Ask On the Edge of Nowhere

[Amira Din]

​

Castilon, Western Reaches

Castilon. A marine world bestrewed with out of the way islets on the edge of nowhere. Precisely where Amira wanted to be. Precisely the setting for a notorious assassin to fly under the radar. Or, rather, to sail under the radar. It wasn't like the Tiefling to splurge her hard earned credits. She'd watched Pa and Ma barely scrape by for years, and after the death of Master Roth, she'd been in a similar situation. Alone in the galaxy without a single credit to her name. The Sith Master had given her a taste for opulence without the provision to pay for it after his death. Not that she would've taken it, too proud for charity and too stubborn to allow anyone other than herself to put bread on the table again.

The majority of the credits she earned went toward fixing up her place on Dantooine or directly into her bank account. If she were to splurge, it was on Edin or the handful of farm animals she'd acquired or on the occasional dress she couldn't pass up. Usually in that order, too. Thanks to her newly crowned brother and the prestige that came along with the title, she had a little extra to splurge these days.

Tranquil waves lapped against the sides of a convertible boat moored to the jetty at the end of the dock. A rental, naturally. Amira set on the edge of the pier, bare feet hanging off the edge. A red and white bobber floated on the surface of the water, attached to the end of the an old spincast fishing rod propped between her sun-kissed legs on full display. She wore a yellow ribbed swim top cinched just below her chest and a pair of black high-waisted board shorts.

Three weeks had passed since the Senator of Gatalenta had been assassinated, but the search for the Basilisk continued. Castilon, she hoped, would be the last place Sector Rangers and bounty hunters would think to search for him. Edin knew how to cover his tracks, she always had to remind herself. A few days alone at sea would do them both some good. The coordinates had been sent to the Firrerreo a few days ago, and now she waited. Waited and hoped he would show up. @Sreeya

 

[Edin Frost]

Edin often had several different burn comlinks. However, he had a dedicated NalPhone that only Amira could use to contact him. Everyone else had to use formal proper channels to contact him for a job - whether as a mercenary or for Basilisk. He had gotten off Gatalenta with the help of Aaisha and he laid low for several weeks after that.

As always, he arrived exactly when he said he would. He was always punctual or early to everything and this was no different. He could already make out the shock of cascading white hair draped against beautiful obsidian skin.

The Firrerreo was dressed in a simple button up and tan shorts with sandals. Expensive shades adorned his face. He had no problem dressing up for the beach and a day out in the water. No one would ever guess he had killed multiple high profile targets across the galaxy.

He closed the distance and casually sat down next to her. Edin tilted his head to look at her, giving her a fanged grin, “Sorry I haven’t called,” He said as he leaned in to affectionately kiss the tip of her bare shoulder. Both of them knew he had to go dark during and after a job, and he knew she likely saw the Holonet news about the Senator. Edin reached down and brought out a small jar, “But I did go to something called a…farmer’s market,” He said with a grimace at the horrifying and smelly memory, “And grabbed you what they called homemade hot pepper sauce,” He handed her the little jar with a wooden lid, “Thought you’d like it.”

@llamallove

 

[Amira Din]

Amber eyes wide and sparkling in the sunlight, Amira's lips parted into a grin she couldn't contain as soon as she spotted Edin walking toward her, hands shoved into the pockets of a pair of tan shorts with that cool, casual confidence he always displayed. "Don't worry," she laughed, the sound brimming with a familiar warmth and mirth that the Firrerreo would know well by now. The Tiefling displayed enough excitement for the both of them, her tail swishing around erratically behind her, almost knocking over the can of worms she had collected off the side of the dock and into the ocean below. She wrinkled her nose at him "I'll make you pay for it later."
It was part of the job, going weeks without any correspondence. Sometimes months. Between Edin's demanding profession and the double life he lived as the Basilisk, the galaxy's most feared assassin, and her increasing responsibilities within the Sith Order, these quiet moments with just the two of them were few and far between. With rumors swirling within the Empire that a strike against the ISC was imminent, Amira was sure that she would have her hands full soon. For now, she was going to enjoy the moment and focus on the Firrerreo in front of her.

