shifted her weight to her other hip and squinted at the group.
Echo raised his hands innocently. "I mean if the kid wants to get a couple drinks, I'm not gonna object-"
"She's ten," Cass deadpanned and gestured at the child with a flippant hand.
"Omega, do you wanna go in the bar with us or stay out here with Cassi?" The largest clone pulled Omega off her perch and rested her in the glistening snow.
"Wrecker-" Cass whined.
"I wanna go in the bar!" Omega raised her fists in the air, then winced in the Jedi's direction. "Sorry Cassi."
Cass palmed her face and threw her hands up. "It's fine...just no drinks for you," Cass teased then ruffled Omega's hair as they wandered into the bar.
"Come on shiny, let's get you some bantha chai," Echo grinned and rested an hand on Omega's back.
"That sounds delicious, but," she leaned over and cupped a hand near her mouth, "there's no alcohol right?"
Echo chuckled and shook his head as they entered the brightly lit bar. Everything was pristine and white from floor to ceiling, no dirt or broken bottles or drunken patrons lying around. The interior closely resembled the snowfall outside, which prompted some relief from the group as they rounded up at a table in the corner.
Tech slid into the booth, followed by Cass and Omega. The other three mirrored them on the opposite side of the table.
"I'll get everyone drinks, this round is on me!" Wrecker elated.
"You don't have the credits, I do," Hunter chuckled lowly and peered up at his brother.
"This round is on Hunter!" Wrecker corrected and held out his hands for the sergeant to relay the money.
Wrecker held the credits close to his chest and dashed towards the Lutrillian behind the rounded bar counter. The bartender filled five short glasses with ice and clear liquid, then added a mug of dark tea for Omega.
He made a few trips back and forth to set all the cups down, then finally rested in the white leather booth. Wrecker took a big gulp of the alcohol while Echo and Hunter only sipped.
Tech raised his glass to his lips but stopped short when Cass didn't take her drink.
"Is...everything alright?" he leaned over and set his glass down.
"Yeah, yeah, I just...I've never had alcohol before," Cass admitted and Wrecker just about spewed the liquid from his mouth.
"What? How?" Wrecker muttered incredulously.
"It wasn't really forbidden per say, but drinking alcohol as a Jedi was kinda frowned upon, so I've never tried it," Cass explained and tapped her fingers against the glass.
"Well here's your chance!" Wrecker guffawed and took another swig.
"But you might not wanna have this as your first drink, it's pretty strong-" Hunter tried to point out, but Cass already had the drink to her lips.
It barely reached her tongue before she spit it out and contorted her face wildly. "Oh Maker! What is this stuff? Engine fuel?" Cass exhaled forcefully, pushing the cup away from her nose and fanning the air in front of her face.
Hunter sipped from the drink and clicked his tongue. "It's tihaar, some of the strongest stuff there is."
"It's triple distilled for a high alcohol content and robust taste," Tech raised a finger and gestured towards his own cup. "This batch is distilled in varos, but it can be made from almost any fruit."
"Just because you can doesn't mean you should," Cass winced and scrunched her nose, rubbing her tongue against the roof of her mouth to chip away at the alcohol coating.
"Oh come on, Cassi," Wrecker grumbled.
"Yeah, no thanks," she pursed her lips and leaned back. "I'd prefer to keep my internal organs intact."
"More for me then!" Wrecker leaned over the table and yanked her cup, then poured the contents over the ice of his own drink.
"You can have some of my tea, it will get rid of the taste," Omega cupped her warm beverage in her small hands and leaned into Cass' side. "It's really good, I think you should try it."
"That's very sweet of you," Cass brushed away Omega's bangs and transferred the cup out of the child's hands.
She took a short sip, careful not to burn her tongue on the piping tea, then hummed contently as the flavor dissipated the repulsive taste of the tihaar and the warmth of the drink traveled through her body.
