[Kallile]

There was no doubt in her mind that there was something in Jaing—no matter how many other men looked or sounded like him—was someone she could never hope to replace in her lifetime. Maybe longer than that—into eternity. She didn’t need to dig deep into her mind to try and find a time she had felt this way; there had never been a time in her thus far short life that she had felt this pull to a single person.

Amala finished her meal shortly after Jaing—more like trying to keep up with him so she didn’t keep him waiting on her. Still trying to calm the fire burning on her cheeks though she had relaxed a little, she carefully combined all her table dressings and slid them off to the side.  She smiled at him, laughing lightly. “I don’t think you’ll have much to worry about that, unless you room with someone in the barracks.” The statement was more to solidify in her mind that she was going to be in the barrack a great deal of her time. In the back of her mind ideas were already spinning about how she could make the best of it and do some of the things she had never had time to before. "With my whole 'social butterfly' personality--I don't think you'll have much to worry about for people talking to me." She smiled and winked playfully at him.

Then she noticed Jaing was dangerously close to her face and the fires renewed themselves on her cheeks. At first Amala stared gently at him, not really sure in that moment what to do—her breath caught in her throat and every muscle froze in place.

He finally questioned her after what seemed years and Amala closed her eyes and smiled softly. She leaned back a little, giving them just a little more distance. “Well, um, I don’t know. I guess there’s no better time to pack than now. I can leave with you tonight if you think it’d be best. But I’ll need to come back in a few days to file my two weeks notice and get this house cleared out.”

She could only imagine that cover of darkness would be the best way to get her into the barracks the first time—she was sure that in a sea of military trained men, news of this type would spread among them fairly quickly rather she was seen or not. "If it will be harder to get me in and back out--then I'll stay here for a while and find a way to see you every day."

[23]

[MillietheWarrior]

Jaing seemed to consider Amala for a moment, his orange eyes studying her, before he smiled. “Nope. I have my own quarters. Part of the perks of being in charge of the base. I get to assign myself a room.” He shrugged one shoulder, and then walked over to his armor plates, to check and see if they were dry. His shoulder plates and chest plate had been dry to begin with, but his boots and thigh plates were still a bit wet. His kama, unfortunately, was still soaked near the bottom.

“You don’t have to talk to anyone, if you don’t want to. The Clones, my brothers, they’ll leave you alone if you want them to. But they’ll be curious. They might enjoy talking to you, and vice versa. And you don’t have to worry about them ratting you out; they know when and how to keep a secret. The only people you’ve got to worry about are the mongrels; the non-clone officers. But they’re few and far between nowadays.”

He picked up one of his shoulder plates and considered putting it back on. He seemed to think better of it and set it back down, before turning to Amala. “Yeah. Now would be a good time. The darkness will give us the cover we need, and not many people will be back at Barracks. It is a weekend after all, and the men don’t get much time off. So they’ll take advantage of it when they can. As for whoever is left...They won’t say a word.” He shrugged his shoulders, before coming to stand beside Amala. “What exactly are you planning to do with all this stuff?” he asked curiously. “I don't know what you want to keep...But most of this will have to be gotten rid of.”

He looked apologetic, with an almost anxious expression on his face. It would be one Amala would come to know well; the one that said he felt he’d fallen short of perfection, and had let her down. His tone of voice was suddenly the voice of a child who felt as though they had done something wrong. He seemed more upset about her losing her things than she did. “You can sell it, if you want...” he said anxiously.

[24]

[Kallile]

A smug smirk spread across her lips as he spoke of having his own room. That was one less issue she would have to come to terms with—at least she would have privacy when he was not there. The matter of her things, however, seemed to be settled in her mind.

“I do plan on selling them. I don’t want to be more of a burden on you than I have to be—I could use some universal credits of my own to be my own support at first.” His tone and expression were something that, again, were surprising her this evening. Reaching up, she gently touched the side of his face—reassuringly almost.

