"How will you even know where to look for it?" Ezra said, a bit worried and slightly smug with himself, knowing Rex would never be able to find the helmet without being told almost exactly where it is.
"Give me an area, nothing too specific, consider it another objective for me to pass." Rex said with a straight face devoid of cockiness or braggart.
"Well, you've certainly given yourself a gargantuan task." Sabine said with a smirk, her hands on her hip, eyebrow raised at Rex with a playful glint in her eye.
"I'd prefer to prove myself useful right off the bat, I don't like putting things off. I also hate inefficiency. Look, we have about half a day left, let's get started. You guys get to decide where you drop me off." Rex said, taking a bit of a commanding tone that everyone found themselves willing to listen to, all of them marching out of the room. Almost everyone, that is, and Ezra noticed this too as he saw Sabine had yet to move from her spot in the doorway. Smiling, he walked almost all the way up to her before he saw her slightly jump and realized she hadn't seen him until there.
"Hey Sabine, why such the big grin? You glad you're getting your helmet back?" Ezra said, slightly growing more happy and confident as he talked with her.
"Hmp? Oh, that? Yeah, that too I guess." Sabine said, her eyes a bit unfocused and unusually bright.
"That too? Is me being here making you so happy?" Ezra said, leaning an arm against the doorway, using the grin he knew always got her.
"Ha! As if, no it's not just your magnificent presence. It's that Rex actually. Isn't he something?"
Losing the grin, Ezra stood up straight and grew slightly hesitant, what for he didn't know why.
"Rex? What do you mean? He hasn't done anything special? What's there to like about the guy?"
"Oh, I don't know. It's just… him. Oh I don't know why I'm bothering telling you this. It's just… the bravado. The confidence. That face. I got a good feeling about this guy Ezra. I hope he's here to stay for a while."
Feeling his stomach drop, Ezra started to frown as Sabine started to list off traits he felt he was always displaying in front of her and the crew in general. The thing that really shocked him to the core was when he heard Sabine say she hoped he stayed around.
And as Sabine practically skipped out of the room, glad that life was finally starting to tip in her favor, she said aloud to herself . "I get my helmet back and a cute guy comes to deliver it too."
Ezra, slumped against the wall of the room he had yet to leave, felt a wave of anger and frustration, and he wasn't too sure he knew. There was only one thing he knew for certain. "That guy is gonna be lot of bad luck."
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Rex finally broke the silence after five minutes of silently staring back at the glaring Lasat.
"Why do you need to come along?"
"Someone's got to actually be there to evaluate you." Zeb responded a bit gruffly, actually mad himself that he had been assigned to play babysitter.
"Sabine even volunteered to do it…" Zeb grumbled to himself, completely assured Rex wouldn't be able to hear him.
"That's the girl whose helmet we're going after right?" Rex asked, startling the former honor guard.
"Eh, I'm not supposed to answer that." Gotta watch myself around this one… Zeb thought to himself.
"Lot's of do's and don'ts huh? I get it though, as a soldier there were a lot of commands from up the chain that a lot of us soldiers had trouble getting done. We did though, and every time too. But my brother's and us had comlinks in the helmets, our own little haven where rank meant squat and we could speak freely. This little hanger is pretty much a big helmet, don't ya think?" Rex said, motioning with his hands to the room.
Listening intently, Zeb found himself hanging off every word Rex said and felt like he could actually relate to this man. With the initial barriers of intimacy broken, Zeb slouched down into his seat and visibly relaxed around Rex for the first time.
"To be honest, I'm not so sure we're going to accept you into the group." Zeb admitted a bit reluctant.
"And why's that?" Rex said nonchalantly, which managed to unnerve the Lasat a bit.
"Well, we just got the new tyke, and well the ship's starting to get a bit crowded. And, well, we live a rather strange lifestyle. I'm sure Kanan's explained to you what we are?"
"Terrorists on the planet of Lothal, all with a collective bounty of a million and two-hundred fifty credits all together. The majority actually being the Jedi with you as a close second."
Taken a bit back, Zeb quickly got over the frustration of not being considered equal to Kanan once he heard he was second, and not by much either.
"The only thing I understand about you, er…" Rex said, stumped on what to call the little rag tag group.
"Rebels." Zeb chimed in, smiling slightly back when Rex flashed him an appreciative grin.
"The only thing I understand about you rebels is that you fight for the people of Lothal. From the little of what I've seen of The Empire, I can safely assume that's a good thing. I need to find some answers about myself, and if I can work off whatever debts I raise while I'm here is just a plus. It goes without saying I'm not doing anything I'm against morally, and I don't give two feks who I'm disobeying."
"Going a bit freelancer on us aren't you soldier-boy?" Zeb teased, but pleasantly satisfied that Rex had a bit of a backbone and a seemingly good head on his shoulders.
"Damn right. These aren't the Clone Wars. Only person I answer to is myself." Rex said, thumping his right shoulder.
Zeb was about to respond when the ship shuddered.
"Specter 4, get ready to deploy. Remember, your job is pure reconnaissance." Hera's voice boomed over the PA.
"Let's get started." Rex said, standing up.
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Hey guys! Surprisingly fast update, and summer officially starts tomorrow! Last finals are up tomorrow and then I can treat you guys to updates almost every other day! Yay! So leave a review about what you think about Rex! Yay? Nay? Maybe pm me, I love talking to the readers! Really makes all those views feel like real people! I'll see you all, on the flipside!