Chapter Four: Revealed
With her eyes closed, Zhenya breathed in deeply while balancing her entire weight on one leg. The silver, antique dagger lay flat on her outstretched palm. Concentrating on the weapon, making sure that she did not waver, Zhenya threw the dagger into the air. She moved swiftly, swinging her leg upward, somersaulting onto the mat behind her and grabbing the dagger before it hit the ground.
She opened her eyes and smiled at her reflection. Her senses were still acutely attuned to her surroundings along with heightened reflexes – each due to hard and vigorous training throughout her life. As fragile and breakable as Zhenya seemed, she was anything but.
She went through a strenuous set of exercises, repeating each one if she made a mistake and repeating it again for the sake of getting better. Pearls of perspiration ran down her temples, her heart beat rapidly but she breathed calmly.
The dagger grew warm in her fierce grip, the contours of its handle showing on the soft skin of her palm.
Zhenya stopped moving as she became aware of a deep hissing sound – the doors to the training area opening. She hurried to hide the dagger beneath a towel on the sitting bench underneath the mirrors, not wanting to answer to the security guards as to why the Lady of the house was carrying a museums piece as a weapon. It was no one's business but questions would be asked. Even though she did not approve, it was the way of things in the mansion and she doubted anything would change in the near future.
She stood at the ready, hands balled into fists behind her back. It was common knowledge that the training grounds were not to be used during this time of the evening. Zhenya did not want company while she let herself go, while she became one with her surroundings – the only real time she could relax and forget.
The thudding of booted feet made her arch her brows. The way the security guards walked sounded different and the girls' of the household did not wear boots. Zhenya stepped away from the mirrors, her bare feet tingling when she touched down on the blue mats and then on the cold floor.
She stopped as she heard whispered words of adoration. The scarred Jedi was admiring the training grounds; his face reminded her of a young boy who'd stumbled across hidden lifeday gifts. She was surprised at how kind he seemed when he smiled.
Zhenya cleared her throat to get his attention. Slowly, he turned his head towards her, the smile fading when he realized he wasn't alone.
She avoided his gaze, the way she always did when speaking to a male of higher standing. She'd been taught no other way and as much as her son hated her behavior, as much as he tried to help her shake the habit, it was indeed a useless endeavor. At a young age, her father had shown her what happened if she did not obey and the memories permanently burned into her skull resurfaced every time she was near another man.
Inside, she cringed and felt ashamed but she knew nothing else.
"Do you wish to use this facility?" Zhenya asked softly, staring at his reflection instead of him.
Pax frowned at her. "No. I was just taking a look." He inclined his head towards her, wondering why she avoided looking at his face. For a moment, he thought it had to do with his scar but then he felt a flicker of something else in the Force, something he didn't recognize.
His com link chirped and with a grunt, he ripped it from his belt. Just a short message that he was to meet Nikk and the others in the foyer, which he really didn't feel like doing. He wanted to stay with Zhenya for a while longer – it was beyond him why he found her so interesting. At first, he had thought it would be fun to annoy Nikk but he had caught himself constantly thinking about her since their first meeting. There was just something about her that called to him.
The fact that she was refusing to look at him irked the hell out of him, though.
"Do you always do this?" Pax asked in a low tone, making sure he sounded soft unlike his usual gruff bass.
Zhenya glanced at him, just for a second before averting her gaze towards the floor. "Do what?"
Pax stepped forward and he reached out when he was only inches away from her. He lifted her chin with his thumb and smiled. "Are you afraid to look at me?"
He searched her face for any kind of emotion but it seemed she had perfected the mask of tranquility. Through the Force, he could feel her confusion at him being there, even a sort of embarrassment, a contradiction to what showed on her features. He let himself think that perhaps she was scarred on the inside as he was on the outside.
Her startling blue eyes met his and her intense stare seemed to burn right through him. "Of course not." She whispered and he could feel her sudden surprise, her growing nervousness. "I am not accustomed to people being this direct." She swallowed but she held his stare.
Pax smiled, dropping his hand to his side. "Get used to it." He backed away, admiring the slight blush in her cheeks before turning on his heel and heading out towards the foyer.
***
Kyp had expected Nikk's lifestyle to be of higher standard so he wasn't surprised when he entered the mansion the former Jedi called his home. Kriss, on the other hand, gaped at all the shiny and twinkly stuff and the moment the boy had reached out to touch the small statues, Kyp had snapped at him. "Don't. Touch. Anything."
"This place is amazing." Kriss had breathed, completely awed by his surroundings. Kyp didn't feel comfortable with this kind of luxury. It didn't feel right – out of place in his world of constant elbowing and fighting.
Nikk had two uniformed staff members bring their belongings to their rooms, while he prattled on about the mansion, about how his new job was worse than he'd ever imagined and that's when Kyp tuned out. He wasn't interested in Nikk's incessant nagging but the actual reason he stopped listening, was a tingle that crept up his spine and settled in the middle of his chest. With invisible fingers, it gripped around his heart – he took a quick breath when a sudden rush of adrenaline shot through his veins.