“They’re just things.” She said calmly. Of course, for a few pieces they would never be just things. But she wouldn’t let him know that—not right now. “I’ll always have the memories of them, and that’s all that really matters. I can’t have them collecting dust in your room. Besides, I think they’re a bit to girly to fit into an army base.”

The last was a weak but honestly spoken joke. There were many things that would have to accompany her that were sure to raise millions of questions. The army, one like Jaing’s anyway, didn’t seem built around the ideas of women living there.

She let her hand fall away from his face to come to his side and take hold of his hand. She gave a gentle tug, nodding her head to the stairway she had disappeared up earlier. “Come with me to pack?” She asked.

Somehow, she feared there might be pieces in her collection missing that might ‘magically’ reappear some time later. She didn’t want him to feel he had to help her salvage her past. “It shouldn’t take me more than a few minutes—just to get me through the weekend at least.”

[24]

[MillietheWarrior]

"Your not a burden, Am'ika," Jaing assured, smiling slightly. He tilted his head, nodding along as she spoke. “Selling them would be best,” he agreed, though he still had an anxious expression on his face. He seemed to think that it was wrong to sell all the things she seemed to love so much. He hated asking her to do that, but she seemed okay with it. He wondered if he could grab a few trinkets and stow them away for later. Maybe that pretty little globe he saw in the glass case. She might like that if he saved it for her. He leaned into her touch, and sighed. “You don’t need to support yourself, you know. But if it’s what you want, then all right. And I don’t think they’re girly at all. It’s not that, that bothers me. We’re just not allowed to have any kind of...Belongings really, outside the army.”

He shrugged. “Ours is not to reason why,” he said, seemingly content with it. But he wasn’t; he wanted more. A real life, his own belongings, a family. Here was that chance to have it, and he’d take it. Amala tugged on his hand and broke him out of his thoughts. He smiled kindly, and nodded. Maybe she was worried he’d knick a couple things and stow them away for later; she could already read his mind, it seemed. But maybe women were just that intuitive. “Yeah,” he agreed as he followed her up the stairs. He waited patiently by the door to her bedroom, waiting for her to allow him in before he stepped through the threshold. “Just make sure to pack a few warm clothes, and something light. Who knows what the weather will be like in the next few days...Although the weather report said more rain...”

He glanced at a window down the hall. The small, brightly colored flowers stood out starkly against the dark, rainy night, swaying slightly in an unknown breeze as they valiantly brought life to a dull place. Jaing stepped forward and reached down to touch one of them. It was a dark, deep purple; very beautiful, and very alive. He wondered who would care for them when Amala was gone. There was no place for flowers in the barracks; they’d just die. But they would die here as well, right? “Why don’t you give your plants to your neighbor children? They might enjoy them. I don’t want to see something like this die for no reason...”

[25]

[Kallile]

Amala smiled and nodded as she began leading him up the stairs, talking ahead of her rather than over her shoulder to be sure she didn’t slip or do something silly. “It’s…more for my own peace of mind than questioning you. I’ve always relied on myself since I was able, it’s just something I’ll have to work on letting go of.” By this she didn’t mean that she would need to take time to let him in, and if Jaing could see her eyes she knew he’d already know this. “It’ll help me feel more comfortable with the whole thing if I feel like I’m contributing something.”

She had seen his eyes slowly wandering around, and she wondered how it made him feel to see all these things she had collected and know she was giving them up. The fact that he was not allowed any belongings of his own suddenly made the butterflies reappear in her stomach and she hoped deeply that coming here hadn’t upset him. “I can understand that—belongings only make you want more belongings. I mean—look at all this stuff that just sits around to look pretty. They're nice to have though...sometimes.” She didn’t mention that it tended to put her at ease and make her feel safe—especially in her past when she had been dropped off at home by taxi drivers and fallen into drunken sleep staring at them.

It didn’t take long for her to dig out a small sports bag and a few different items. She had been quick about going for the undergarments before Jaing entered the room and those were hidden at the bottom of the bag. She smiled to herself—she felt like she was thirteen again with a crush over. What looked to be pants and shorts mostly were making their way into the bag when she spoke to Jaing. “You’re free to come in.”

