AN: Sorry for the long delay!

Also the guest review (vos) I got: Danke für den Kommentar! Hat mich sehr gefreut und auch mich motiviert etwas schneller zu schreiben. Genau! Die arme Altharya und ich sage nur eines, es kommt noch so einiges ;) Ich hoffe du magst das Update hier!

"Good!" Boba called out, coming through the wind rushing past her ears.

Her spine prickled near her hips, as if fingers were clasping them. She threw herself to the side, rolling across the grass before her feet instinctually touched the floor again, shooting up in a secure stance. Third attempt and three consecutive successes for today. Most of the bruises were a thing of the past now too.

"Well," she quipped when he stepped to her. "We have been at it for how long?"

"A month?" he grinned at her. "If you hadn't shown progress by now I'd put you as hopeless."

She punched his shoulder in retaliation. The nerve! But she grinned back, at least something was going as intended. Even if her sneaking out to the lake during the evenings was becoming more difficult and she had to stay in more than not. Still when she could, nothing happened. The Force hated her. What was the point in trying most of the time?

Trillen had been right. What illusion had she fallen for that she could do more without any help?

"You know this was the easy exercise?" he laughed now, eyes twinkling.

Stars, groaning she took a sip, the more advanced things. Dodging and close combat. She threw him a glower while stuffing a loose strand into her braid again. Would he please stop being so cheerful? At her expense?

"You said it was easy," Boba shrugged.

And she had regretted every moment since….

"I regret everything I said." she declared crossing her arms.

"A bit late for regrets now." Boba retorted.

"I will remember that."

"You have been saying that for two weeks now."

"The perfect moment will come, mark my words!"

"I am shaking in my armour." Boba mocked.

Oh, now she had him!

"You'd sound like a rattling skeleton," she giggled.

"How would you know?" he frowned in confusion.

"Remember…." she winked.

Understanding dawned on his face, horror peeking through, and she had to press a hand in front of her mouth so she would not laugh.

"No… I refuse! Do not breathe this atrocity in my direction!" Boba looked indignant.

"It was funny!"

"It was inaccurate!" he correctly hotly.

"But funny!"

"Not sure what is funny about an armour rattling parody of a Mandalorian…."

She rolled her eyes at him. Someone could improve their sense of humour… seriously! Considering that this show was running always in the early evenings, they occasionally saw it when eating. Every time he huffed in annoyance and started ranting at how unrealistic this was and… 'not stealthy at all!'. Only to turn around to see her suppressing a snort.

"You walked into this one." Altharya remarked smugly, grinning at him.

He narrowed his eyes at her a determined flash shooting through them. But then a flare of another presence entering the near vicinity made the left side of her neck twitch. At least her senses in that regard had sharpened. Whenever someone stepped on the path to the house she'd sense it. If only it didn't make Boba antsy once she told him.

Familiar laughter hung suddenly in the air and she knew who was coming.

"Tehra is coming." She said and watched when his smile fell and looked away.

"Suppose that was going to happen eventually." He muttered turning around already to walk to the front of the house.

Worry trickled through the laughter flickering in her head. What was there to worry about?

"Fett!" came a yell when they rounded the corner and saw Tehra standing in the middle of the path.

"Tehra!" Boba called back rubbing the back of his neck.

"Oh, still haven't murdered each other yet?" Tehra greeted them.

"Tehra." Boba warned propping a hand on his hip, "I am not…"

"You like her too much I know." Tehra interjected chuckling.

Her face heated up considerably when Tehra winked at her. Indignation flared up near her, but a sense of shame overshadowed it. Bitterness hung in the space between him and Tehra whose presence had grown solemn. This had been no joking, no… this was serious and Altharya did not know what it was.

"Philip is moping in the cantina and…"

"Tehra, I can't." He sighed.

"Why not?" Tehra frowned up at him, a hard stubborn glint in her eyes.

Boba groaned loudly. "Come in."

"Why not here?" Tehra sounded confused, shooting her a questioning look.

Tehra's squinted her eyes, turning over any possibilities in her head as she stepped into the house.

"Lots of explaining." He made an impatient jerk with his head, "And it is complicated."

Complicated, what was not complicated here?

Rolling her eyes she smiled at Tehra who had to bite back a chuckle as she shuffled inside the hallway. Though, then the glint of laughter went out and stark seriousness came over Tehra.

"Now, what is going on that cannot be discussed outside?" She asked then, crossing her arms. "This is unlike you."

Boba sighed and then looked at Altharya. "You met Philip yesterday."

She frowned. Yesterday? But they hadn't been outside for… except in the morning. So this was who he was talking to when she had gotten back from getting the laundry into their room. What did it have to do with anything here?