Strangely, the feeling was familiar. Every time something surprising came up, something he hadn't expected, Kyp would get edgy. Maybe as a reflex, who knew, but this time, he even found it a bit disconcerting because he felt nervous as well.
He made out light footsteps behind him and for a moment, he thought it was someone from the staff until he felt the Force flicker around him. As if a valve had opened, he perceived a multitude of emotions, a thick and chaotic tangle of feelings so strong, they made him suck in a breath.
The undercurrent was familiar, though. Very familiar. Although her presence was a surprise, he cracked a little smile and turned around.
Liz arched a brow as she fought back a smile of her own, crossing her arms in front of her chest nonchalantly, as if seeing him after six long months wasn't a big deal at all. She was fooling herself, of course, because it was a big kriffing deal. She cleared her throat as she stepped closer, holding his green gaze while an evil giggle tried to surface.
She fought it, not wanting him to know how relieved she really was, how happy she was that he was there but above all, that he was okay. That was the worst part of being separated for a prolonged time – not knowing if he was all right.
"About time you showed up." She said softly, her voice barely audible in the grand foyer of the mansion. From the corner of her eye, she saw Nikk explaining something of value to Kriss whose eyes were wide with wonder. Nikk's security guards stood near the double doors of the entrance, staring straight ahead into nothingness.
Kyp took a step towards her, his smile having turned into a little smirk. Inwardly, Liz sighed and she imagined it sounded dreamy and cute – all fluffy and fuzzy, just the way she felt.
"Well, you know how it." He said, standing only bare inches away from her. The distance was still too great, Liz thought, so she took another step forward. She could feel warmth radiating off his skin, she could smell the spicy cologne she loved so much and if he'd lean down just a little, she could have grabbed him around his neck and pulled him down for a kiss.
She didn't.
Instead, she bit the inside of her cheek to keep the giggle monster at bay.
"Having to save all those damsels in distress, having to save the galaxy all on my own – things like this require quite an amount of my time." The smirk turned into a trademark grin, the one that always made her knees wobbly and her insides turn into goo. He placed his hands on her hips and pulled her forward but still Liz resisted the urge to hug him, kiss him – or better yet, to strangle him for leaving her without a single message for half a damned year.
"Is that so?" She whispered, swallowing as her heart sped up as if it was suddenly powered by a miniature sublight engine.
"Of course." He said in a husky tone and all of a sudden proximity alarms went off in her head, all at once and all of them extraordinarily loud. He was so close suddenly…
Liz unfolded her arms and laid her hands atop his arms. She breathed out on a sigh and smiled ever so slightly, willing the giggle monster back as far as it would go. There was no way she'd mess up this lovely moment with a stupid girly attack of the giggles.
No. Way.
"But you know what?" Liz had to strain to hear his words and she shivered when he leaned forward, his lips brushing along her ear. She closed her eyes, wishing the foyer were empty – wishing they were somewhere else entirely, somewhere completely private. "All the while, my thoughts were with you." He placed a lingering kiss on her neck. "I've missed you, Liz."
In her minds' eye, she was a puddle of drool at his feet and melting still with two big brown eyes batting lashes.
Pathetic. I am a sap.
"I've missed you, too." She croaked, finally letting go. She'd expected a sparkling laugh to bubble out of her throat but instead she was surprised to find tears blurring her sight. Liz took a deep, steadying breath, gripping Kyp's arms as if to make sure he was real.
He touched his forehead against hers, cupping the side of her face with his hand. She wanted to say something silly to lighten up the moment, something stupid to make them both laugh but sifting through the chaos in her mind brought her absolutely nothing.
Therefore, they stood in silence, content.
***
Kriss listened intently to what Nikk said, admiring every detail and wondering what it would be like to trade in the simple life of a Jedi trainee for the life Nikk led. If he'd voiced these thoughts aloud, he suspected he would have needed to duck fast and keep out of reach.
He whirled around at a sudden pounding sound and was surprised to see Jedi Orlon coming down the staircase. It seemed like this was more than a little friendly get together if Pax was around. Kriss had only dared talk to him once while Pax had still been at the academy and that one time had scared the bejibbers out of him. If there was one man in the galaxy whose mere glance could melt durasteel, then it was Pax'.
"How about you tell us what's going on here so we can get back to the work we're being paid for?" Pax asked in his growly deep voice, staring at Nikk as if he were a critter worthy of a squashing underneath his large boots. Evidently, the two men didn't like each other because Nikk's glower almost rivaled Pax'.
Kriss glanced over at Kyp and his eyes widened a fraction. He hadn't even noticed Liz and he was surprised to see her there in the first place. Obviously, Kyp was a happy man, going by the smile on his face – a smile Kriss wasn't accustomed to.