It was when she reached the shirts that she became slightly slower—taking a few seconds longer to look each one over and decide if she could live without it or not. Often she would give a thoughtful rub on her shoulder before making an ‘important’ decision that either ended up neatly stacked on her bed to be given away or rolled up into her bag.

When she realized he hadn’t come in, she heard his voice just down the hall. She leaned against the doorway, watching him hold the petals gently. She smiled to him, nodding. “The kids would enjoy them, I think that’s a good idea. They may not live long there either, but they’d have a better chance than to stay here. Kids can be forgetful to feed living things that don’t have wagging tails.” She smirked a little, trying to hide the fact that it scared her to think her flowers would be gone within a few weeks, and not by any intentional fault of the children. But she sighed and smiled still, moving back to finish packing what she needed.

That last thing her hand rested on (after packing just one more pair of shoes, because she’d never know exactly what she might need to do any given day) a polished and shined jewelry box. She ran a finger over it lovingly, but slowly pushed it away. The last thing she needed to bring into Jaing’s life were valuables that could really get him in trouble if they were found. “I think is dad knew what was going on, he’d forgive me for that decision.” She said to Jaing as she shouldered her bag, looking to him with wide and hopeful eyes. “He’d never have guessed his quiet little girl was going on such an adventure.”

[25]

(( Woo, finally feeling fully back in swing with Amala's character. XD ))

[MillietheWarrior]

Jaing smiled at the flowers, then stepped into the room behind Amala once she’d given him the all-clear. He let his eyes wander around the small, slightly cluttered room, taking in everything that made Amala who she was. He seemed to be getting a feel for that things he’d want to replace in the future, and what meant the most to her. he watched as she folded and rolled up various shirts and clothing items, waiting patiently for her to gather all the things she wanted to keep. When she picked up the small, silver box, Jaing eyed her carefully, wondering why she wouldn’t just take one little thing. He felt horrible for making her give everything up.

“An adventure indeed,” he said, and ushered her out the door. His hand quickly closed on the tiny box, and he shoved it into one of the small pouches sewn onto his bodysuit, hiding it from sight. She wouldn’t even have to know. And one day, when they finally had their own house, he’d give it back to her, and maybe it’d make up for all the things he made her leave behind. He strode over to the windowsill, and glanced down at the flowers. They looked like they’d recently been watered. “All right,” he said. “In a day or two, I’ll bring you back here, and you can finish everything up. You can give your plants to your neighbors then.”

He smiled slightly as he turned to look at her, and then led the way downstairs, glancing over his shoulder to see if Amala was following. He stepped into the kitchen, and began to hastily reattach his armor plates with the practiced ease of someone who knew exactly what they were doing. As he clipped on his shoulder plate and reattached his kama, he turned to Amala and held out one hand, grabbing his helmet with the other. “Well,” he said. “Let’s get going.” He reached for her hand and tugged her outside where he left her on the porch to hail a cab. The streets weren’t very busy, but it seemed there was just enough traffic to elicit a taxi driver taking one of the small residential streets.

Jaing was in luck. He put his fingers to his mouth ignoring the rain pelting down on his exposed head and armor, and let out a piercing whistle. The cab screeched to a halt, and Jaing opened the door, holding it for Amala to run inside, before clambering in behind her.

[26]

((I figure they’d go outside and catch a cab to the base, since it’d make it easier than walking all the way there...And it’s raining. XD By the by, I told my muse to wait until Coraline was finished, but it wouldn't let me stop typing. -Tries to strangle muse- I can't even get through a movie without Jaing practically hammering the door down to get a post in. And Prudii and Corr are right beside him, threatening to blast me if I don't post. XD I loves them. <3))

[Kallile]

It was lucky that Amala did not notice the snatch of the little box, or he would have gotten a rather dirty look. He had no idea what was inside of the little jewelry box held inside—possibly the most precious item from Amala’s life. But the item was already out of her mind and she was moving on. She had made up her mind it would stay behind—she couldn’t keep dwelling on it if that was to stay true.

