As he crept closer to the back wall Eris steadied her breathing, calmed her nerves. Instinct said to come out fighting, to knock him back to gain distance from him and that crude dagger. It didn't happen often, but instinct was wrong. He'd fall back not only knowing he'd found his target but that she was chained. He'd have time to consider options because he could move freely, and more importantly it would leave her stuck in front of him with nowhere to go.

She needed to get behind him. That was the only option she had to take him out. There were a few tactics to consider: climbing the wall so when he came round she could jump on his back however she couldn't do that now without him seeing the chain moving up the wall and he'd guess her plan and thwart it, she had the dark on her side so when he came round the wall she could quickly run around him wrapping him in the chain but that depended on him coming to her and from the straight path he made toward the wall she knew rather than coming to her he planned to grab the chain and pull her to him. She only had one choice, and in the time it took for him to move three steps forward she'd come to her decision and steeled herself to fight.

With light feet she stepped closer to the edge of the wall so that her shoulder was level with its edge, listening to his heavy footsteps getting closer and knowing his eyes were trained on the corner anticipating a flash of movement. Neither were stupid, both were savage and reckless. When he was a breath away from grabbing the chain she charged, he followed instinct and forsook her leash in favor of turning with his knife raised. She grabbed his arm and using her momentum swung her body around him and planted her feet firmly between his shoulder blades. Using the chain wrapped around her wrist she pulled it tight across his thick neck, and tighter still as she dug her feet into his back. If she'd been a Barabel she might've been able to take his head clean off, but she was Viderian and though stronger than a human she wasn't strong enough and in the end she could only hope to take his breath.

In a desperate attempt to save himself he reached back aiming to stab her and was rewarded with the sound of her choked pain as she cried out, his blade clattering on the floor. With his knife out of reach he threw his back to the wall clawing at his belt, she grunted at the sudden pressure against her stomach as his shoulders pinned her to the wall. She pulled the chain tighter feeling his bobbing throat shifting beneath it as he tried to breathe, and went about working her leg out from behind him. He felt her struggles and knew she'd caught sight of his blaster and planned to kick it out of his hand as soon as he raised it. With his heart beating furiously in his ears and his head warming to an unbearable degree as he continued without air, he held the blaster in hand and slammed his elbow into her calf holding it firmly against the wall. It left her without option, she was immobilized by his thick body, her muscle bent painfully beneath his jagged elbow to the point she honestly thought he'd stabbed her again, watching as he then aimed the blaster to shoot her from behind.

And then his grip loosened, his arms slowly drooped back to his sides, his coiled body began to unwind as he wilted. She slid against the wall as he crumbled, her legs spreading around his broad shoulders until they came to sit together and a rush of air left her with a harsh whoosh. From afar it might've been mistaken for a tender moment between two lovers; his back to her chest, her legs bent around him, his head on her shoulder, her cheek against his still warm temple. If not of course for her deep panting being the only breathing between them.

When she was sure he was good and dead she unwound the chain from around his neck feeling it unstick from his gray flesh and shoved him off her. She allowed herself a moment to breathe having honestly thought she would've at least broken something, because there'd been no doubt in her mind it would be her to walk away. It wasn't until beneath her hammering heart she heard the sound of young Rey crying out that she finally moved tearing the blaster out of his stiff hand and lining the barrel with the link fastening the chain to her wrist.

Wasting no time to enjoy her freedom she climbed to her feet and moved to the door, hearing every so often beneath the Noghri's growls a softer grunt. Pulling back the tarp Eris expected to find Rey – a far less skilled fighter - bruised, bleeding, wincing in pain, and quite possibly with the other Noghri's large hand around her thin arm holding her in place. But what she saw was Rey staring down the assassin with her teeth bared holding her staff like a spear as she quickly spun to evade the onslaught of his knife, his blaster having already been knocked from his hand and now lost in the sand. Eris allowed herself to observe, weapon held at her side, watching Rey's unrefined manner of combat.
She'd lunge forward swinging her staff with considerable strength striking the Noghri before jumping back out of his way, and he might've been a head shorter but was at least twice her width and moved swiftly as he drove that dagger after her. Their dance continued many moments more, sweat beading on Rey's brow her breaths deepening until she panted, but she stood strong. Until the Noghri grew tired of catching nothing more than the fabric of her tunic as she spun out of reach, and the next time she struck he grabbed her staff instead and landed a heavy kick to her middle throwing her back.