"And?" she shrugged.

Nothing had felt out of the ordinary, except the tinge of disappointment when she had come down and Philip's face had visibly fallen. Resignation had bounced between him and Boba when Philip had turned to leave.

"There is a party at Philip's place tonight." Boba explained. "And Philip is an old hunting partner of mine who's only around for a few weeks for supplies and he wanted to catch up."

Did he think she was going to take the first opportunity to run? Somehow he thought her more capable than she was. With Tehra being here… she knew too what was going on here?

"Why did you not?" she asked pointedly.

Irritation flickered up and Boba narrowed his eyes at her. Yes, she knew why. But he could squirm for a bit.

"We're in the middle of training." He argued smoothly.

"And are nearly killing each other while at it." Tehra remarked drily. "Frankly I am surprised you are not sick of the other yet."

Altharya glanced over to Boba who was pinching the bridge of his nose. Desperately sifting through his mind to find an excuse. Though… the dark bags under his eyes or the way he sometimes paused to stare off in the distance to the other houses longing clinging to his skin when he got back to chasing her, he wanted to be around others.

And she was the reason why he didn't. That hurt, more than she would have thought it would.

"I can't leave her here!" Boba blurted out pointing at Altharya.

"Already thought about that!" Tehra announced cheerfully. "She can stay with me."

Boba blinked, confusion flaring up for a brief moment. Then he looked at her, wavering now visibly and shifting on his feet. He really did want to go. Maybe Tehra was right… they both just needed a break from the other. Might clear her mind on what her feelings were exactly. As confusing everything was right now.

"I…." He wavered more, his eyes flitting between the two.

Why was he waiting for her to say something? If he wanted to go and Tehra offered to have her around, then why not? He seemed to trust her. Something she could use and not worry about being discovered using the Force if she went about it somewhat intelligently.

"I think me and Tehra have a lot to talk about," she forced herself to grin.

"Exactly," Tehra beamed grabbing her arm, "Girl's talk, you know."

Boba blinked again, this time amused, "Now?"

"Why not?" Tehra shrugged, "Bond some with… Kihroya!"

Now he laughed out loud, "I get it. Can she stay overnight?"

"I will think about it." Tehra rolled her eyes. "No, enjoy your night out. Also…." This time the air of light humour gone, dead serious now. "remember the rules."

Rules? Altharya looked to Boba whose face was now closed off, a tense flare before it disappeared. What rules were they talking about? Something pulled lightly at her forehead. Rules she should know and affected her…. Whatever was happening, it definitely was the cause of this sudden invitation.

"I never forgot." Boba grumbled darkly.

"Making sure." Tehra remarked turning to Altharya again.

Altharya had to swallow heavily when Tehra's steely glare settled on her fixing her into place. Her back straightened out, her throat too dry to talk in that moment. The only thing she could do was to stare back, waiting for Tehra to say something. But then her eyes softened as she relaxed her posture slightly.

"Come." She said amiably while walking over her to grab her arm. "Have to prepare before the other girls show up."

The grip on Altharya's arm was unrelenting and she was pulled around when Tehra walked past her. Prepare? Who were the others?

"Why are you picking me up now?" she asked astonished.

Tehra looked over her shoulder to shoot her a hooded look. Indecision flickered up in her eyes for a moment.

"Before he decides he does not want to go." She sniffed, looking pointedly at Boba. "And he really should have some time to re-acquaint himself with the rules."

Boba groaned and she could feel with how her back prickled that he was rubbing his forehead. Poor him, but she was as overwhelmed as he was. Those rules again? The village rules? How could she forget?! But they had followed those to the letter! Her skin crawled on her shoulders and she had to prevent a shiver when Tehra pulled her out of the house.

Ask her.

"What is going on?" she asked, tone harsher than she had intended.

Cringing internally, she watched as Tehra slowed down to a stop. Surprise colouring around her montrals. Then with a heavy sigh, she let go of her arm and turned around. They had reached the edge of the courtyard still in plain view from the living room window, should Boba watch. Which he definitely was with how the back of her neck tingled.

"Has he not told you?" Tehra asked suspiciously.

"He told me about the rules here?" Altharya shrugged.

What else could they mean?

"By the plains." Tehra cursed rubbing her temples, a headache pounding subtly underneath her long fingers. "He really should have. Do you have any idea how much trouble you brought so far?"

How was she supposed to know? No one had thought it important to tell her! She could read no minds!

"I am sorry?" She started to say before Tehra interrupted her by shaking her head rigorously.

"It is not your fault." Tehra explained, more apologetic. "He should have told you, but it seemed like he was happier not to."