“A day or two.” She confirmed, smiling as she made her way back down the stairs. She left the dishes on the sink for possibly the first time ever. She picked up her keys from the counter…one last time. They wouldn’t be needed after a few days. She’d never need keys, really. Not for a while. She’d the the one being protected behind a lock. With some glimmer of hope, she realized that in a sense she was his possession…but not in the creepy sense in how it sounded. He had something in her—and for that she felt a sparkle shining in her eyes.

Locking the door behind her and clinging to her small bag as she waited for Jaing, Amala looked around her street. This was no longer her home, she reminded herself as she looked back to Jaing. Home was where he was now.

She ran threw the rain and nearly dove into the cab, laughing as she scooted over for Jaing to get in out of the rain. “I probably should have brought another towel.” She giggled, picking the one she had brought out of the top of her bag for him to dry his face off with. It was large, plush, and a vibrant color of yellow. She nudged it towards him, asking him silently to take it.

She paused a moment, waiting for him to give instruction to the driver, looking at him with somethink akin to an innocent excitement. "Do you think I'll stick out too bad?"

[26]

[MillietheWarrior]

Jaing jumped into the cab after her, shaking his hair free of water as he sprayed the driver with a small amount of droplets. The man glared over his shoulder, before resuming staring ahead  at the road. he didn't say a word, waiting for Jaing to instruct him. But the lieutenant was busy trying to towel off the water that had soaked into his skin and coated his armor. "So much for being dry," he said with a half smile, rubbing his arms vigorously, before neatly folding the towel and handing it to Amala. The driver seemed to be getting impatient, and cleared his throat pointedly. "Oh," Jaing said, as if he just remembered they were in a cab. "Arca Barracks, please."

The driver raised an eyebrow, and looked at Jaing in his rearview mirror. the lieutenant offered him a scowl that clearly said he should mind his own business. Cowed, the driver meekly put the car into drive, and started off for the base. He wasn't going to ask questions, nor was he going to say a word about this. He knew the drill when it came to military personnel; don't ask, don't tell. And if he didn't, Jaing would gladly teach him that lesson...The hard way. He turned slightly to Amala, a small smile on his face. "Well...Considering it's a base full of men, and you are clearly a woman, I'd say...Yes. You might be a bit more conspicuous than you might think." He tilted his head, catching the driver's eye. The man got the hint, and rolled up the window separating his passengers from the front of the cab.

Soundproof, the driver could no longer hear what they were saying. But Jaing spoke in hushed tones anyway. "Listen, Am'ika. No one there will ever breathe a word about you. But you need to learn who your friends are...And who you should stay away from. If anything ever happens, anyone who looks like me will help you. But you have to stay away from outsiders; people like the mongrel officers who come by for monthly inspections. They aren't friendly, and they wouldn't think twice about turning you or me in." He debated one whether or not to tell her about the Jedi, but decided it was best not to. She might not understand, and there was no reason to make her afraid of them if he could help it. He fished into one of his belt pouches, and pulled out a small comlink.

"Here. This comlink is programmed to transmit and receive calls from me, my buir, and my brothers only. And when I say brothers, I don't mean just any Clone. I mean the Null ARCs. There’s six of us, me included. A’den, Mereel, Prudii, Kom’rk, and Ordo. If you ever get in a bind, you call me, Kal’buir, or them. If I’m not able to get to you, or I’m not available, one of them will help you.” His voice was very soft, and he made sure the driver’s eyes were on the road. “You can’t ever lose this. It’ll be how we all keep in touch with you, and vice versa. Do you understand?” He took her hand an gently pressed the comlink into it, before grabbing the towel he’d folded up earlier, and setting it back in her bag. “The army isn’t all nice, Am’ika. It’s a dangerous place, especially for you. I’m not sure what’s going to happen, but I’m willing to face it...if you are.”

