𝐂𝐑𝐎𝐒𝐒𝐑𝐎𝐀𝐃𝐒 ( THE BAD BATCH )

XI. TEARS KEEP FALLING

"Wrecker, hold still."

"It doesn't hurt anymo─ Ow!"

Aria let out an exasperated sigh as she finished gluing the bacta patch on the side of Wrecker's head. Knowing he hated scanners of any sort, she decided to avoid that and apply something that ought to help. If it won't, then it was inevitable to see the inside of his skull. She hoped it was just a slight concussion, though.

"There you go. It wasn't so scary, now, was it?" Aria teased.

"I─ I was not scared," Wrecker exclaimed, pouting.

"Right, my apologies. We need to take it off in a few hours, until then, make sure not to shake your head or scratch it... if it's going to hurt you still, well, we'd have to try something else."

"Thanks, doc!"

Aria watched as his mood switched from a brooding and concerned man to a beaming, smiling boy personality that somehow suited him better.

She hummed to herself, proud of her work and that there was still something she could help with. Then she packed the med kit to place it back where it belonged.

"Dr. Parris," Echo began, approaching her. "You should get some rest. You haven't had one since Kamino."

"Very insightful," Aria conceded. "Were you watching me?"

Echo chuckled awkwardly. "Well, I wouldn't put it in these words exactly. I just noticed you were tired earlier, but this crash landing seems to wear you off even more. Motion sickness?"

"Something like that... But only if there's a crash landing involved, I guess. My stomach doesn't like to be tossed around."

"It better gets used to it. With us, there's a big chance it's going to happen again."

Aria groaned, earning an amused look from Echo.

"Feel free to crash on my bunk," he offered lightheartedly.

Aria's lips twitched into a small smile. She was suprised anyone would care if she rested or not, but guess she underestimated the Bad Batch again. It was going to take a while until she gets used to not being in a constant state of solitude, where it depended only on her if she got some sleep or not. She tend to sleep very little due to busying herself with other things that she insisted were more important, but she kind of got used to this.

"Thanks... Uh, Echo," she added when he was about to walk away. "Just call me Aria. We're on the same boat now, titles are kinda pointless."

He gave her a messy salute with his prosthetic hand. "Of course, doctor."

-

The storm brewed, the air was cold, the raindrops were thick and heavy as they fell down, coating the landscape like a blanket. Water soaked her when she tried to make her way through the storm, but each step felt like trying to walk underwater. Her breath hitched and her heart picked up its pace, so much that it hurt whenever it hammered against her ribcage, as if something hard was hitting her repeatedly. Suddenly water raised and rain flooded her, trapping her within monstrous waves. She couldn't breathe.

Aria shot up from the bunk, her throat unclenching immediately and she took that chance to suck in as much air as her lungs were able to hold. She was breathing rapidly, forced to do so because of the abnormal speed with which her heart pumped the blood.

She never had a dream quite like this, so vivid and oddly realistic in its peculiarity, so much that she felt she was actually going to die one way or another.