Well, here it is! I hope you like it!
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Chapter Sixteen
Lisani sat at the bar, swirling the brandy around in her glass. What was all that about? she thought. This is crazy. I can't be falling for Kyp Durron. I mean, I barely met the man, what, two standard weeks ago? And yet I can still feel every place where his body touched mine.
She tossed the liquid back and felt it burn a trail all the way down to her toes. Catching the bartender's attention, she motioned for another brandy. I just want to drink and drink until I forget that Kyp Durron ever existed, she thought. I just want to forget how much I want to pin him down and kiss him until he can't think. He could never love me back. It's all just a futile exercise of my overactive imagination. I just imagined that spark of feeling in his eyes. Those beautiful green eyes.
"Sith!" she yelled as she turned and met those same emerald eyes.
Kyp winced. "Would you mind not using that particular expletive while I'm around?"
Lisani colored and laughed nervously. "Right. Sorry. I forgot."
Kyp waved it off as he sat next to her. "That's okay," he said. "It's rather refreshing, actually. To meet someone that could ever forget my past."
Lis looked at him. "It's weird," she said, contemplating his features. "When I look at you, I don't even think about what you were, I mean, the Destroyer of Carida and all that. Although that's what I knew most about you before I met you. No, when I see you-" She cut herself off and blushed again. "Here I am, spouting my mouth off to the great Kyp Durron," she murmured. "My apologies, Master. Just tell me to shut up." She picked up the glass the bartender had refilled and tossed it back.
"No, no," Kyp said. "Now I'm curious. What do you see when you look at me? And please, call me Kyp."
Lisani snuck a shy glance at him. "Then call me Lis," she said.
Kyp smiled at her. "It's a deal, Lis," he said. "Now please, continue."
"Well, I see someone who's very, very good at whatever he does, whether it's wrecking an X-Wing or sweet-talking new pilots into helping him repair said X-Wing." She laughed at Kyp's surprised expression. "What? Not what you expected to hear?"
Kyp schooled his face into a carefully neutral mask. "Nothing," he said quickly. "I did ask you to be honest."
Lis smiled and shook her head. "Male pilots and their egos," she said. "Won't even admit it when we women can see what they're thinking."
Kyp laughed. "Can't forget, I'm a Jedi too. Which means my ego is allowed to be as big as a Tauntaun's stench."
Lis laughed with him. "True. I'd forgotten about that. But aren't Jedi supposed to be sober and modest and all that fun stuff?"
"The other Jedi, perhaps," Kyp said, striking a heroic pose. "But not for Kyp Durron. He lives on the wild side, courting danger at every turn, and is not afraid to boast about it to pretty young women in bars." He dropped his arms. "But, seriously, is that all you think of me?"
Definitely not, Lis thought. I think you're an amazing man too damn sexy for my peace of mind. Aloud, she said, "Well, that's about as much of your character as I've seen. My further opinion will have to wait."
"Till when?" Kyp asked nonchalantly.
Lis shrugged. "Till whenever you decide to show me another side of yourself, I guess," she said.
"How about tonight? At the tapcaf?" Kyp asked, clasping his sweaty palms together.
"Is this like a. a date?" Lis asked uncertainly.
"Well, you said you wanted to get to know me better," Kyp said, unsuccessfully trying to slow his rapid pulse.
Lis shrugged. "What the hell. Okay. Who knows, it could be fun."
"It's a date then?" Kyp asked.
Lis nodded. "You know, I still don't understand why we have a tapcaf on base."
Kyp shrugged. "Who knows. I think Squeaky refused to come unless Wedge let him have one."
Lis raised an eyebrow. "Really? Or do you think it was so the ratio of drunk pilots to sober ones in one place would be reduced?"
Kyp laughed. "You know, I think I like your hypothesis better," he said, finally relaxing.
Lis smiled. "Oh, could you clear up another thing for me?" At Kyp's nod of acquiescence, she continued. "What exactly is Lieutenant Solo and who exactly is Colonel Fel to her?"
Kyp sat back. "Well, a while back, Jaina started adopting the persona of the Yuuzhan Vong Trickster goddess, Yun-Harla, in order to confuse the Vong. Wedge thought it was a good idea and recruited Sharr and Piggy to develop the concept a bit more. Eventually, to prevent possible security leaks, Wedge had Jaina act as the goddess day in and day out, giving her special privileges right and left, hoping that any Vong spies would believe that she truly was their goddess."
"If you don't mind my saying so, if this is confidential, why are you telling me now?"
"Well, since we broke off and sort of formed a new Rebellion, the point's been kinda moot. Wedge personally knows and trusts nearly everyone in this system, and those he doesn't know, another of the Insiders does. So we're absolutely positive there are no security leaks, and since Jaina was getting rather fed up with it all, she stopped playing the role every hour of the day. She still is the Goddess in space and stuff, where our comm conversations might get intercepted and decoded, but down here she's just soon-to-be-promoted Lieutenant Jaina Solo."
Lis nodded and quietly digested this information. "And my second question?"
Kyp laughed. "You mean you had to ask? Isn't it obvious? They're... well, I hesitate to say lovers because I know they're not sleeping together, but they're as close to that as you can possibly get without crossing the line."
"I see," said Lis. Checking her wristchrono, she gasped. "1300! I have to go meet with the Goddess! Which reminds me. What time should I meet you tonight?"
"1900 sound good?" At Lis's nod, Kyp smiled. "See you then!" He sat back and relaxed, basking in the knowledge that that night he would be going on his very first serious date. Sitting up suddenly, he swore under his breath. Force, please please PLEASE don't let Jaina find out about this!!
