"I told you to wait for me."
"I didn't see the ice!"
"Because you weren't paying attention." Lorian had one hand balled around Lili's hood on her jacket, preventing her from sliding any further off the road they had landed upon. Ibaar was a cold, mountainous planet with old Empire and Rebellion ties. It was rumoured that they had suffered a famine during the Galactic Civil War, and judging from the village up in the distance, Lorian assumed it was true. Lili, who had been anxious to get off the ship, had taken one step from the platform and landed on her rear end, sliding away on the slick sheet of ice coating the planet.
She rolled her eyes and ignored Lorian's extended hand to help her up. She hadn't spoken much to him since their conversation about Boba Fett a few days prior. She hadn't asked questions. She hadn't offered candy. He knew she was upset with him.
And Lili was upset: she was upset that Lorian didn't trust her, like she trusted him. She knew he didn't like to talk, and she knew she shouldn't expect anything from him, especially after all he'd done for her. And yet, she felt hurt that he didn't feel like he could tell her anything.
"Your eyes are going to get stuck if you keep rolling them." Lili clenched her jaw and crossed her arms against the cold, looking up at the snow falling from the sky.
"At least I won't have to look at you, then," she mumbled, and he stopped walking for a moment to look over at her.
"You can leave anytime you want. That's part of the deal." Lili froze as she looked up at him, then stormed past with her arms crossed. Lorian trailed after him while shaking his head.
They walked in silence for a while, the beep of the fob the only noise between them. Snow covered the ground and icy patches were all around them. Lili was looking at the snow on the branches around them, and before she knew it she walked square into a tree.
"Watch where you're going." Lorian moved past her and she glared at him.
"I don't need you to tell me what to do, when I already know."
"I'm not the one who doesn't pay attention." Lili stomped after him, then tugged on his cape. He whipped around quickly, offered what she assumed was a glare, and he continued on.
"I'm not moving." She stood firmly, her arms crossed and face hard. He turned to look at her.
"You're acting like a child."
"I don't care! It isn't my fault that you can't open up about a damn thing!" she said loudly. Lorian thickly swallowed down his anger.
"Watch your language."
"It's a word. You cuss all the time and you don't hear me complaining!" Lorian heard cracking, and he looked down.
"Move, Lili."
"No." As he began to walk closer, she stormed forward.
"Every conversation we have is you telling me what to do, or telling me I talk too much. But at least I opened up to you about who I am." Lorian began to move back as he heard more cracking.
"Lili—"
"I opened up when it's the scariest thing for me to do! And you can't even find the compassion to tell me a damn thing about you!"
"Lili, we need to move. Now." Her face began to turn red.
"Even now, you aren't hearing my point!" she yelled.
"I do hear you, but our safety is my priority at the moment."
"I can handle—" She took a step forward and ice cracked under her feet. Water swallowed her up, biting at her skin in pricks before she caught the edge of the ice with one hand, pulling herself back up as she gasped for air. Her arms began to shake and Lorian knew that they had been standing on a hidden lake beneath the snow. He tested the ice a few feet away and when it held, he extended a hand. He knew he couldn't move any closer or they would both plunge into the water.
"Lili, breathe. Stay calm."
"C—Calm? W—Who's calm?" She was beginning to sink lower, the icy air and snow sticking to her hair.
"Lili, listen to me. You have to listen." She was shivering, and she looked up at him with a tremble on her lip. "You have to push yourself up and slide over here. I'll grab you when you're close enough."
"I—I can't!" Panic began to set in – he could tell. The bounty was forgotten, the fob on his belt as he left his hand extended.
"I can help you, but you have to try. Come on. Lili . . . trust me." She looked at him, then started to wiggle around as she planted both hands on the ice. "That's it. Keep doing that."
The moment her waist was exposed, she gasped and fell back into the water.
"It—It's freezing!" Lorian quickly removed his cape and held it on one arm, and took a trying step forward. The ice held.
"Try again." She took a few deep breaths, trying to calm down, and she tried again. The moment her hips were exposed, she reached out a hand blindly and immediately felt Lorian grasp it tightly. "I got you, kid."
He pulled her away from the hole and didn't stop until he was certain they were off the lake. He stopped and placed his cloak over her immediately. He could feel the cold through his gloves.
"You're alright, kid. You're alright." All previous arguments were forgotten, for now. He could hear her teeth chattering as he picked her up to carry into the nearby town.