Holding her side Rey pulled herself on the ground as the Noghri returned the knife to his belt and weighed the metal staff in his hands judging how best to go about using against her. She cried out as the end of it was jammed into her leg as she tried to crawl away, and then again as it was thrust into her middle. With it held at the middle of her back she was pinned belly first to the ground with her own weapon and she clawed at the sand uselessly still trying to get away.

A high pitched echoing whine sounded and Rey suddenly found herself free. She was quick to throw herself to the left and roll onto her back so that she could get to her feet, prepared to keep running should that beast still make to attack. Only what she saw when she finally stood on shaking legs was him lying facedown in the sand and her staff fallen from his hand. Eris, Rey had nearly forgotten the other woman in her blind panic to survive. Turning to the ship she raggedly said, "took you long enough."

Eris lowered the blaster and tilted her head to the side as she appraised Rey's state, shaken and hurt but otherwise alright. "Next time don't let him get the upper hand," she stated blandly before turning and retreating through the door.

Rey stared after her appalled at her admittance that she'd stood there watching as he hurt her, and she could do little more than scoff because was there really any reason to think Eris would've cared. And then it hit her – Eris wasn't chained anymore. The sound of something heavy shifting on the metal floor had Rey ready to dive for where the other blaster lay half buried in the sand; her eyes widened as Eris' backside slowly emerged through the tarps and with it the large mass she was dragging.

Eris put him beside the other Noghri wondering if she'd known these two – she'd known a few, enough she respected their extreme skill. "What d'you think?" she asked turning to look at Rey over her shoulder, a tired smirk curling one half of her mouth, "should we set 'em up, make 'em our guards." She watched Rey's mouth fall open at that horrid thought and chuckled as she brushed her messy hair back. "Joking," she said raising her hands as a show of innocence, "I promise. We can bury them later." She turned and made for the ship again, though before she disappeared behind the tarps she pointed to the Noghri she'd been fighting and said, "get your stick."

"It's a staff," Rey correctly quietly not trusting her intentions. But she did as told wanting some form of weapon, and she was quick to move back to where the blaster sat in case it was needed. She waited for Eris to return and watched her drop the gun she'd confiscated in favor of the short metal retractable staff Rey had taken when she first found her.

Eris sharply flicked her wrist extending the blunt end and motioned for Rey to raise her own staff. "The best way to lose a fight is to fight reckless," she said getting into position, her dominant side's foot steady in front of her ready to move. "Second's to fight predictably. And kid you're as predictable as they come."

Rey held her staff unsure what was happening, having thought Eris planned to kill her and was showing respect by giving her a fair chance – now Rey wondered if Eris wasn't planning to hurt her at all. But then Eris moved, a quick charge with a calculated swipe with the end of her rod cuffing Rey's ankle. "Ow," Rey said, more out of habit than pain, and stepped back.

Eris stepped with her not letting her gain distance, wanting to force Rey to fight close. "You're alone, that makes you weaker. It's not about winning for you, it's about getting away," she said taking another jab at her but this time Rey brought her staff down to block it. "Get 'em off their feet," she said swinging the bar to the other side of Rey.

And Rey, having expected Eris to try hitting her on the same side, wasn't able to stop the blow from landing and she felt the same bite of the metal as before. This time it was Rey who attacked bringing her rod up to take a jab at Eris' stomach hoping to at least push her back.

Only Eris knew how to watch her opponent's body, knew how to use her peripheral to never have to take her eyes off Rey's face and still manage to block her strike. This time Eris aimed the end of her staff at Rey's left leg, the one across from her, and as Rey focused on stopping the hit from landing Eris swiped a foot around Rey's ankle throwing her off balance.
Eris knelt beside where Rey fell and looked at the kid's surprised face; she looked so sweet, big brown eyes, such a pretty young thing. "You get 'em off their feet they can't duck when you knock 'em out."

Rey stared up at where Eris hovered over her seeing the pale moon shining behind Eris' dark head like an ironic halo. Her eyes shone in the darkness, a strange technicolor. Rey found herself breathless. "What happens if I can't get them off their feet?" she asked taking the hand Eris offered and climbed to her feet.

With a sigh Eris turned to the horizon to see the first warm colors of the sun beginning to peak, already the sky had lightened. "Guess I'll teach you that next time."

"Next time?" Rey asked hopefully.