Edin at a farmer's market was an image she couldn't get out of her head, and her grin tugged wider. She could just picture the Firrerreo walking around the stalls in an aimless manner, a little lost and disgusted as middle-aged women with tousled hair tried to make him sample their goat cheese and buy a bottle of their homemade kombucha. Old men in overalls, mouths full of chewing tobacco but no teeth, looking him up and down and attempting to draw him into conversation as they rocked back and forth. The smells must have been overwhelming for him, she realized, and the realization made her scoot just a little bit closer to him on the dock. The last place anyone would think to look for the Basilisk—at a local farmer's market.

Accepting the gift, she handed the fishing rod off for Edin to hold while she stuck a pinky into the creamy red sauce and sampled it. "Mmmm, delicious," was the verdict, popping the lid back on. She nudged his shoulder with hers and added, "This wouldn't be a hint, would it?" The Tiefling knew just how much he loved her gumbo. Pressing her lips to his cheek, she added, "I have something for you, too, but you'll have to wait until later." It was a gift she had been meaning to give him for months now, since before he had surprised her on Utapau.

Just then, the fishing line pulled taut, and the old rod began to bow. "You've got a bite!" Amira squealed. "Reel him in! Reel him in!" @Sreeya

 

[Edin Frost]

Edin’s sensitive nose picked up the spicy scent of the sauce. It was enough to make even his eyes water, and Firrerreo were known to eat especially spicy meals. He sneezed and wiped his nose, “Hint? I’m disappointed you don’t have any gumbo for me already,” Edin said with a smirk.

He glanced down when she abruptly thrust the fishing rod in his hands. The Firrerreo blinked as he looked down, “Reel what? What am I doing, exactly?” He asked, genuinely perplexed. He felt the tug and he reached over to turn the strange contraption that appeared to be tied to the line in the water. It would dawn on Amira that Edin had never even heard of, let alone participated in, fishing as an activity. Being born and raised on industrial planets meant most of those citizens went their entire lifetime without knowing that fish could be caught in the wild. Most of them were used to seafood raised in contained facilities.

The fish was putting up a protest and Edin was determined to reel it in. His face was a comical sight, eyes narrowed in concentration, a moody almost pout on his face. The fish was putting up a fight and Edin hunched over, determined to reel it in.

“What monstrosity is this?” He asked with a growl sneaking into his speech. Edin leaned forward a bit too much and slipped off the edge of the dock. With a gasp, he plopped right into the water with a loud splash. The fishing rod fell from his hands, zooming away in the distance. Edin came up to surface, splashing and sputtering as he swam back to where she was sitting. He planted his hands on the dock but didn’t hoist himself up yet, his hair plastered to his forehead. Edin flashed her a fanged grin.

“Did you set me up?”

@llamallove

 

[Amira Din]

"Maybe I do," the Tiefling remarked, wiggling her eyebrows in a playful, purposefully exaggerated way. After her line had snapped in two over a sinkhole on Utapau, and she'd free fallen several stories, the Tiefling had promised her rescuer pots and pots of her beloved gumbo. That's just what she'd given him, too, in the weeks that followed. There hadn't been much else for her to do, stuck inside her house on Dantooine with a broken arm, leg, and ribs. He had to have felt like the fatted calf with all the cooking she did over her recovery, and yet he still wanted more. It made her heart swell, and she wondered if this was how Ma felt every night when she laid the table out and watched Pa and the kids devour everything but the silverware.
The son of a slave on the barren wasteland that was Tatooine, Amira shouldn't have been surprised to learn that Edin didn't know how to fish, or even what fishing was. As poor as her family had been growing up, it didn't compare to the childhood Edin had suffered. The life he'd lived, the mistreatment he'd suffered—it couldn't even be called a childhood. Family camping trips had been a staple in the Din family. Once a year, Pa would pack up their supplies, throw it over the shoulders of his children like pack mules, and they'd wander off into nature. Hunting, fishing, ghost stories over the campfire, and staring up at the stars as you drifted off to sleep in an uncomfortable, hand-me-down sleeping bag with the same old patches that Ma had been stitching up for years.

