"It won't come to that... I hope."
"SPEAK!" We command. The nest is growing more restless my the minute.
I give one last look back at Jerus. Next to him are Jude and Iwan, who look ready be gone from this place. What I'm about to do shouldn't take too long. Carefully, I begin to approach the central mound. Keeping my hands up to show I am not armed. Both of my blaster holsters are empty. "Luci, I wanted to tell you I'm sorry for what I said before. It was just... losing you struck a cord with me. One I didn't even know I had. Then seeing you back again... well, that struck another cord. So, I guess two cords I didn't know I had."
We stare impatiently down at her. "You are forgiven. Is that all?"
"No! No, I wanted to tell you... There have been very few people in this galaxy I've ever had an emotional connection to, and even fewer who are still around. I never knew my father, and my mother wasn't really around. I was raised in a high class whore house by a Hutt crime lady and a couple dozen men I called 'uncles'. I learned to shoot a blaster when I was 6, and I used those skills to shoot a man in the belly at 7. I started drinking hard alcohol before I was halfway to legal age." I reach the base of the mound. Against my better judgement, I begin to steps up onto it. "When I joined Niko Okarr's crew and finally got off Nar Kreeta, I had all the street smarts I needed to be a capable smuggler... but zero emotional stability. I filled all the whole in my life with drinking, flying and... screwing. Usually in that order."
I look at my feet, smirking childishly.
"May we ask what the point of this is, Koraline?"
"My point is I never cared about anybody ever. Even when I met my brother for the first time, I was too jaded to feel anything more than dull interest. And when I met you, Luci, years ago, I didn't think much of you at all. You were just Jakito's little padawan. Then you grew up and I was like 'Oh, she got hot!', but it wasn't more than physical attraction. The same way I feel about all the men and woman I've had in my life." I stop a little before I reach Luci. I can tell the Killiks don't even want me this close. "But then came that night, after I rescued you from that prison, you remember? We were in my private quarters, and you came out to me."
Our face twitches slightly. "We remember. All of Millu'ci'vanda's memories are shared by the hive."
Smiles to self. "You were so wrapped up about it, like it some big deal. Then when I told you how cute you were, you kissed me like you'd been waiting to do it for so long." Giggles. "I spent the rest of our trip home teaching you how to accept yourself. How to forget all those things the Chiss told you were wrong, and embrace your true feelings. You remember everything we did?"
Despite our connection to the hive, and our normally placidity, a blush reddens our cheeks. "We remember."
"That night... it was unlike anything I'd experienced before. It wasn't meaningless, or a way to hide my pain and loneliness. I wanted to be there with you forever. And every moment I spent with you after, even in the simplest times, were like... " I pause, searching for the right words. These words were corny and cliche, but it was the best I could do. "I can't feel the Force, but when I was with you, it was like I almost could. And when I thought you died, it hurt me a lot more than I thought it could. I tried falling back into old habits, but... the whole you left couldn't be plugged with vice. And THEN, when you came back, that was even worse. You cut me deep, and I wanted to hate you for that... but I can't." I take another step closer, despite the Killiks angry buzzing. "So, here I am. I don't care about Oroboro or the deal you've made with Jerus. I'm here for you, Luci, and I'm not going to leave without you."
Looks down at Koraline, trying to keep a blank expression. However, our face will not stop twitching. Our teeth keep clenching, and our hands dig into the waxy mound we sit upon. Shakily, we pull our self to stand. Locking our eyes on Koraline, we speak. "You... waste... your... time. We.... are... Oroboro. Now.... and.... forever."