A knot formed in her throat the longer she looked into Tehra's eyes. There was something he should not be happy with being the way it was. Something Tehra loathed to intervene in.

"I am confused." Altharya voiced cautiously.

"There are unspoken rules when it comes to bounty hunters." Tehra grimaced. "I will explain when we are in the cantina."

Rules for bounty hunters… who would have thought and she was the reason why Tehra was interfering to begin with.

Altharya wanted to cry with how miserable she felt all of the sudden.

The cantina was empty when Tehra guided her inside and steered her to the back where the bar spanned from one side to the other.

"My flat is behind the counter." Tehra mentioned as she opened a gate waving her to follow.

"Does anyone else live with you?" Altharya asked.

Anything to delay the inevitable.

"I live alone." Tehra answered as she turned around to wave her through. "We'll have enough time to talk about it."

The stone in Altharya's gut grew heavier when she stepped through the gate which Tehra closed immediately after. Tucked between two freezing units that contained bottles of alcohol was a plain metal door. Easy to miss in dim light.

"Who runs the cantina today?" Altharya asked.

"No one." Tehra said lightly. "Today we are closed."

A day where everything was closed? How did that work out? Altharya's eyebrows shot up. On Teth the cantina had been open at all hours of a day. Then again the town had been fairly popular for covert traffic going from Empire to Hutt Space.

"The Arions do not want to have cantinas open on every day." Tehra shrugged and then took out a key card from shirt pocket. "Most hunters struggle with the rule in their first year, believe me." She giggled.

"I can believe that." Altharya agreed, crossing her arms.

Seemed like the Arions were fairly strict with their bounty hunter communities. Or was this the norm for such towns? Blue lights lit up at the side of the door, a low hiss from pressure being released and it slid open.

"Come in." Tehra made a wide arm movement that felt inviting, welcoming even.

And it worked… strangely enough. The knot in her throat dissolved and Altharya could finally swallow it down. Any nervousness fled her tense shoulders and spine when Tehra smiled broadly at her now. Altharya stepped into the spacious flat that lay behind. It was larger than the flat she had lived in on Teth, far lighter and… felt more lived in. Long blue flowing curtains framed the two large windows that let bright day light in. A dais rose in the middle of the room with big, colourful cushions placed on it. On the wall opposite the door to Altharya stood was a large screen of a holo-vision built into it.

"Do sit down." Tehra pointed at the dais. "I will get a snack and then we will talk."

Then she walked to another door where Altharya could only assume the kitchen must be. Her legs felt wooden when she stalked to the dais and sat on the outermost edge. A smooth blanket lay on top of it and she slid her hand along the fabric. Felt like the dais itself was padded out underneath.

It was comfortable and frankly she wanted nothing else than to throw herself into the large cushions and forget everything around. If only that would calm down the nerves that were strung tight now. So she waited for Tehra to come back out.

Not five minutes later the Togruta walked out with a bowl in arm, face blank with not even a ripple in the Force. The calm before a storm. What else could it mean after all?

"I can see the question in your face." Tehra remarked, sitting down next to her.

Altharya raised an eyebrow at the older woman who shifted the bowl more to the middle. Oh… she had gotten the lemon flavoured bites! How did she know those were her favourites?

"Boba mentioned something along the lines the other day." Tehra chuckled putting the bowl onto the floor at their feet. "Now onto the actual reason you are here."

Altharya had to swallow heavily.

"There is no way you could have known." Tehra huffed. "But Boba here is crossing lines that can't be."

Lines? Him? Since when was Boba concerned with rules? Scrunching up her nose she fished out one bite to roll between her fingers. Now why was she being told about it? Shouldn't Tehra talk to Boba in that case?

Unless she was the problem… Stars… this was bad and it meant…

"There are rules in the bounty hunting business." Tehra explained matter-of-factly. "For example, 'No bounty is worth dying for'."

Altharya winced. That had nearly happened if she hadn't stepped in. And then the other bounty hunters on Teth, they died to get her.

"There were quite a few hunters who died to get me." Altharya said quietly, tearing the bite apart.

Tehra sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose. "Boba is a target himself, you know. Former bounties can throw long shadows."

"I don't know." Altharya shrugged.

"I talked to Boba when he got the bounty." Tehra informed her shooting her strange look. "Only he was given the bounty. So anyone else was after him."

"Rather simple way of looking at it." Altharya remarked.

"Not really." Tehra held up a finger. "It has to do with contract laws. Only the giver and the acceptor of a contract can fulfill it. Anyone else trying to interfere is automatically trying to steal from the acceptor. So even if they were after you, they by definition were also going after Boba and given that he is very prolific, I'd say some people were out for him rather than you."

