🐺 ~PROJECT SAC-1~ ⚔️

Chapter 14 - First Trip to 79's (Part 1) 🍹🥴

A/N:

🚫TRIGGER WARNING🚫 Attempted drugging. Nothing graphic happens, but I will mark the scene so those more uncomfortable with such scenes can skip :)

- Ella 

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Talla was bursting at the seams with excitement over her new fiery look, but at the same time hoping for reasons she didn't quite understand that the Sarge would like it too. Her confidence had shot way up, and she felt good, unique, powerful, like she could take on the entire Separatist regime with her bare hands! It was amazing how a new do and new threads and some painting of the face and nails could EMPOWER her so much! It was like magic!

Standing there in a fool-like stupor, Hunter's immediate thought when she emerged was how Talla had given the Mando'a term 'meshla' a whole new meaning to him all over again, and could have sworn time stopped when he laid eyes on this reformed Special Agent Clone.

And he did see that she wanted his approval. And he truly wanted to give it. But unfortunately, as per usual, Hunter's ability to be think-y stopped in Talla's evidently intimidating presence, so his mouth declared a response to her makeover to a different and infinitely worse extreme. "'Bout time, soldier, the others are already at the bar."

... Karking hells, HE wanted to take that swan dive off the ledge now. His clipped tone was sour and cold and not even remotely supportive, and the second those words flew out of his mouth Hunter regretted it. Just like that, all Talla's confidence crumbled and then disintegrated until she was left with nothing but all-consuming feelings of humiliation and self-consciousness. Something he knew the Kaminoans thrived in giving her already.

With his tail between his legs, stony-faced Hunter briskly fled the awkward situation he had not meant to create. Outside he muttered the worst profanities he knew at himself. Hunter did seriously consider taking that leap off the edge to end his suffering and the suffering he brought upon the undeserving Talla.

Kriff, this was exactly why he avoided women in the first place! The only women he ever really encountered were either Jedi Generals, who obviously weren't suitable candidates for a relationship of any kind and just plain out of his league overall, OR the ones who hung around the bars his squad visited from time to time, ones who were just looking for a good time and, well, let's just say he was incapable of playing along with their simple little game of playful words and suggestive actions in such an overwhelming environment.

Hunter faced this particular fact early on in his life after leaving Kamino: the only 'flirting' he was good at was 'flirting' with death. And apparently, even simply telling Talla, his teammate who just happened to be a nice-looking woman, whom he had firmly labeled as: 🚫OFF LIMITS!!!🚫 Telling her that she looked great... apparently that easy concept to grasp was an impossible feat to actually execute!

Right about now, Hunter kinda wished things would go back to normal, back to before she came into their lives and he was forced into this tormental cycle of trying to keep his distance so he wouldn't be given the chance to screw things up on an even larger scale, because imagine if Talla was emotionally involved with him and he made such demeaning and unfeeling comments! It'd ROYALLY screw her up!

And this added another layer of hate towards himself, because after what happened on Silva he had promised himself to do better by her. What he said in there, that was not doing better.

Hunter's one and only consolation was that his brothers experienced similar social difficulties as him with the female of the species... but at the same time it was also pathetically depressing.