He leaned back slightly, and stared straight ahead. The rain beat mercilessly against the front windshield as they drove down the darkened streets towards the base. “And even though I still think you’d be safer with Kal’buir...If you want to stay with me, then I’m okay with it.” He turned to stare at her, a small smile on his face. His orange eyes seemed to glow in the dark cab as he watched her passively, waiting for her answer. They’d been over this what seemed like a hundred times, but Jaing just wanted her to be sure...She needed to know it wouldn’t be easy, and it wouldn’t be safe. Her days of trusting just anyone, and speaking freely and going where she pleased would be gone...Just like him. He wanted her to be aware of the hardships to come.

[27]

((-Shakes Jaing- Stop saying the same thing over nad over....XD Man, he wants to be really sure.))

[Kallile]

Not bothering to look ahead to the driver, Amala figured it was just better not to let him get a good head-on look at her face. She’d rarely taken cabs—mostly walking to where she needed to go. It was safe to say this man had no idea who she was, but she already had a feeling this was the kind of thing she’d need to get used to. Not letting people get a good look at her, staying hidden, anything to help keep their secret. It still had a surreal feeling about it—this whole blossoming relationship. The butterflies in her stomach hadn’t been completely quelled—a few still fluttered furiously. This was really it—she was leaving with a man she barely knew but…well, maybe loved. Was it too son to go that far? Amala thought maybe it was, but didn’t deny herself of at least thinking the word.

She looked at Jaing, listening intently to him. It would be easy enough to trust anyone who looked like him. The thought, however, made her stomach turn. She hoped they didn’t look completely identical. She couldn’t imagine orange eyes being all the rage in soldiers, and felt rather safe in that fact. “You see how I tend to deal with crowds—I won’t feel too terrible about staying out of sight.” She said as lightly as she could, even though she knew the topic was of the most serious nature. She couldn’t let herself be frightened off now, she refused. She’d spent all her life hiding, and yet now it meant something completely different. But change was good, and what Amala desperately wanted.

She took the comlink, studying it for a moment as if deciding where a place she wouldn’t loose it might be located. After a moment she followed Jaing’s hands into the bag and placed it in a small pocket on the inside. She would find a better hiding spot in his room. She zipped the compartment closed and patted it lightly to ensure it was in place. It was, and she smiled. “I might as well warn you now—I’m from a small family. We might have to baby-step up to a father and five brothers.” The nervousness in her voice managed to crackle through. She didn’t even know them yet and she was already intimidated by the thought of meeting all of them. At least, all of them at once.

She slid her hand over the seat, taking Jaing’s gloved one in hers. “I’m ready to face whatever comes our way…as long as you’re there with me.” She said reassuringly. “And when things start getting to risky for us, I’ll go live with…Kal’buir…so you won’t have to worry about me. We’ll find a way, I have faith in us.”

The hesitance to use the same name for his father was obvious (and not entirely correctly pronounced), but she gave a soft smile anyway. She didn’t want the life she’d built for herself here. She didn’t want the day after lonesome day experience. She wanted this new start, with Jaing, no matter the cost to herself. If it ever got to dangerous for him…she wasn’t sure yet what she’d do, but she knew that if that time ever came it would be unlike anything she’d accomplished in her life. The thought quickly passed as a soppy strand of white hair fell into her eyes. She studied it for a moment, giggling, then pushed it aside. “Maybe I should dye my hair to help me blend in some…”

[27]

((He’s just worried, s’okay. X3 Secretly…Amala finds it very cute that he’s worried so much about her already.))

[MillietheWarrior]

“Don’t worry,” Jaing assured, his voice still low as he kept his eyes on the driver. “You don’t have to meet them all at once. They’ll all probably love you before they even meet you. We have that quality about us, I suppose. Complete and absolute loyalty.” He smiled lightly, though it was clear he wasn’t joking. His genes, like his brothers’, had been tampered with to make them absolutely loyal. If a Null liked you, he’d die for you. If he didn’t...Well, it would be best to steer clear of them. He turned slightly, eyeing her out of the corner of his eye, and frowned. “No, I don’t think dying your hair is necessary. Besides, it makes you unique. And I’ll always be able to find you in a crowd.” He chuckled slightly, to show her he was only joking (Although it actually might be handy in just that way) before the cab suddenly came to a sharp halt.