Without answer Eris turned to the ship, though now that she was outside of it she saw it was actually an AT-AT, grabbed both fallen blasters and stepped back inside. Raising her staff level with the wall she pushed the end of it back inside the handle so that it was no longer than her forearm.

Rey quietly followed her and sat on her hammock watching as Eris then paced the floor. Her arms were crossed, her dark brows drawn together, her full mouth pursed in deep thought. "They came for you," Rey said after a while, realizing that's what was troubling her. She was trying to figure out her next step.

"Yeah," Eris answered, her feet never faltering. She was considering her options now that The Order had called a hit on her. If those two hunters didn't give a report more would be sent in their place: Eris prided herself on her fighting often to the point of taking on more than she could handle, but even she knew she couldn't fight forever. Which left contacting General Hux who'd given her the job in the first place, and he'd either see the benefit of her living and continuing the search for Lor San Tekka or he'd send more assassins and she was back at the first option. Briefly she considered the Resistance who were more likely to imprison her out of 'good will' but if the past three days were anything to go by then Eris would rather die fighting. She wasn't the kind to waste away.
She turned to Rey suddenly. "You mentioned the Niima Outpost and Unkar Plutt," she said surprising Rey with her remembering that. "He's a tradesmen, he'll have to have communications of sorts." Eris grabbed the weapons and turned to the door.

Rey climbed out of her hammock and followed Eris outside to find her already beside the dead Noghri taking their knives. "You can't go back to The Order, they want you dead," she said thinking it was mad.

Eris scoured the barren land in front of her looking for the speeders the two had driven. "There's a one in three chance they won't kill me," she said pragmatic and unemotional as always.

Rey quickened her pace to keep up with Eris' purposeful strides. "And you're basing your life on that?" Her attention was momentarily stolen when she saw the two landspeeders parked down a small embankment, considering she already had one she could sell the other. But then she was turning back to Eris prepared to refuse on the grounds that it was stupid.

But Eris had already climbed atop one and was revving it to see that it'd work. "Stay here. If Plutt sees you with me he might let slip we're acquaintances and then they'll be after you."

"Why do you care?" Rey finally yelled. "You've spent your whole life pretending you're above it all, why do you care what happens to me?"

Hurt was evident in Rey's strained voice and it had Eris sighing as she brushed her hair behind her ear. Eris was many things, honest wasn't one of them. But she was honest for Rey. "Because you're who I wish I could've been had I been stronger." She looked down at herself making sure everything was secure. "If I come back," she said turning to Rey's openly unhappy face and shrugged, "then I'm not dead." And with that she sped away, leaving Rey alone to watch her until she disappeared, and even then Rey kept her place wishing harder than she ever had for anything that Eris would turn around and come back.

.^.

A few days later Rey was startled awake by a loud whirring coming over the embankment her home was at the bottom of. Grabbing her staff she quickly ran outside prepared for whichever scavenger planned to steal from her. At the sight of violet hair Rey slung her staff over her shoulder and ran to meet Eris where she'd parked. "You're not dead then," she said by way of greeting.

Eris smirked as she climbed out of the speeder. "Not yet, kid." She grabbed her satchel and followed her into the Walker.

"So tell me what happened," Rey said excitedly as she handed Eris a canteen.

Taking several large gulps of the dirty water Eris wiped her mouth and joined Rey on the hammock and the two women sat cross-legged across from each other. "After some convincing Plutt made a call to," she waved an unconcerned hand in the air, "whoever he trades with for food portions. Only for him to be a lily-livered cud and said the only way I was gettin a message to The Order was if I came to him myself, which of course meant I had to leave the damn planet." She rolled her eyes sitting back cursing them all for the trouble she'd had to go to.

Rey could only smile remembering how furious Unkar Plutt had been after a 'madwoman' had knocked out all his men and threatened him - she'd missed Eris and her rude ways. "Is everything alright then?" she asked knowing Eris wouldn't have come back if it weren't, if only to keep Rey out of it.

"Not likely," Eris said quietly. "I told them I'd been indisposed by a rebel fighter but that I killed him and I didn't appreciate how quickly they'd given up on me and sent assassins for my head. And that I expected monetary compensation for the trouble to go along with what they'd pay for finding Lor San Tekka." She looked at the ceiling knowing it wouldn't be that easy, she'd already proven to Hux she was squirrelly and they'd never been fully convinced of her loyalty. Let alone her not being human and his open hatred of her for it. "But I don't think I'm collecting the money this time."

