Below the Radar: Part 2 (A D&D AU Fanfic)

About Cantonica

She'd thought she'd gotten away with it scot-free. Managed to bite the tears back through nail-imbedded skin until her company was once again hers and hers alone. Wait until the doors close, then break down. The blurred echoes of the Resistance followed her into the shadows - laughter, loud conversations and the whirs and chirps of the (unofficial) official camp mascots. Her family. An intermingling of strangers and the souls she was here for. Her core four. Only, one was far far away. Remii hit a button on her wall panel and watched the banner of light beneath her slowly dwindle as her door sealed shut. With the soft pssh came the stillness, the dark. The voices softened...if only her mind could too.

For a breath Remii stood there, glancing around the room that had quickly become hers. Papers tossed in chaotic patterns, clothes draped over every piece of furniture. Blinds closed with specks of light trickling in through the cracks like blinking stars. It was as close as it'd likely get to the visualization of Earth Remii's space, ever the maximalist. Remii inhaled and could feel it immediately, the build up of pent up emotions crushing against her ribs. She never was one to fully expel whatever came in the moment, restricting herself. Tears were an exclusive event, compiled over weeks, sometimes months of sealed off anger, distress, heartache. It wasn't healthy to hold onto so much for so long, she knew. If not for mom, grandma had been repeating this for years. It's good to cry, she said. It's good for your soul. You're making room for more. She couldn't provide an explanation for this either, this desire to hide. It was just simply...Remii.

Remii brushed her feet across the floor to the bed. At least don't curl up on the ground this time, she thought. She couldn't remember the last time she'd swept these floors...or how many times Soryn's porgs has scuttled through here...or Ellana and Soryn themselves, with wide-eyed updates on their developing love lives. Remii didn't share about hers unless they asked, partly because she never knew when he or whomever was listening. Or just how close he really was.

The second Remii's knee hit the mattress she was ready for the tears to fall. Instead she felt a large hand wrap around her midriff, startling her into a fumble. She tumbled onto the bed, her arm extending into a defensive reflex against his neck. Looked like her minimal combat training was paying off.

Remii's breath hitched in her throat, her eyes flying open. Ben's surprise was difficult to spot but there was a slight raise of his brows that Remii caught. He didn't flinch and he didn't move away either. He just hovered above her, his hand now at her waist, his other propping him up. For a moment the two remained motionless, staring into each other's eyes. Ben was shrouded in darkness (more than usual), his features hugged by heavy shadows. Kind of eerie. She didn't speak, so he did. "It's me," he whispered in that all too familiar low hum. Remii realized she hadn't eased and quickly lowered her arm.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "Sorry.."

Ben's eyes traced over Remii's face with that familiar cloudiness. He was thinking something and decided not to share it. He pressed his lips together as he shifted from her left eye to her right. Studying her, looking for something. "What happened on Cantonica?"

She hadn't exactly told him. She'd only managed that they 'wouldn't be a problem anymore' until the topic quickly shifted to her attire. The gradient red and blue dress had become her sure fire golden ticket when it came to successfully distracting the Supreme Leader. So far it'd worked like a charm through every encounter she'd worn it in, earning her hungry kisses as a result. It was lucky. The dress was Remii's sole article hung neatly in her closet.