"That is very good, thank you for sharing," Cass set the cup down on the table and carefully pushed it back in front of Omega.
Omega saw the appreciative smile on Cass' face and her heart soared.
"You're welcome, you can have as much as you want," Omega chirped.
"That's very sweet but this is your special day. Drink as much tea as you want," Cass grazed a hand over Omega, absentmindedly rubbing lines down her back, then trailing up and gently raking her fingers at the nape of her neck.
Omega nodded understandably. The hairs on her skin raised from the physical affection and she couldn't help but purr and mold into Cass' side. All the excitement was wearing her out quicker than anticipated, and her eyes became heavier with each moment.
"She's going to sleep good tonight," Cass mumbled quietly as she peered down at the child.
"Wrecker will too if he keeps drinking at that rate," Tech smirked and looked through his brows as he took a sip.
"Hey, I can handle it!" Wrecker projected a thumb into his own chest and squinted at his brother.
Echo and Hunter exchanged amused glances, remaining silent on the matter while they enjoyed their drinks.
Wrecker tossed back his drink and crossed his arms with a heavy exhale. He grumbled to himself while Cass and Omega held back snickers.
"What do you wanna do next, huh?" Cass leaned down and whispered to the child.
Omega rubbed the tired from her eyes and sat up. "I wanna see that scary fish thing you and Tech were talking about...the one with the big teeth," she proposed.
"Ah, the krakana?" Cass nodded. "Maybe we can ask one of the locals if there's one buried in the ice nearby."
"Yes! Can we do that please?" Omega tucked her legs beneath her and grabbed a tight hold of the Jedi's arm.
"Of course, but we should wait until your brothers are done," Cass reassured. "They deserve a break too."
"Okay okay," the kid muttered to herself and rested her hands in her lap.
"I don't mind if you take her for a bit," Hunter mentioned. "I don't need to see some dead frozen fish. Anyone else?" he glanced around at the rest of the group for any takers.
"Well I for one would like to see the dead frozen fish," Tech set his glass down, leaving just a sliver of alcohol to waste at the bottom.
"I figured," Hunter smirked and leaned back to rest an arm against the booth seat.
"Don't have too much fun," Echo teased and raised his glass to them before taking another sip.
The couple rolled their eyes, and in an instant Omega bounced out of her seat and practically yanked Cass and Tech from the booth and towards the exit.
They ducked their heads as the snow picked up a bit, dropping heavy flakes into their hair and atop their clothes. Omega shivered and wrapped her arms around her body in an attempt to warm herself up.
Tech quickly took notice of the child's hunched posture and gently lifted her into his arms. He cradled her to his side and she didn't protest, instead tucking her arms between her chest and his.
It wasn't his natural instinct to procure such tenderness, but Cass' more intimate way of showing affection seemed to be rubbing off on him. And he liked the way it felt.
. . . . . .
i inadvertently made two different parks and rec references in this chapter oops
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throughout writing this story, i drew a lot from my personal life and the way i interact with my own siblings but i just realized something...i'm the oldest of five and everyone has a bad batch character that matches their personality!!
me: tech (observant, more reserved, will go off about any one subject if u ask, my nickname is literally "google" because i'll find the answer to anyone's question)
sister 1: crosshair (grumpy!!! literally gets annoyed at anything, will stab u on sight and won't think twice about it)
brother 1: hunter (level headed, mediator of literally every argument, most responsible of the group, toughie on the outside but secretly the most loving one)
brother 2: wrecker (chaos incarnate, will do anything for $1, runs off of sour gummy worms and monster energy...need i say more?)
sister 2: omega (asks so many questions, very smart for her age, independent, wants to do everything her older siblings can)
i know crosshair is 0004, but it would have been pretty cool if the birth orders lined up like ours! but anyways i thought this was a fun little observation!
cass & omega are about the same ages as me and my youngest sister so i really try to play off of that too! like the head scratchy thing cass does for omega and tech—i do that for my two youngest siblings🥺