Ezra Bridger
"Who are you?" Ezra heard himself asked the two girls. It didn't seem like they were going to answer, but then the brunette (Ash Blond, remember that) stepped up to him.
"If he's going to die, he might as well know."
The other stepped forward and lightly punched her on the arm. "We're not going to kill him! We discussed this."
"Yeah! That's right, don't kill me!" He said, definitely warming up to them. Not.
They thought for a second, the two girls silently glaring at each other. It became clear who won the war.
"I'm Via, and this is Ocean." The black-haired one said, just as Ocean elbowed her in the ribs.
"I'm Ocean, that's Via." She said, jabbing a finger at Via.
"What do you want me for?" Ezra asked, still slightly suspicious at the girls' sudden change of heart.
They looked at each other again. Turns out in whatever sign language they use, staring had a lot to do with it. "Via," Ocean said, "Wanted to help you. She saw you punch that post, and we could use someone like you."
"In what?" Even at this age, Ezra was highly tactical.
"I don't know, everyday stuff." Ocean said.
Via walked up to him and unbound his hands. He'd almost forgotten about it, but boy, did it feel good when that coil came off his hands. He shook his wrists free, blood rushing to them.
"What do you do? You have so much stuff," Ezra said, eyeing the many shelves.
"We can't tell him that!" Via called from some other room. She came back with some fruit and handed a piece to Ocean and Ezra. "Eat. You look like you're starving and freezing."
Ezra bit into the fruit gratefully. It tasted new, nothing like the half-rotten food he was used to. (Guys, what do they use for food in Star Wars Rebels? So far I've only seen them eating fruit. Or is that it?)
"What about the gangs? Do they ever bother you?"
"Ha! Those gangs know to steer clear of us. Besides, they can't fit through the door." Ocean gestured to the hole in the wall. Those girls seemed very adept at finishing each other's' thoughts.
"What about through the bar?"
"You know," Via said, annoyed, "You ask a lot of questions."
"I take after my parents." He mumbled, unwilling to believe that he had just uttered those words.
The girls didn't take any notice. "Who are your parents?" Via asked, pulling at some shelves.
"Mira and Ephraim." He said. It seemed only fair that if he asked so much, he should answer.
"Mira and Ephraim?" Via turned around. "You're a Bridger?"
"Ye-Yes?" He said uncertainly, but more of a question.
She shot Ocean another look, and she shot one back. Even Ezra could tell that it meant "forget it".
"What?" He asked, keeping his eye on Ocean. She looked like she wanted to throw him off a rooftop. Or hug him. He decided the first one was more likely.
"What age are you?" She suddenly asked bluntly.
"Wha-What?" He stammered, surprised at, well, everything.
"I mean, how old are you?" She said slowly, accentuating every syllable as if he were a baby.
"9."
Via began to mumble something. "If she's twelve, and he's nine, and she's been at the academy at 2, then he's been born then, 9 months later, born when she's 3, escaped at 9, but by then the Bridgers were gone!" She said the last part triumphantly.
Ezra gave Ocean a quizzical look. "She's our analyst." She said, shaking her head slightly with a grin on her face.
"What does that mean?"
"Nothing." Via said, and went back to cleaning.
"Ocean, I told you, I don't care how important this op is, I'm not doing it!"
"Via, you're the only one that can pull it off. They never stop Mandos."
"Why don't you do it?" Via grumbled.
"Via..."
"Fine."
This was his first official op. Apparently the girls decided that he was too hard to keep maintaining, and wanted him to be of some use. They were standing in front of a star destroyer that was on maintenance, and a few guards blocked the way.
Via sliced her hand through the air and shuffled ten times. Ezra still wasn't completely sure what it meant, but he could guess that it meant charge in 20 seconds. He began to count in his head, when Via walked up to the guards well before time. He almost rushed to give her backup, but Ocean held him back. She put her hand flat on the ground. Wait.
That's when Ezra noticed that Via wasn't wearing the black suit. She was wearing a shirt and a skirt, and had her hair down. So that's what they were arguing about earlier!
"I'm so sorry!" She squeaked. Yes, squeaked. Her voice must have gone up half an octave. "I can't remember where my auntie lives, and my parents already left the port, and I don't even have a holophone (What do they use instead of phones?) to call auntie!"
Ezra could feel Ocean snickering beside him. He must admit, it was funny to see the tough girl acting like a complete idiot.
"Okay, okay. What's your aunt's name?" A trooper said, sheathing his blaster.
"I just call her auntie. She's single, and I know she owns a bar!"
The troopers looked at each other with mild interest. "Well, I'm sure we can show you to her."
And suddenly, all the guards were gone, albeit one.
"Two things troopers can't resist: women and booze." Ocean said. It was clear that they've done this thing many times before.
She strode up to the last storm trooper blatantly. 17, 18… I was still counting.
The trooper put up her blaster, but by then Ocean had already reached him. 20! I thought, and raced up to Ocean.
I saw her lift the trooper up in her arms, but it didn't seem natural. It seemed… As if the trooper was floating inches above her hands. To anyone from a long distance, it would look like a freakishly strong pre-teen. But Ezra knew better, because the air tightened around him…
Ocean Bridger. The wind whispered. Daughter of Mira and Ephraim Bridger.
He didn't need to ask about it. He was sure she heard it too, cast on the wind like a message from beyond.
He never knew he had a sister.