“Arca Barracks,” the cab driver’s monotone voice issued from the front of the cab as he rolled down the window separating them. “That’s be thirty-five, fifty.” Jaing fished in one of his pouches and pulled out the aforementioned amount, offering the driver a quick “Keep the change,” before gently taking Amala’s hand and guiding her out of the cab. The rain had slowed to a drizzle, but it was still enough to coat them in a fine layer of mist and water. Jaing wrapped an arm protectively around Amala; it wasn’t as if he was worried about her safety, he just didn’t want her to wander off. “Stay close to me,” he said quietly. “Most of the troops are gone right now. It’s Friday, and the storm would have kept them away for longer than usual.”

But even as he said this, two sentries stepped up to the front of the large gate that enclosed the barracks. One held out a hand, his voice crackling as it filtered through his helmet’s audio. “Number, please?” Jaing sighed, and tilted his head. “Null-10, Lieutenant Jaing. And a guest.” The two troopers exchanged glances, and nodded lightly at Jaing. “All right, sir. Just make sure to keep her out of sight.” Jaing nodded to them, knowing full well they wouldn’t breathe a word of her arrival as the gates parted to let them through. “It’s a big place,” he explained to Amala as he led her through the gates, and into a large building. The doors hissed open as he pressed his palm to the panel, and they were faced with a large hangar area, criss-crossed by rooms, hallways, and a ship or two here and there.

“Come on,” he said quietly, not wanting to be seen as he pulled her discreetly down a long hallway. Their footsteps seemed to echo loudly in the empty barracks. Jaing seemed to know where he was going, and had taken a route that hardly anyone ever traversed to get to his room. As he reached it, he palmed the lock and opened it. The doors hissed open, and he gently tugged Amala inside. “Here it is,” he said with a smile. “It’s not much, but it’s home.” He was right; it wasn’t much. A large bed sat in the middle of the room, dull gray blankets and white sheets cleanly folded and waiting to be used. A small dressed off to the side that had only two drawers, and a tiny closet, which seemed to be empty, except for a pair of red fatigues, and a few mis-matched pairs of civilian clothes. The ‘fresher was attached to the room, and it was very small, with a tiny, one-person, stand-up showed, a small sink, and a toilet.

There seemed to be almost nothing else in the room. However, to a Clone, who barely had anything they could call ‘theirs,’ this was luxury.

[28]

[Kallile]

Amala smiled, now feeling the nerves rising in her stomach again. She was scared, that much she was not afraid to admit. This, she realized, was what her life needed to have been all along. To embrace the butterflies and just go for it with some type of reckless abandon.  The revelation, however, didn’t help calm her nerves right this second. She leaned into Jaing a little, fiddling with the handle of her bag. “I hope they do.” She said softly.

“What, not into brunettes? I could try blonde, if you prefer.” She said in a joking retort. She had never once judged why she had, and had always had, white hair. Or, as her mother called it, “super platinum blonde”. It had brought her nothing but elementary and junior high school taunting of being an old woman, which looking back had probably been more harmful than her mother gave it credit. Despite that, Amala had always embraced her unique hair. It was probably the only thing that brought her good attention in high school.

As they exited the cab, Amala used the bag to cover the fact that she held onto the outside of Jaing’s glove. She squeezed his hand lightly, trying not to look too nervous. “You won’t have to worry about that.” She said, looking around her like a child being shown a wall of surgical instruments. She was terrified…and fascinated. The former, however, was the overriding sense once they reached the gates.

No matter how many of these armor suits she was bound to see, Amala was beginning to wonder if they would ever look anything less than imposing. Subconsciously she shrunk behind Jaing, just slightly, as he spoke to them. As they whisked past them, she smiled kindly to both in thanks. Well…they may be terrifying, but there was no reason to make enemies with them.