It was almost scary.
There was something akin to relief on Kyp's face when he met Pax' stare and to Kriss' amazement, Pax seemed to relax just a little bit. Their mutual albeit fractional nod passed by in just mere seconds and Kriss couldn't help but wonder what it meant – secret sign language. He grinned at the thought.
"Follow me and I'll get right to it." Nikk said, gesturing down a winding hall that seemed to snake around the huge staircase. "I'll even spare you all the gruesome details and get right to the good stuff."
Pax nodded, stuffing his thick hands into the pockets of his pants. "Go right ahead."
The security guards tensed, their anticipation was palpable. Even without the Force, Kriss would have felt their apprehension. Who wouldn't get nervous when Pax was around?
Nikk led the way down the hall, his guards trailing them closely. No one talked. Kyp and Liz held hands as they walked – so odd seeing him giddy –, Pax walked like a man who didn't want to be where he was while Nikk seemed to be completely at peace with himself. Somehow, Kriss felt it was only a mask. If he'd truly been so calm, he wouldn't have called the other Jedi.
A wonderful smell tickled Kriss' nose and he raised his brows. It smelled delicious, whatever it was. He pictured different sorts of cooked meat and vegetables, fruits and sweets for deserts – yeah, this was too good to be true.
They walked into a brightly lit cavern of a chamber. An enormous round table stood in the middle, set with so many different sorts of foodstuff! Kriss had to remind himself to close his mouth – how embarrassing if he'd start slobbering all over himself.
"Whoa." He breathed.
Kriss heard Nikk chuckle behind him and the other man laid a hand on his shoulder. "Take a seat, Kriss and enjoy."
Well, he wouldn't be told twice. And he even managed to ignore the gloomy look Kyp shot him as he pulled a chair out from underneath the table, sat down and began decking his plate with anything he could put his fingers on.
The first half hour was spent with light talking, a few jokes here and there, tons of jabs and banter between all of them – even Pax chimed in once in a while. The light mood shifted downward when he mentioned the knife episode with Liz, though.
Kyp took a sip from a crystal goblet and raised his brows in a questioning gesture. "'Scuse me?" He asked, making a face as if he'd swallowed something rotten.
"What? She didn't tell you she freaked out on me?" Pax asked while biting off a piece of bread.
"I was going to get to that." Liz piped up, leaning back in the padded and very comfortable chair. "Eventually." She added as an afterthought, avoiding looking at anyone at the table.
She felt Kyp's stare and she groaned.
Thanks, Pax! She thought grimly. Now tonight's going to be all about talking…
She refrained from pouting but still it annoyed her to no end that Pax hadn't given her the opportunity to tell Kyp herself, to actually get the chance and explain herself.
Liz shifted her gaze to the side and was taken aback by the hard look in Kyp's eyes. The way his jaw was set, the way the skin around his eyes crinkled just a bit – yeah…talking. Until she passed out from exhaustion.
Great.
She rubbed her temples and sighed, hoping they'd drop the matter. Nikk, the great buddy that he was, saved her by clearing his throat and throwing a white napkin atop the table.
"So." He said, clearing his throat and blowing out a breath. Could it actually be that cocky Nikk was nervous? "I've mentioned this is a personal matter. A political matter as well, actually." He sat up straight, resting his elbows on the table while folding his hands. "My cousin – the rank bastard – is trying to kill me." Nikk shrugged. "It's nothing new in my world of deceit and lies. Basically, he wants my title and I'm not willing to give it up. If I die an untimely – and no doubt gruesome– death, he would automatically take my place. So, for obvious reasons he wants me dead."
"You want us to protect you?" Pax asked with a wrinkled brow.
Nikk snorted. "Yeah, right. I don't need your protection. What I need is your help getting my sister back."
They could have cut through the thick, ensuing silence with a knife.
"You have a sister?" Kriss asked quietly.
"We really don't know anything about you, do we?" Liz asked, narrowing her eyes slightly.
"Honestly, I didn't even know I had a sister up until a few weeks ago." Nikk shrugged, rubbing his chin with his thumb. "My perfect father had an affair. I don't know with whom, all I know is that the woman conceived and fearing my father, she left. I've been getting messages and little pointers for the past few months and among all this mysterious information there's a picture of a little girl. Nine or ten years old maybe. She's being held at my cousin's estate. I don't know if she's there willingly, if she lives there, if they've locked her up – I have absolutely no clue. And that's where I need your help."
"Well, this doesn't sound too hard." Liz said. "We could gather more information and –"
"It's not about the information." Kyp cut in, holding on to the crystal goblet with one hand. "You have your sources of information at your cousins' estate."
Nikk nodded but he didn't say a word.
Again, there was a moment of silence, while Liz looked from Kyp to Nikk, from Kriss to Pax and back again.
"You want us to kidnap her." Kyp said in a low, controlled voice.
Nikk nodded.
And that's when the shouts started.
