Ask Bad Ideas

[Cipher 7]

The curl of Six’s lip. The sway of her hips. The press of their bodies. The back and forth. Give and take. Her head on his shoulder as they caught their breath. This was different. Normally, he’d be dressing, but he didn’t want to move. His hand gently drew back and forth across her back as his eyes stared blindly up at the ceiling. A small smile had found its way onto his lips.

Seven’s eyes snapped open. Panic. He threw himself out of the bed, tucking into a roll and coming up to his feet ready for a fight. He blinked. His bed was empty. Was it a dream? His eyes slipped to the jacket that didn’t belong to him. Not a dream. Seven closed his eyes and checked in with his body. Aside from the new nail marks on his back, he was good. He looked around for his shirt, it was nowhere to be found.

The Cipher pulled on his pants and decided to hunt down his shirt. He made his way downstairs and spotted the glow of Six’s cigarra out the balcony window. He watched her for a moment. Her lithe figure hidden beneath his missing shirt silhouetted against the miasmic neon glow of the Raxus cityscape.

It was picturesque.

Seven stepped on to the balcony while lighting the cigarra pressed between his lips. The wind tousled Six’s hair as he approached. He settled in beside her, “Nice shirt.”

He took a drag and let it out. Karn’s question drifted back into his mind. Jacen found himself considering his loyalty in a new light. A few weeks ago he could have looked the Emperor himself in the eye and confidently said he’d do anything The Empire asked him to do.

Now… He’d call himself a liar.

“I’ve been assigned to an Op on Tatooine, pulling out in the morning. Not sure how long I’ll be gone.”

It felt strange being able to tell someone that. The idea that someone might care whether he lived or died was one he’d given up on having. Even now it felt too good to be true, but he found himself unable to hope. Even if it was just for a couple of hours. It felt nice to believe.

@Sreeya

 

[Cipher Six]

The view here was truly growing on her. She was lured to it like a moth to a flame, her gaze panning over the vibrant cityscape and the glinting lights. She even liked the soft thump of the bass from the music below, the rhythm perfect to lull her to sleep. The wind was cool, but not too chilly, and it was just enough to gently kiss her skin and brush against her hair.

Six turned to regard Seven when he arrived on the balcony, letting her gaze shamelessly drink in the sight of his defined physique accented by the cool hues of the city lights. She could still make out the faint marks she had left on him - she had been good for the most part, but she simply couldn’t help herself sometimes. His face, however, caught her attention even more because she could tell he was far from the balcony and even this planet. His eyes betrayed that something weighed on his mind. It wasn’t in her nature to pry, so she simply smiled.

“Think I pull it off?” She asked teasingly as she did a little twirl in the shirt to show it off. Her elbows were back on the balcony and she resumed her smoking. What he said next didn’t draw any immediate reactions. Six took another long drag, blew the smoke out through her nostrils and looked at him again.

“Why are you telling me this?”

@Zay

 

[Cipher 7]

Seven scoffed as she twirled in his shirt, “It looks so much better on you, I’m thinking about telling you to keep it.”

He chuckled at his own shitty joke as he landed at the railing. She was facing away from the cityscape and even though he kept his eyes forward he could make out her profile in his periphery. He’d casually strolled right up to the edge and was starting to have second thoughts as he peered over the railing.

It wasn’t her silence that put him on edge, it was her question. He stole himself a moment by taking a drag on his cigarra. Any stalling or bullshit would be called out. He didn’t want to tarnish the small amount of trust they had. Jacen blew out then turned to face her.

Seven didn’t speak immediately, instead he just looked at her. He let his half lidded baby blues drink her in one more time then shrugged and said, “Because I’m choosing to trust you.”

Jacen slipped his cigarra between his lips and crossed his arms over his bare chest while leaning on the railing. His eyes didn’t leave her as his heart raced and his stomach seemed to lose it’s connection to gravity.