Paying attention to where you’re going and which way you came when you’re also trying to see what all you’re passing, Amala discovered, was not an instinctual art. In fact once Jaing opened his door and showed her inside, she had completely lost her sense of where she was in the base. A nervous lump formed in her throat and she clutched tightly to Jaing’s hand and the bag on her shoulder.

She looked around the colorless room, feeling a pang of guilt for leaving behind her vibrant flowers. She smiled despite this, moving forward (and releasing Jaing’s hand, so as not to drag him around with her) to inspect the few things that were there. She placed her bag delicately in the bottom of the closet, leaving it packed for the moment. She would have plenty of time to fuss over it later.

She paced the entire room, inspecting everything as if she were wearing a white glove to check for even the tiniest dust speck. She returned to Jaing, smiling almost as brightly as she had been at her home. “It’s home.” She repeated, sounding quite honest.

She turned her attention back to the closet and the civilian clothes that Jaing did happen to possess. She grinned at them, then turned her head back to Jaing. “My first mission—get you a matching set of clothes. Eventually.” She added, making it clear that she understood that she couldn’t just waltz out of here at will.

[28]

[MillietheWarrior]

Jaing looked on with that anxious, almost child-like expression that he seemed to have picked up somewhere in his lifetime. He wore it only when he felt he might have fallen short of perfection. And although Amala seemed pleased with the room, Jaing still wasn't sure if it was good enough for her. He stepped forward into the room, looking around as if he'd never been there before. "You think so?" he asked, placing his hands on is hips. "Well, like I said, it's not much. but it'll be our home for now...Until we can set up something more permanent." He moved towards the closet, stepping around her to reach into the far back of the tiny space. He pulled out a small wad of blankets and an extra pillow. "I keep these here for when one of my brothers visit," he explained.

"Private quarters are in short supply, and they don't like sharing with guys they don't know. So they sleep on the floor." He shrugged one shoulder as he moved over to stand on the opposite side of the bed. He began laying out his blankets on the floor, smoothing them out perfectly. It was as if he did everything in an exact precise way; if Amala had measured the way the blankets had been folded, she would have found it was exactly perfect. Jaing raised one eyebrow and glanced over his shoulder as he spread out another blanket. "You think my clothes don't match?" he asked, sounding amused. "I suppose your right. Maybe I should look into getting some clothes that actually help me blend in; instead of standing out."

He chuckled lightly, before settling the blanket on the floor. "I'll sleep down here, and you can have the bed. It's sort of lumpy, and it may not be the most comfortable." Again, the anxious expression crossed his face. "But it's the best I can do for now." He straightened up, and stared at her from across the bed. "Are you hungry? Do you need anything?" he asked curiously. "I bet we could sneak into the mess hall..." His smile turned mischievous, a very odd look for someone as gentle and kind as Jaing. "You just have to know how to do it without getting caught." Seems like he'd snuck into the mess hall more than once...

[29]

[Kallile]

Amala watched Jaing, grinning lightly as she watched what he was doing. She found it cute and yet, somewhat frightening that he always seemed so nervous about her approval. She  wanted to tell him the room was just fine—she knew there would be too many moves to have anyplace bigger, but she didn’t for now. There was too much time ahead of them to talk about things like that. “It’s just fine, I promise not to add any womanly touches to it.” She teased playfully.

As he moved around her, Amala cleared the few paces to the bed and sat on the edge of it. It didn’t take long before she noticed that she was fidgeting her legs like a young child having their very first sleep over. It was a good sort of nervous, but one she hoped would pass a few days from now. She tried to settle herself as she watched Jaing make a bed on the floor, still not really thinking about who would be where. Right now she was still just jittery. Her eyes moved to his closet with his comment and she grinned more broadly. “I think we can find you something.”

His next comment brought protest to the tip of her tongue. “You’ve done too much for me already…don’t sleep on the floor too.” It was the look in his eyes, however, that quelled her protest from going further. “We’ll switch sometimes, alright?”