Rey was quiet as she watched Eris, could see past her smooth face to see the trouble darkening her eyes. They still planned to kill her only they'd let her finish the job first. "What'll you do then?"

Eris figured if they didn't kill her immediately they'd do it when she came to collect her compensation – she should've known when Hux alone had given her the assignment he planned to kill her in the end, Ren was the only reason she was still alive. "Find my target, and when they come for him I'll let them see me flyin off thinking I'm running. And when I'm out of sight I'll double back and come here." She looked at Rey. "Long as my company's not too terrible for you."

With a roll of her eyes Rey smiled. "I'll make you pull your weight," she told Eris watching her brows raise in amusement. Rey settled quickly though, knowing Eris' plan counted on her not being followed or shot down both of which were more likely than her making an easy escape. "When are you leaving?"

Her brow smoothed into a look of seriousness as she swung her long legs off the hammock and stood. "Momentarily," she answered grabbing her bag. "I figured since you don't remember anything but desert."

Rey watched Eris pull something out of the sack and gasped. It was a plant, its stem long and wooden like a small thin tree, its canopy thick and bright red. It was more color than she'd seen in years. "It's beautiful," she breathed taking the pot from her and setting it close enough to the door it'd still get light.

Eris looked at it wondering what Rey saw, because Eris saw a sad insignificant plant she'd more likely step on than ever notice. And the only reason she'd brought it was because Rey lived in a desert anything that had color was magic; and Eris found herself wanting that, to see out of Rey's eyes especially to see what Rey saw in her. Eris wondered when her sense of mysticism had left her, if she'd ever had it; nothing seemed to catch her eye anymore. It was no wonder she was so unhappy.

Rey gently touched the little leaves finding them soft and fuzzy. She couldn't stop smiling, it was the most beautiful she thought she'd ever seen. "Thank y-" her voice drowned out when she turned to see she was alone. She rushed outside to see Eris walking quickly to her speeder.

"I should only be a few days," Eris said hearing the sound of Rey's footsteps in the sand as she followed her.

Rey stopped and watched Eris fix her satchel around her. "I'll be here," she said in reply, her tone short and uninviting. It shouldn't have surprised her that Eris would leave without saying goodbye, to do so would mean that Eris would have to admit she actually liked her.

Something Eris wouldn't do. "You could come with me."

"To hunt an innocent man?" Rey demanded. But in truth it wasn't the largest part of the reason she'd say no, and Eris knew too, she still clung to the blind hope that if she just waited long enough her family would come back.

Eris shook her head smiling as she climbed onto the speeder. "Define innocence, kid." With the vehicle started she turned to Rey, staring at her kind yet hardening face. "If you aren't here," she said waiting for Rey's eyes to lock onto her own, "I will look for you." She watched Rey's eyes soften as a trembling smile formed on her mouth, and before Eris' own steel could begin to dissolve she drove off leaving Rey once more to watch her disappear.

.^.

Eris had a plan. She was capable of flying by the seat of her pants but by no means did she prefer it, there were too many opportunities for mistakes, too many chances for better alternatives to be overlooked. She had a plan. She'd find Lor San Tekka, and after a day of driving to known inhabited settlements she finally found the Church of the Force, she'd call it in, which she did, and then wait for The Order to arrive.

Because Jakku was such an isolated place Eris had to backtrack to an Outpost to simply get a line out. No more than an hour was she gone but it was enough time for her entire plan to be flipped on its head. As she was driving back to await The Order she noticed a ship flying in the same direction a little ahead of her, a fortunate position because it didn't see her. But she saw it, the starfighter, the symbol painted on the side. It was no more than a thought to who it might be as she sped along behind it, too far to see the droid traveling with it.

She stopped quite a distance back after it'd landed, wanting to remain unnoticed. But she was close enough to observe; his hair was dark, he didn't look very tall, and rather than an orange jumpsuit he wore casual clothing. She couldn't make out his face but she wasn't paying him that much attention, she was waiting for him to unhook the droid – the droid's the one that had alerted the pilot to her presence in the first place. It was the only ID she had to go on: BB unit, white and orange.

A bitter smile curled on her mouth though it quickly fell into a straight line as no part of this was amusing. The Order was on their way, everyone here would die. And she watched a small round white and orange droid roll behind its master as he greeted Lor San Tekka. She'd found her pilot.