Part Four – Telling

I glanced around, trying to figure out what the Sith had possessed me to come with Kell, Cloud, and Ryok out to what they called their 'demolitions range.' But then I remembered that someone had to keep watch over these boys while they played with their toys. And it gave me an excuse to be with Cloud.

Currently, Kell was rummaging in his bag for the appropriate detonator with which to blow up the dummy that represented Daala and was their current target. Coming out with an illegal grenade, he turned towards Ryok and Cloud.

"Suggestions, gentlemen?"

Cloud nodded and glanced over at me briefly before saying, "Hey Kell, after you activate those, I've got something to tell you. And use Ryok's detonators."

Ryok offered my brother a box of the 'altered' detonators and Kell grinned insanely as he grabbed two. "Can't you just tell me now, Cloud?"

Cloud shook his head. "Nope, I wouldn't live to see the effects of the explosives."

Groaning, I slapped a hand on my forehead. Now was really not the time for Kell to be learning about my relationship. Cloud grinned at me.

Glaring at him from where I stood, I muttered half to myself, "Cloud you Sithin' idiot! I'm about to come over there and shoot you."

You wouldn't do that, Cloud's voice came to me in my mind through the Force.

"No, I'd do something stupider."

Enlighten me, if you'd be so kind.

"I really can't say it. Just try to tell Kell about us and I will."

Is that a challenge, Tainer?

"It might be, Ritril."

Well I can't just let a challenge go unanswered.

"Your funeral. I wouldn't do it."

But Cloud was already gone. As Kell set the timer on the explosive for 15 seconds and we all ran for cover, Cloud said, "So Kell, figured you should know..." The timer hit zero and I winced slightly as explosions rose behind us. "I'm going out with your sister."

Here's a little tidbit of information for you: if you ever want to get my brother really ticked off or just plain shocked, just say the words "I'm going out with your sister." Well, as Cloud said the magic words, Kell dropped his entire bag of explosives, frozen in shock.

I stalked over to Cloud, muttering something about how men could be so stupid sometimes. Cloud smiled innocently at me. Still annoyed, I muttered, "You vapin' idiot," underneath my breath. Cloud put on a hurt look.

Rolling my eyes, I asked him as calmly as I could manage, "Was there any remotely sensible reason why you did that?"

Cloud tilted his head and looked thoughtful for a minute before shaking his head. "Nope. I figure I'll be feeling his wrath any day now over numerous other projects I've kept to myself so why not give him the easiest one to retaliate to? He's not allowed to touch me, remember? As his girlfriend so nicely 'asked' him to do, he's to lay off."

I rolled my eyes once more. Males could be so stupid sometimes. "Cloud, shut up!" With that, I pulled his head towards me and kissed him, momentarily forgetting that Kell was standing within 30 feet of explosives.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Ryok blink and look in-between a frozen Kell and me. Finally, Ryok poked Kell's shoulder. "Um... Kell?"

Kell snapped out of Mr. Frozen Man mode. "What?"

"Um... is he kissing you sister?"

Kell blinked. "Oh Sithspit!" He made a dive for his explosives as Cloud stepped away from me. Cloud narrowed his eyes slightly, glanced over his shoulder at Kell, and sent my brother's explosives flying. As Kell made a grab for Ryok's explosives, I stepped in front of him, eyes narrowed.

"I don't think so,"

Grinning inwardly, I caught sight of Ryok for once dumfounded and standing there stock-still, trying to understand the scene before him. Turning my attention back to Kell, I said, "Look Kell, I love Cloud. Cloud loves me. It's actually quite simple once you think about it. You're my brother not my father," "Obviously, Tyria! Our father's dead courteously of Janson."

Ryok's mouth was still open as he went to go collect the detonators that had been flung around. Cloud stepped up beside me and laid a comforting hand on my shoulder, glaring slightly at Kell, who before all this had been his best friend.

"That's beside her point, Kell."

His expression torn, Kell protested, "But it's my job as her big brother to protect her."

"But not to the point where she doesn't have any freedom without worrying if she'll get you worked up,"

I waited patiently for both my brother and Cloud to come back to their senses. Okay, never mind, it wasn't going to happen. "I'm perfectly capable of that myself, Kell."

Muttering, Cloud nodded and said, "Yeah, what she said."

Kell opened his mouth to say something, probably some flip remark about how if I was so good at protecting myself, then how come I hadn't been able to get away from Daala.

Deciding to take drastic action and make my point in a way that Kell would have to understand, I cut my brother off, saying, "Kell, I'm going to make my point in a way that you're going to be forced to understand." I pulled my blaster out of its sheath and placed it at his head. "Kell, meet my blaster. My blaster makes me perfectly capable of handling myself. So, you can either let me and Cloud date like we want to, or I can just make my point very direct."

Kell gulped and nodded, trying to inch away from my blaster. "Alright, point taken." He grabbed his bag back from Ryok. "If Tyria Sarkin comes by looking for me, I'm in my explosives closet."

Ryok nodded sagely. "And Cloud is to be sent away, right?"

Cloud glanced at me, apparently waiting for me to put away my blaster before anything else. Hopefully, I wouldn't have to use it on Kell.

Thankfully, Kell shook his head. "No, I've given up on this. But Ritril," Cloud's head turned sharply to look him in the eye. "You hurt her, and I'll kill you."

A bit more satisfied, I reholstered my blaster. "I'd have preferred that without the death threats, but I suppose I'll let that one pass."

Nodding, Ryok still looked a tad confused. "Okay, then." Shaking his head slightly, he headed off back towards his lab.

Cloud watched him go for a minute, an eyebrow raised, before looking back between myself and my glorious brother.

Shaking his head and muttering things about how best to destroy someone who hurt me, Kell followed Ryok, headed in the directions of his own explosives closet.

Grinning like a mad man at Kell's back, Cloud turned back to me and pulled me towards him, kissing me again. Linking my arms around his neck, I kissed him back fervently, glad for now that the problem I called "Demolitions Boy Kell" was solved for the moment.

Pulling back from him slightly, I said quietly, "A demolitions range really isn't the place for this, Cloud."

Grinning mischievously at me, he replied. "Then how about we go back to good old HQ and find some place that is?"

Slapping him lightly on the head, I smiled slightly and kissed quickly on the lips once more, before heading back towards the entrance of Wraith Headquarters. For once, I really didn't care if Adra Loran or Nicola Afyon was watching. It simply didn't matter.