With the glimmer of impishness in his eyes, Amala couldn’t help but feel compelled to go with him on this little side quest. He said most everyone was out, after all. How much trouble could she get in? Besides, sneaking was going to have to quickly become her new favorite hobby. Why not?“Do you guys drink coffee?” She asked playfully as she began moving towards the door.

[29]

[MillietheWarrior]

“Well,” Jaing said, his hands on his hips. “You can do whatever you want to the room to make it feel more like home. I think it could probably use some sprucing up.” He smiled lightly, tilting his head to the side as he studied her sitting on the bed. he could tell she was nervous, jittery even, and he watched her leg bounce as she tried to regain her composure. He wondered what had made her so nervous, and hoped it wasn’t him. “Well, maybe on my days off,” he said at last, looking thoughtful. “But that’s it. And I don’t get many days off, so the bed is all yours until then.” He grinned cheekily, before scooting around the bed to follow her to the door.

“Coffee?” he asked. “Of course not! We’d get way too hyper, and run off shooting in random directions.” He tutted and shook his head. “Kidding...Of course we drink coffee...need to stay awake around here somehow.” He quickly stepped around her to open the door, and peered down the hall. He poked his head back in. “All right then, come on,” he said as he gently took her hand and started marching off to the right; the opposite way that they had come in. He led Amala through a Maze of winding halls and closed doors (Which were the troopers and officers quarters nearby). it didn’t take long to get to the mess hall from where they were. The large, double paneled door were sealed shut.

Their pristine, white surface was an imposing figure in the hallway. Jaing reached for the lock, and keyed in an override code. “Pays to be super smart,” he said with a grin as he tugged Amala gently inside and sealed the door. “Now we have full run of this place. It’s closed after a certain time of night, so no one will come in here. Now-” He walked towards what looked like a large hole in the wall, and knocked on the panel covering it and keeping it closed. The white panel jumped up, and Jaing was faced with a steward droid with six arms. the droid seemed slightly confused at seeing him, but posed no questions to either Jaing or Amala except; “What would you like?” Jaing nodded towards the droid, and then at Amala. "Yep, cyar'ika. What he said."

[30]

[Kallile]

Amala held the invitation in her mind—maybe she would add a few things to make the both of them feel more at home. Later, though. There was still so much to learn about Jaing and this life—she had a feeling that her hands would be full for a while. It was the thought of this that had her still jittering, and she made a mental note to make sure Jaing knew about it. He had proven to be caring and worried about her—she felt compelled to explain her jitters to help ease his mind.

She waited for him to make sure the coast was clear, trying not to giggle. She could only imagine if someone would have been there—how funny it might have looked to see their lieutenant peering out like a child about to sneak out of their room past bedtime. She stifled herself and lent him her hand as they began to move.

Amala had a little more luck trying to remember the turns they took to make it to the Mess Hall. They were talking about food, after all, it was a place she would like to remember the location of. She didn’t pay much attention to what code he punched in, she doubted she could remember even if Jaing’s hand had her full attention. So much had happened tonight that her head felt like it might explode if one more bit of memory was used.

She followed him in, and to the panel covered portion of the wall. This Amala didn’t question—every small-time kitchen in the city had some sort of window like this to keep thieves out in the night when they were closed. It was what was behind the panel when it sprang up that grabbed Amala’s attention.

Nearly yelping, she sprang a few inches back as the droid eyed (did it even have eyes to eye them with? Amala didn’t want to ask) them. She peered at it from around him when it asked them a question in a monotone, electronic voice. With eyes wide and filled with wonderment, she lifted her hand a little as if she may reach out and touch the droid just to make sure it was real. She recoiled though, not sure what it would do if she did actually make contact with it. “Ju-just coffee…please? Lots of extra cream.”

She spoke uncertainly to it, wondering if there was some sort of special way you had to place an order with it. When Jaing had had enough time to order something, she looked up at him—her blue eyes still deep with childish wonderment. “What is that? I’ve never seen…well…anything like it.”

[30]