Five Times

The Fourth: A Consoling Kiss.

Gree stood with his arms folded, glaring out the window as though he wished to fight with the galaxy itself. The klaxons had long since faded into silence, but they still echoed in his mind, a chorus of pained noises rising up from the medical wing now providing accompanying vocals. Groans and cries were interrupted by shouts of pain. The ship was heavy with the aftermath of battle; pain, loss, relief, hunger. He was no Jedi to feel it personally, but having been through enough battles himself, he knew what each of his men would be experiencing now.

"Gree?" Barriss's voice was soft, interrupting, and her dark form almost floated across the floor towards him. Her footfalls were silent. She stood beside him, placed a hand lightly on his arm, then removed it, providing a comforting touch he could not truly feel through his armor.

"Casualties are too high," he told her gruffly. Her face showed that she already knew, but she bowed her head anyway, in remembrance and in mutual sorrow. "They're always too high."

"I know," she said lowly, shifting herself to stand in front of him. Her eyes darted past him, down the hallway to where droids and clone medics moved men on repulsor stretchers into the medbay. He turned to follow her gaze, watched another pair of men hurry an injured one through the doors. "I am on my way there now," she said. Barriss placed a hand on his arm again, drawing his attention back to her and away from the medbay. Her hands moved up to either side of his face, and she leaned upward, pulling him down a bit to more easily meet her lips.

It was brief, firm, a kiss not of romance or even of gentleness, but of reassurance, the intention behind it encouragement. He was in pain, and she could see it. It did not lessen his sympathy for his brothers, or relive his anger at the enemy, but her caring buoyed him for a moment, giving him a bit of hope.

"I will do what I can, to keep down the death count." Her hands exerted a slight pressure on his cheeks, her grip tightening momentarily in a sharing of strength before they slid away. "Rest, Gree. You can do nothing good for them here. When things have calmed, come to visit."

He disliked the medbay. He found himself there far too often, either for his own injuries or to support those who had them. Still, he went. "I will."

She gave him a smile of hope, searching his face for some sign of moving past the anger and frustration. He summoned one for her, managing a weak smile. She nodded once, abruptly growing serious as she stepped away from him, swiftly moving down the corridor to meet a new chain of repulsor stretchers, escorting them inside as she pushed up her sleeves.

Thought I'd try one from Gree's pov. Any good?

~Queen