Shadows and Shades (#4 Post-Order 66 Series)

Shadows and Shades - Part 7

All Iden could hear was the sound of her own blood pounding in her ears as she moved through the dwelling as though she were on autopilot. She waited until after they'd gotten Howzer some food before she quietly grabbed a blaster, a pair of binocs, and her coat and headed for the front door. Crosshair intercepted her before she made it out.

"Where are you going?" he asked, his voice softer than it had been in the hall.

"I need some air," she replied tightly.

He was studying her carefully, but she didn't feel like meeting his gaze right now. "You heard Hunter, we shouldn't leave right now."

"I need to be away from you." It was true; just looking at him was overwhelming right now. Her stomach was roiling. She was seething, but every time she looked into his eyes, she wanted to cry. Wordlessly, he stepped out of her path, and she walked out the door quickly, trying to put as much space in between her and the dwelling as possible.

After a few blocks, she slowed her pace, trying to steady her breathing. The first exhale came out as a sob, and she stumbled into an alley in time to violently vomit. Tears streaked her cheeks as she leaned heavily against the wall, spitting out the remaining bile and trying to calm the sobs threatening to rip their way out of her throat. He lied to me. To my face. All so that he could kill someone. And the things he said...it's as if I never knew him at all. That's not the man I met on Naboo. I don't recognize him. She wiped her mouth on the back of her sleeve.

Maybe this is who he really is. Maybe I was just too blind to see it.

Her stomach heaved again, but she managed to hold whatever remained of her stomach contents in, pressing her forehead against the smooth stone wall of one of the buildings that bracketed the alley and taking a few deep breaths.

I need to get moving. If Nisa shows, she won't wait long.

A light snow was beginning to fall as Iden made her way through the streets towards the park that she'd specified to her sister. A few of the flakes settled in her hair and her lashes, brushing against her cheeks gently as she walked. She kept patting the blaster she had strapped to her thigh, making sure it was still there. She wasn't sure if she could stomach using it on her sister, even on stun, but she knew that she would do what was necessary. I'm able to put the mission above myself. Unlike some people.

Her stomach knotted again as she replayed the conversation with Crosshair in her mind, the way he'd glowered at her as he'd leaned in. An Imperial for an Imperial. She bit the inside of her cheek as she felt the sting of tears again. They're nothing alike. But the thought carried even less conviction now. He'd had a point though; they'd both kept things from Hunter now. But the reasons are completely different. His was for revenge. Mine was for...well, I'm not sure why.

Iden pulled her coat tighter around her as she crossed the street that led to the park, picking a large tree to lean against, blending into the shadows. There were no patrols in sight, and for that at least she was grateful. In fact, it appeared that most of the foot traffic had cleared out with the onset of the snow. She waited a few minutes, glancing around until her gaze focused on a figure approaching from the direction of the prison.

It's her. No doubt about it. I'd know that gait anywhere.

Nisa walked quickly towards a bench near a set of hedges, brushing the fallen snow off of the seat before sitting down and looking around nervously. She didn't appear to note the figure watching her from underneath the tree. Iden scanned the area one more time, looking for any other signs of movement that would indicate Nisa hadn't come alone. She pulled the pair of binocs from her belt, watching to see if her sister was speaking to anyone either via commlink or earpiece. After a few minutes, she felt fairly certain Nisa had done as she asked. She circled around behind her sister, giving her a wide berth before finally walking up to the bench and taking a seat, her hand resting on the blaster hidden inside her coat.