Edin had missed out on all of that. Judging by the look of sheer determination on his face and the way his lips pulled downward into an adorable pout, he would have loved it. Maybe. There was still a whole lot of city in the Firrerreo. "Reel him in!" Amira continued to shout, cheering him on as she bounced on the balls of her feet. "Pull that line taut! There you—"

Splash. The Firrerreo was drug face first into the ocean water. Random fish: one. Edin: zero. At last, something the Basilisk couldn't do. Amira stood on the dock not saying anything at first, a little stunned, but as soon as Edin's face emerged, spluttering as he splashed around in the water, she burst out laughing. Doubling over, she managed to reply between laughs, "Set you up?"

Once her laughter had subsided, she knelt down on the dock and reached out to brush the strands of dark, sopping wet hair that clung to his forehead away from his face. She ran her fingers through his hair, just as he had that first morning on Ankus and a hundred times since. There was something about his hair when it was wet that always allured her. "Do you really think I'd do that?" she asked in a tone that suggested she was offended by the accusation. Edin knew her well enough to know that she was messing with him. @Sreeya

 

[Edin Frost]

Edin simply stared at her as she laughed, always enjoying that beautiful trill that was in such contrast to how savage she was as a Sith. Perhaps that contrast existed within himself - after all, no one else in the galaxy could inspire him to show up at a smelly farmer’s market. His elbows rested on the dock as she toyed with his hair, an amused fanged grin lingering on his lips.

“You? Nah,” He said as he reached a hand over to gently caress the side of her face, “You’d never do such a thing,” Without warning, he wrapped the arm around her neck and tugged. The gesture was enough to drag her down into the water with him. Exactly as he had done to her on Dantooine. He knew he would hear an earful, but it was entirely worth it.

“I can’t say the same, though,” Edin said as he kicked back from the dock before she could do anything about it. He had a grin on his face the entire time as he waded in the water.

@llamallove

 

[Amira Din]

Completely drenched, the button up shirt Edin wore clung to his slender, toned frame. Back on Takodana, when they had first met, she'd given the Firrerreo a hard time about his slender build. It was obvious now by the way amber eyes roamed over his shoulders and arms that she harbored no complaints. Even if she might not always admit it in words.

"That's right. I would never—"
Before she could finish that sentence or even react, Edin had wrapped his arm around her neck, pulled her from the dry dock, and drug her into the water with him. Seconds later, the Tiefling would emerge horns first, kicking and flailing her arms, hoping some of the water she was treading would spray the Firrerreo in the face. "Edin Frost!" she began, silver hair stuck to her temples. "You little—" She would never finish that sentence either, swallowing one gulp of salt water after another and spluttering, features twisted into a grimace.

Even with water in her eyes, she could make out the wicked and satisfied grin that had spread across Edin's face. Not to be outdone, Amira turned and propelled herself forward, toward the waiting convertible boat she had rented. One arm alternating in front of the other, long, dark legs fluttering just beneath the surface of the water, as she called out to him, "Race you to the boat! Last one there is at the mercy of the winner!"

A dangerous game, between a Firrerreo as stubborn as a mule and a Sith Champion used to getting her own way, but Amira liked to play dangerous games. Edin had known that from the start.

7/20 @Sreeya

 

[Edin Frost]

Amira was perhaps the only person in the galaxy that could draw out actual laughter from the Firrerreo. The sound was strange even to him, but he was doing it right then, chuckling as she expressed her great displeasure, “I can’t believe I got you like that twice,” Edin said in between laughter, watching as she suddenly declared a race to the boat.

Despite getting a headstart, Amira would be surprised to find Edin rapidly gaining on her. Within moments, he clearly passed her and made his way towards the boat. However, he abruptly stopped short of touching it or climbing on, ultimately letting her win. Edin grinned as he climbed onto the boat after her, soaking wet.

“Oh noooo,” He said dramatically, “I guess I’m at your mercy for the rest of the day,” Edin said. He may have been stubborn, but he knew what he liked.

@llamallove

 

[Amira Din]

Amira Din was not a woman that liked to lose. Edin was a man that would never capitulate. Or so she'd thought. The Tiefling was, she was discovering day by day, the exception to many of the Firrereo's rules, just as he was the exception to hers. Heart pounding, she watched as he hung back, treading water rather than climbing onto the boat.

