She stares at him.
She remains utterly still, except for the involuntary spasm of her diaphragm that forces a sharp inhale, one she struggles to release. Despite all the speeches she had meticulously rehearsed in her mind, all the profound apologies she yearned to offer, nothing escaped her lips. Her tongue feels like it's swelled to twice its size, an uncomfortable presence in her mouth.
He meets her gaze, unblinking, the weight of their unspoken history hanging heavily between them.
He had come to an abrupt halt the moment he turned the corner, and it wasn't solely because she had seen fit to bring a conspicuously well-armed entourage with her.
"That?!"
T'Rani's derisive tone cuts through Aedan's contemplation, and judging by the swift, almost imperceptible shake of his head, Poe's as well.
She materializes at Aedan's side. The sensation of irritation practically emanates from the Twi'lek in palpable waves, and the air is thick with her frustration. The intensity doesn't wane as she strides forward, her gaze narrowing at the newcomer. She paces in front of Aedan with a restless grace, akin to a Nexu trapped in a too-small cage.
When she speaks, her words carry a mix of scorn, jest, and predominantly sheer incredulity. Incredulity that this is what she's been waiting for, that Aedan had actually gotten her riled up enough to be worried and all for this. Disbelief that Aedan herself would ever overestimate risk so badly, or misdiagnose greatness so lightly, "This is what we came to see?"
"Commander Dameron," Aedan's gaze remains unwavering as she finally speaks, her voice carefully composed despite the annoyance she feels at her uncooperative tongue. She holds her ground against the wall, her lack of movement now a conscious decision. Her posture seems relaxed on the surface, a deliberate choice to prevent Garik and Dana from reacting to T'Rani's escalating agitation. The Twi'lek has a knack for intensifying situations, and Aedan is keen on maintaining control. She acknowledges each of her team members with a nod, her eyes briefly meeting theirs. "T'Rani. Dana. And you remember Garik?"
As she observes Poe, she notices how his dark eyes swiftly and expertly assess each member of her team as she introduces them. His composed, methodical evaluation reminding why he'd been the one she'd always wanted on her six.
A subtle tension had rippled through him when T'Rani spoke, every instinct prompting him to reach for his weapon. However, the fact that he maintains a relaxed posture serves as a reminder of how he'd been the only one she'd allowed on her twelve.
T'Rani fixes her gaze on Aedan, her brown eyes tainted with a mixture of simmering suspicion and sheer disbelief. "You're serious," she eventually states after a prolonged pause, her incredulity infusing her voice with a razor-sharp edge. She swiftly turns her head to scrutinize Poe, narrowing her eyes at his attire that mirrors her captain's, his strong jawline, his intense blue eyes, and then back to Aedan. She bursts into a laugh that's more exasperation than amusement. "Damn, you brought me down here for a pussy?"
Amidst T'Rani's pacing and outburst, a realization dawns on Aedin, one she mentally berates herself for not recognizing sooner. She's supposed to understand her team better than this, to pay closer attention to their sometimes glaring emotions. But she let her guard down. Poe is here, and she allowed him to affect her senses more deeply than she should have. She failed to notice that she might have genuinely frightened T'Rani.
Not that she would ever openly admit it.
And T'Rani's frustration and her current outburst serve as the only manifestations she can muster in lieu of relief. It's true, Commander Poe Dameron doesn't exactly exude an aura of danger, not until starfighters get blown into atmo anyway.
Aedan doesn't have the heart to break it to T'Rani that for all her raw strength, even she might be just a little bit out of her league... especially if she is letting her guard down... What strength she has and violently releases through sheer talent and brute force alone, Poe Dameron has carefully and methodically cultivated through years of rigorous training under her mother's command.
However, on the bright side, if T'Rani doesn't feel particularly threatened – and it's evident she doesn't – there's a substantial decrease in the likelihood of someone losing a limb tonight.
Aedan nearly manages a sigh of relief until...
"I believe there's a better selection of those on Naboo," Poe quips with a touch of humor. He looks and sounds composed, not disinterested but rather... composed. His posture is relatively relaxed, although an unmistakable vigilance in his gaze conveys just how heightened his senses actually are.
His hands hang loosely at his sides, well, almost loosely. The left appears relaxed, but the right holds a hint of tension, the elbow slightly bent. Aedan recognizes that stance anywhere. It's her father's signature move. Poe copied him, idolized him to a degree, absorbing all the knowledge and advice that the galaxy's best smuggler had to offer.
She raises a pointed eyebrow at him.
For a brief moment – just a moment, no longer – Poe appears surprised, and a trace of his self-deprecating smile flickers across his face. It vanishes as swiftly as the surprise, so quickly that Aedan can't be entirely certain she even saw it.
A terrible time to start hallucinating.
An even worse time to hallucinate about that.
"This is the best the big bad Resistance has to offer?" T'Rani scoffs, waving a dismissive hand toward Poe. "You know what, maybe I'd be better off surrendering to Kylo Ren himself."
"Good thing I'm not here for you then." This statement halts T'Rani in her tracks, and she scowls at Poe over her shoulder. "I'm here for your Captain."
T'Rani's jaw clenches so tightly that Aedan almost believes she can hear her teeth grinding together. Then, T'Rani whirls around, jabbing a finger at Poe and hissing, "Like hell you are."
T'Rani moves swiftly. Before Aedan can register the tattoos on T'Rani's skin undulating with the flexing muscles beneath, the woman clenches her fist and aims a blow at Poe's head.
He dodges, ducking and rolling to the side.
Dana sighs audibly from somewhere behind Aedan, muttering, "Hell." Aedan hears the distinct sound of Dana drawing her weapons, aimed squarely at the crouching Commander. Simultaneously, Garek's boots hit the floor, and the safety on his blaster clicked off.
Before Aedan can react further, Poe is back on his feet, blaster pointed at T'Rani's head.
The blow that T'Rani was preparing to deliver stops abruptly.
They all stare at each other, and Aedan takes the opportunity to step forward and grab T'Rani's arm, using her back to press against Poe's chest as she inserts herself between the two warriors. It's like trying to bend a steel pipe in the opposite direction, but she refuses to let go.
"Stand down," she says quietly, giving Poe a meaningful look. "Both of you." She then directs her gaze toward the rest of her team. "All of you."
A prolonged, tense silence ensues, where no one moves, and nothing changes, Poe and T'Rani stare at each other without blinking, Garek's blaster remains steady, and Dana's shimmering dagger blades are locked onto Poe's throat. The tension is so thick it feels like someone, probably T'Rani, is about to break. Aedan even contemplates the possibility that she might have to start shooting.
Finally, against the odds, Poe stands down. The safety on his blaster clicks on as he holsters it, running a hand through his disheveled hair.
Aedan hears the safety reset on Garek's weapon and the familiar sound of Dana's weapons being sheathed. She also feels the unmistakable tensing of muscles in the arm she still holds.
"T'Rani," she warns.
"Shit," T'Rani snaps, then abruptly shakes off Aedan's hand and stalks back to the far wall.
Well. This is nice. Friends all around and thankfully, no structural damage.
Aedan turns back to Poe, finding his dark eyes locked onto her with an inscrutable expression.
"So, I'm here, Dameron," she says, turning her open palms to him. "You said you wanted to meet... and I'm here." She meets his gaze evenly. "Now, what the hell do you want?"