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Of course, we all know what's going to happen...
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Chapter Sixteen
Lisani sat at the bar, swirling the brandy around in her glass. What was all that about? she thought. This is crazy. I can't be falling for Kyp Durron. I mean, I barely met the man, what, two standard weeks ago? And yet I can still feel every place where his body touched mine.
She tossed the liquid back and felt it burn a trail all the way down to her toes. Catching the bartender's attention, she motioned for another brandy. I just want to drink and drink until I forget that Kyp Durron ever existed, she thought. I just want to forget how much I want to pin him down and kiss him until he can't think. He could never love me back. It's all just a futile exercise of my overactive imagination. I just imagined that spark of feeling in his eyes. Those beautiful green eyes.
"Sith!" she yelled as she turned and met those same emerald eyes.
Kyp winced. "Would you mind not using that particular expletive while I'm around?"
Lisani colored and laughed nervously. "Right. Sorry. I forgot."
Kyp waved it off as he sat next to her. "That's okay," he said. "It's rather refreshing, actually. To meet someone that could ever forget my past."
Lis looked at him. "It's weird," she said, contemplating his features. "When I look at you, I don't even think about what you were, I mean, the Destroyer of Carida and all that. Although that's what I knew most about you before I met you. No, when I see you-" She cut herself off and blushed again. "Here I am, spouting my mouth off to the great Kyp Durron," she murmured. "My apologies, Master. Just tell me to shut up." She picked up the glass the bartender had refilled and tossed it back.
"No, no," Kyp said. "Now I'm curious. What do you see when you look at me? And please, call me Kyp."
Lisani snuck a shy glance at him. "Then call me Lis," she said.
Kyp smiled at her. "It's a deal, Lis," he said. "Now please, continue."
"Well, I see someone who's very, very good at whatever he does, whether it's wrecking an X-Wing or sweet-talking new pilots into helping him repair said X-Wing." She laughed at Kyp's surprised expression. "What? Not what you expected to hear?"
Kyp schooled his face into a carefully neutral mask. "Nothing," he said quickly. "I did ask you to be honest."
Lis smiled and shook her head. "Male pilots and their egos," she said. "Won't even admit it when we women can see what they're thinking."
Kyp laughed. "Can't forget, I'm a Jedi too. Which means my ego is allowed to be as big as a Tauntaun's stench."
Lis laughed with him. "True. I'd forgotten about that. But aren't Jedi supposed to be sober and modest and all that fun stuff?"
"The other Jedi, perhaps," Kyp said, striking a heroic pose. "But not for Kyp Durron. He lives on the wild side, courting danger at every turn, and is not afraid to boast about it to pretty young women in bars." He dropped his arms. "But, seriously, is that all you think of me?"
Definitely not, Lis thought. I think you're an amazing man too damn sexy for my peace of mind. Aloud, she said, "Well, that's about as much of your character as I've seen. My further opinion will have to wait."
"Till when?" Kyp asked nonchalantly.
Lis shrugged. "Till whenever you decide to show me another side of yourself, I guess," she said.
"How about tonight? At the tapcaf?" Kyp asked, clasping his sweaty palms together.
"Is this like a. a date?" Lis asked uncertainly.
"Well, you said you wanted to get to know me better," Kyp said, unsuccessfully trying to slow his rapid pulse.
Lis shrugged. "What the hell. Okay. Who knows, it could be fun."
"It's a date then?" Kyp asked.
Lis nodded. "You know, I still don't understand why we have a tapcaf on base."
Kyp shrugged. "Who knows. I think Squeaky refused to come unless Wedge let him have one."
Lis raised an eyebrow. "Really? Or do you think it was so the ratio of drunk pilots to sober ones in one place would be reduced?"
Kyp laughed. "You know, I think I like your hypothesis better," he said, finally relaxing.
Lis smiled. "Oh, could you clear up another thing for me?" At Kyp's nod of acquiescence, she continued. "What exactly is Lieutenant Solo and who exactly is Colonel Fel to her?"
Kyp sat back. "Well, a while back, Jaina started adopting the persona of the Yuuzhan Vong Trickster goddess, Yun-Harla, in order to confuse the Vong. Wedge thought it was a good idea and recruited Sharr and Piggy to develop the concept a bit more. Eventually, to prevent possible security leaks, Wedge had Jaina act as the goddess day in and day out, giving her special privileges right and left, hoping that any Vong spies would believe that she truly was their goddess."
"If you don't mind my saying so, if this is confidential, why are you telling me now?"
"Well, since we broke off and sort of formed a new Rebellion, the point's been kinda moot. Wedge personally knows and trusts nearly everyone in this system, and those he doesn't know, another of the Insiders does. So we're absolutely positive there are no security leaks, and since Jaina was getting rather fed up with it all, she stopped playing the role every hour of the day. She still is the Goddess in space and stuff, where our comm conversations might get intercepted and decoded, but down here she's just soon-to-be-promoted Lieutenant Jaina Solo."
Lis nodded and quietly digested this information. "And my second question?"
Kyp laughed. "You mean you had to ask? Isn't it obvious? They're... well, I hesitate to say lovers because I know they're not sleeping together, but they're as close to that as you can possibly get without crossing the line."
"I see," said Lis. Checking her wristchrono, she gasped. "1300! I have to go meet with the Goddess! Which reminds me. What time should I meet you tonight?"
"1900 sound good?" At Lis's nod, Kyp smiled. "See you then!" He sat back and relaxed, basking in the knowledge that that night he would be going on his very first serious date. Sitting up suddenly, he swore under his breath. Force, please please PLEASE don't let Jaina find out about this!!
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Of course, we all know what's going to happen...