"Next time, don't get me win," she instructed the Firrerreo, but if he was paying attention, the grin that spread across her lips betrayed her. She liked winning, and she liked the idea of Edin at her mercy for an entire day, confined to a boat with her and surrounded by nothing but water. The Tiefling pulled herself onto the stern of the boat. She was sopping wet, from the silver strands of hair draped across her shoulders to her bare feet and toenails painted white. Water droplet dripped from the clothing she wore, and she reached out for a towel lying across one of the deck's couch cushions.
Not for herself, but for Edin. She slid onto the Firrerreo's lap, facing him and with legs bent to either side of him. She ran the towel through his dark hair, gently massaging the scalp but leaving his hair even messier than before. The sight made her eyes sparkle in the sunlight. "I like a man that doesn't hold back." She certainly didn't. One finger trailed down Edin's sternum, the invisible hands of the force unfastening each of the buttons on his shirt, one by one in time with her finger as it trailed down toward his stomach until his shirt hung loose from his shoulders.

Amber eyes stared into blue before the Tiefling's head dipped toward his neck and began to kiss along his skin, slowly and methodically, as if she was refamiliarizing herself with him. Then her arms slipped around his neck, and she pulled back, tilting her head to one side. "Do you like it?" A perpetual tease, she was referring to the boat, but Edin would know by the gleam in her eye that the question meant more than that. Fingers played with the hair at the nape of his neck. "The owner said it's a workhorse with the bearing and grace of a thoroughbred. Speed tops out at just over 40 knots."

Interlacing her fingers with his, she'd tug him to his feet and lead him through the door at the stern of the boat that led into the galley of the ship. It was spacious, furnished with a couch and pillows, a u-shaped booth for eating, and a bar and fridge with two barstools facing it. Windows lined the walls, and you could look out for miles across the ocean and watch the waves.

"Can I fix you a drink?" she asked in a chipper voice, clearly in a good mood as she slipped behind the bar. Vodka and vermouth—a particularly expensive vintage that she had picked up on Eiattu while attending Altair's coronation ceremony—were poured into a mixing glass with ice and stirred. Then she poured the liquid into a martini glass, garnished with an olive threaded onto a toothpick. "Now that you're at my mercy," she grinned, leaning against the bar and staring at him, "What have you been up to?"

Edin didn't always like to talk about his assignments. It would remain to be seen if this one he wanted to discuss. @Sreeya

 

[Edin Frost]

“Who says I lost?” Edin said as she slid into his lap, “I only play games I can win, remember?” He reminded her - the same words he had used on Takodana. That day felt like a lifetime ago, back when they parted ways after a teasing build up. He never would have expected to find himself here and in love with that very same woman.

Edin’s hands traveled along her thighs as she dried his hair, the gesture so simple and yet so enticing. He hadn’t seen her in some time and she knew exactly what she was doing to him. His hands traveled up along her back. Edin gave her a fanged smile, “I like that we have it all to ourselves,” He said in response to her question about the boat.

As she stepped off him, she would feel her top slide right off. If she glanced back, she would see Edin with the bathing suit top hooked and spun around his finger, “Whoops,” He said nonchalantly, “Did I do that?” He asked with a glint in his eye.

His sharp eyes flicked up and down her still drenched and water-soaked body, “Now see,” He said as he eyed her and tilted his head, “I’m of the opinion that you’re not as wet as you could be.”

Before he could say anything else, his comlink began to beep. That comlink. She would know the one. Edin froze, his face growing rigid. His smile disappeared and that icy look in his eyes returned. He reached for the comlink to read the job details.

Not again.

@llamallove

 

[Amira Din]

This. This is what had been missing from Amira's life since they had last parted. The irrepressible ache deep within the Tiefling that made concentration difficult and sleep at night even more difficult when Edin was not beside her, just within reach. These days it felt like he was always out of reach. Out of touch, undercover or in hiding where she could not seek him out. Out of touch but never out of mind.