@Sreeya

 

[Cipher Six]

Trust. It was a foreign concept among Ciphers. Her face remained impassive at first, and she took another drag and exhaled. She chuckled to herself, “You’re in the wrong line of business if you want to trust people,” She remarked as she gazed at him. She finished her cigarra and turned to face him completely.

“Do you want me to come with you?” Six asked after a moment. She wondered if it had anything to do with Levik or a separate assignment from the new director. She said nothing on the trust topic, preferring to keep things cryptic for now. She had been in this game for a long time, and it took her a bit longer to let her walls down.

@Zay

 

[Cipher 7]

Seven’s face didn’t change when she responded. It hurt more than he’d wanted to admit, but that’s what happens when you let your emotions drive. He scoffed and turned away sweeping his gaze back out over the neon cityscape. Jacen could feel his walls coming back up and he let them. He inhaled, the cherry at the end of his cigarra lit up before he plucked it from his lips.

“I don’t want to trust people, I want to trust you,” notably his tone was even. It wasn’t that of a man spurred. He understood her hesitance even if it

Six was the only living being in the galaxy that knew his real name. Well, aside from Levik, but Seven had a feeling the commander’s tenure was drawing to an end. The bastard’s words mocked him even now.

“No.” he said. If they couldn’t trust each other yet, he didn’t want her at his back. “Just wanted someone to know what happened in case I don’t make it back.”

Seven took a final drag on his cigarra. Levik’s question rattled around in his brain, demanding his attention. He let the smoke leak from his nostrils before blowing out and asking, “If the bureau ordered you to look me in the eyes and strangle me to death, would you do it?”

@Sreeya

 

[Cipher Six]

She was visibly surprised at his answer, and even moreso at his question. Six said nothing for a few moments, looking away as she also put out her cigarra. This was far more dramatic of a turn than she thought the evening would take. However, her irritation was not directed at him, but at Levik. It was just the sort of thing he would plant in the minds of Ciphers. Enough to spoil a perfectly good thing.

“I’m not letting you drop off the radar that easily,” She said at first with a smirk to his sentiment about someone knowing if he didn’t return. A part of her had been expecting him to ask her to join him, but even she knew it wasn’t normal protocol. After all, she wouldn’t invite him on every job she took. It would blow both their covers.

Six looked at him directly, her face making it clear she was genuine, “I would take whatever action is needed to complete the objective,” She stated flatly to his question. He would have to read between the lines on what it meant, but it certainly suggested she didn’t blindly follow orders. However, if killing him would mean the best path to the objective, then she wouldn't hesitate. If she hadn’t been impulsive, she never would have stunned Levik that day at the garrison or gone undercover with Oracle’s loyalists.

“I’m difficult, Seven,” She said as she stepped closer towards him, “And I’ll always be difficult. It’s up to you whether you want to take that on.”

@Zay

 

[Cipher 7]

Seven leaned over on the railing, eyes still on the constant flow above. He’d seen the impact of his question register, but the implication of it still hung between them. His eyes closed as the moment drew out and he ran a hand through his hair. Seven could feel his mind already preparing for the inevitable.

As Six started to speak his eyes slipped to her but he kept facing the churning cityscape. He hated how much he enjoyed her smile. Six’s answer was as measured as his question was even, the only difference being the genuine nature of her expression.

Great, he’d be deciphering that statement the entire flight to Tatooine.

“I’m difficult Seven…” she said, stepping toward him. He fought a primal desire to step away from her. The memories of a heart broken orphan being passed over once again, but he didn’t move. He let her finish and then turned to face her. His half lidded gaze landed on her ocean eyes as her statement drew the line in the sand.

Seven’s jaw clenched. He pictured the painting in his apartment, Light and Shadow. The black clad knight enveloped by the pure white supernatural entity. The complex expression of love, longing, and fear etched masterfully into their faces.

Finally, he reached out, took her hand in his and pulled her into him.

“Call me Jacen.”

@Sreeya