"I—I c—c—"
"Are you still trying to argue with me?" Lili fell quiet and turned her head towards him, desperate for warmth. He pulled a section of his cloak over her head, blocking the snow away. She was still trembling when he made it to the small town, when he asked locals for the nearest lodging, and when he entered a wooded building close to the edge of town.
The moment Lorian stepped into the lodging, an old woman and what he presumed were her children gawked at him. He paused for a moment.
"Do you have a warm blanket?" The old woman took an unafraid step to greet him while the others went back to their tasks, still shooting him curious glances. He felt a light tap on his arm and saw Lili peeking out from the cloak. He helped her to stand back up and she leaned against his side, drained of energy.
"What happened to the girl?" the old woman asked.
"Thin ice." Lorian reached into his belt pocket, fished out a few credits, and the woman's eyes went wide. She accepted the credits gratefully. "A warm bed for the girl? And for you?"
"Just take care of the kid." The old woman walked to Lili's side and put her arm over her shoulders. Lorian begrudgingly allowed her to escort Lili away from him.
"I'll put her in the third room to the left, sir. We'll take good care of her." The old woman spoke in her native language and one of the younger girls came to Lili's free side. As they escorted her down a hallway straight ahead, Lili glanced back at him. He watched until they had disappeared.
He wasn't used to her anger, and it wasn't something he enjoyed. As he sat down in front of the fireplace of what he assumed was a living space, he stared at the flames and wondered if Lili regretted accepting his offer.
He still wasn't sure why he offered in the first place. He'd learn to worry about himself, and himself only, and now he was beginning to worry about something – someone – other than himself. She was beginning to matter.
What she had told him had meant much to her, and he should've immediately killed her for being in possession of armor that wasn't hers. It was against everything, and her fondness of one Boba Fett was enough to raise eyebrows. He should've hated her for ever associating with him, with the Empire.
Yet . . . he could do none of those things. Each time he tried, he remembered how eager she always was to talk to him, ask him questions. He recalled the way she made him smile on rare occasions, even if he never said a word, or if he added a sarcastic remark. In the month they'd been travelling together, he'd come to expect her talking and her laughter.
He didn't like being angry at her, just as she didn't like being angry at him. He knew she was hurt by what he'd done, by his lack of communication of his own story. He knew she was curious.
He knew opening up meant danger – danger of rejection and her life could potentially be at risk. He would not endanger a kid. Even as he replayed the memories in his mind, each time coming to be more bearable, the thought of speaking it aloud was overwhelming. He'd never spoken a word of his past to anyone, never questioned it, in fact. He was more conflicted than anything.
"Is she your daughter?" One of the young girls was hanging Lili's clothes by the fire, including tattered green cape and her jacket. Lorian didn't move or flinch.
"No." The girl nodded and put Lili's boots in front of the fire, next to his own. Her boots looked tiny compared to his.
"She's very pretty, sir." He didn't respond, and the young girl scampered off, leaving him alone once more. Lorian stewed for the next hour, deep in thought as he puzzled over what to do. It was another half hour before the old woman returned to the living space, coming to join Lorian by the fire.
"She's alright, just shaken up, sir. We've given her some broth to help warm her back up."
"Thank you." The old woman held out his cape, folded neatly.
"She asked me to give you this." He took it from her hands and replaced it as the woman watched.
"Is she awake?" The woman shook her head.
"She's out, like a candle on a windy night. You're more than welcome to go back and see her."
"Thank you." He stood up, walking briskly down the hallway until he reached the third door on the left. He hesitated for a moment. He wasn't sure if he would be welcome – after all, she had been frustrated with him for the past week. When he remembered she would be asleep, he opened the door to the room and stepped inside.
The room was much like the living space, but smaller. There was no fireplace – only a metal pit situated over a few stones with a little fire inside. The bed in the room was large and covered with furs, and a little candle sat on a stand next to the bed.
Lili looked small in the bed, covered from her chin and past her toes with furs and blankets. She slept on her back and for a few moments, he watched the steady rise and fall of her chest. He slowly sat on the edge of the bed with his gaze still on her face. There was so much he wanted to say, but so much he was afraid to. He wasn't sure where to begin.
His tracker began to beep, and he sighed heavily. Work always had to come first. Just as it always had.
He looked at Lili again, at her sleeping face. He hesitated.
With a hand where he was sure her shoulder would be, he said quietly, "I'll be back."