"What the—" Amira looked between Edin's index finger, where her yellow top hung from, and her exposed torso and then back again. "How did you...?" No answer was necessary, the trill of her own laughter closing the distance between them. Edin would notice an unmistakable gleam in her amber eyes, one that clearly spelled out an indulgence in fantasy. Her thoughts were on Takodana, to that first dance they had shared, when he had snatched the Champion's lightsaber without her even noticing. Someday he'd have to teach her how he did it.
Amira bent over, wrapping obsidian arms around the Firrerreo's neck from behind, hanging on him. Waves of sleek, damp hair cascaded over his shoulders. "Keep talking like that, and maybe you'll get your wish," she whispered into his ear, her voice low and thick with emotion, teeth playfully dragging along his earlobe.

Then the Firrerreo's comlink beeped. The one that only went off when it was an emergency or a big job from a very big client. Amira froze, teeth still tugging at his skin, knowing he would answer it. He had to. He wanted to. "What is it?" she asked after that, trying not to let any emotion bleed into her voice. @Sreeya

 

[Edin Frost]

Edin despised this and the timing of it. Who was he kidding, there was never an opportune time. He read the details and put the comlink away, turning back towards Amira, “It’s a big one,” He said, “I have to take it,” He said as he gazed into those perfect golden eyes. The disappointment was clear on his face, a sigh escaping him. He looked at her, his finger idly fiddling with a wet strand of her alabaster hair.

“But I can spare a few hours,” He said, the fanged grin returning. Edin tugged her onto his lap, meeting her lips with his. There was a sense of urgency in his movements - it wasn’t how he preferred it. He wanted to take his time with her, spend days with her - hell he would even take being woken up by her stupid cat or goat or chicken in the morning. But instead, he only had this time on the boat before he had to leave at once.

His hands traveled along her body, the rest of her attire tossed about on the boat. They had their moment here and he had no qualms with having her right here out on the deck.

–​

It was some time later and Edin was buttoning up his still damp shirt. He hated this part, and he checked his chrono. There would be a speeder waiting for him back ashore and he needed to be on it within the allotted window. The Firrerreo leaned down to kiss Amira again, brushing a few strands of her hair from her forehead, “I’ll make it up to you,” He said, a promise he tried to keep each time. He came through on it usually, but he was in higher demand these days. Edin gave her a genuine, tired smile, “I love you.”

@llamallove

 

[Amira Din]

A big one. That was the only answer given. No explanation. No expounding. Big enough he would keep the details to himself, even the fundamentals, such as who the target was and where he was going. There were still secrets between them, necessary mysteries that could not be avoided. Things that neither had told the other, given their pasts and their line of work. She understood, but her heart still shrunk a little within her each time.

The Tiefling's face fell, but she resisted the selfish urge to ask him to stay, to sail away with her for a few days like neither of them had a care in the world. This is what he loved. Asking him to give it up would only drive him farther away from her. He put up with the goats and the pet cat and all her emotional baggage and... well, everything else that was a mess in her life. She could put up with this.

"I understand," was the toneless response that she just couldn't help, although she tried to make up for it with a half-hearted smile that didn't quite meet her eyes. She ran a hand along the railing of the deck, vacant eyes sweeping over the water, her bare back to the Firerreo as she tried to compose herself. Kriff, she'd been emotional lately.
They only had a little time left before he needed to leave, and she wasn't going to waste it with tears. Turning, she faced him straight on and mirrored his fanged grin with a slow, building smile of her own. Amira did not hesitate to respond in kind, tongue darting out to taste his as her hands indulged in every impulse, feverish and trembling, as if she feared she would never see him again.

When it was time for Edin to leave, Amira kept every doubt, fear, and uncertainty to herself. She buried them deep within her, to be unpacked, examined, and dwelled upon later, when she was alone. "I love you," she said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear as she stared up at him. Trying to maintain a steady voice, she added, "And be careful." The gift she had for him would have to wait until later.

The sun had begun to set in the distance, the Firrerreo racing away on a speeder bike already a small, dark spec on the horizon of Castilon. Amira watched him disappear, arms wrapped around herself and tail slumped against the deck of the boat. "Please... come back to me in one piece." She missed him already. @Sreeya / end of thread