This sounded so… outlandish. Legalities with bounty hunters.

"It sounds like I am considered an object." Altharya giggled in a weak attempt at a joke.

But Tehra did not laugh with her, and her own forced giggle faded quickly. Sadness, regret tinged the air around her as she glanced at Altharya for a long heartbeat.

"You are." Tehra muttered gently.

What? Her heart felt heavy when Tehra took a big breath, uncertain and unsure in the words that were floating audibly in her head.

"A bounty is defined as not a person." Tehra explained, more calmly now. "Once a bounty is put on your head and the hunter catches you, you are an acquisition. An acquisition is no longer a person and what they think no longer matter."

Oh… she looked at the yellowish paste she had rolled the bite into. Any appetite she had had was gone. What was she supposed to think? Let alone say?

"And another unspoken rule." Tehra continued gently, reluctance flimmering in the silence after her words. "A hunter cannot form an attachment to his acquisitions."

So this was where the problem lay: attachment. She squeezed the paste ball between her fingers. It was true… he was attached to her. As she was to him. This was a mess; an utter mess. One that should not have happened to begin with, but here they were.

What could even be done? Emotions could not be denied away! At least not easily.

"And… you know that he has gotten attached." Tehra finished softly. "As have you."

Regret shadowed over Tehra's sadness, pushing Altharya's shoulders down with its intensity. Even a flicker of anger shone up quickly. She had not wanted to talk about this, but had felt compelled to do anyways.

It must have gotten so bad that she had seen it necessary to step in. Was an unspoken rule that powerful? Tears pressed against her eyes and Altharya pressed a free hand against them. The weight of a loss pulled at her, closing up her throat. There were no words that could be said.

"In my experience, attachment to your bounty only leads to heartbreak." Tehra spoke placing a hand on her shoulder, regretful comfort radiating from it. "And he has had enough of that."

"I am glad you were able to come." Philip greeted Boba joyfully, arms wide and a large grin on his face.

"Tehra invited Altharya to her girls' night." Boba explained walking up to his friend who started to laugh.

"Tehra's infamous movie night?"

"Exactly those." Boba grinned back.

"I pity your friend." Philip snorted. "But come inside. Rion is already here helping me set up."

As if one could summarise the mess that was his and Altharya's relationship as friends. He himself did not even know!

"Set up?" Boba raised an eyebrow. "Since when do you need help with cooking?"

"No I don't." Philip waved him inside. "But I got a new toy."

"Toy? You mean you got the bigger grill?"

Philip snorted out a short laugh. "I wish! No, I got a bigger kitchen!"

"And…?" Boba was not quite sure why he needed help setting up.

"Means I have more dishes!" Philip rubbed the back of his neck, visibly embarrassed. "And I kind of underestimated the time to set them all up while I am cooking?"

"So you asked Rion to come over to help you?"

"And you."

"I feel so appreciated now." Boba winked at Philip who flushed a deep red.

Meant he could talk to Rion. Alone. Maybe he could find out what made him so skittish. If Altharya had unconsciously become invisible around him, there must have been a reason. One where his gut told him to he should know and his gut had a terrible tendency to be accurate.

"You should!" Philip growled. "First you say 'no' and then it is a 'yes'."

"You seriously still moping about that?" Boba laughed.

"Yes." Philip muttered darkly, then called out. "Rion, Boba is here to help you."

"Fett?" Rion's pale face poked out from one of the archways leading to the eating area in Philip's house.

"What's up?" Boba greeted him back, pushing his hands into his pant pockets.

"Nothing much." Rion stepped out into the hallway.

Rion looked like he had become a ghost since the last time Boba had seen him. Gaunt, dark bags underneath his eyes that shifted restlessly from side to side. Paranoia, chasing shadows that seemed to hide danger. A feeling he knew well. But here?

Then again, Altharya had been going invisible a lot around certain people. Something was going on. Just, Rion would never dare or even think about bringing danger into this village.

"You two can go set up. I need to look after the food." Philip cheerily announced. Turned around and disappeared into the kitchen.

Rion sighed. "Come." He mumbled. "The sooner we get this done the better."

"You do not seem alright." Slipped out of Boba before he could bite his tongue.

Well… at least it was out now. Rion flinched hard at the statement, almost jumped out of his skin.

"What makes you think so?" Rion asked back, seemingly confident but the tremble of utter fear could not be hidden.

"If you are trying to hide your anxiety, you are doing a poor job at it." Boba remarked drily following Rion into the dining room.

"I suppose." Rion conceded quietly walking over to the pile of dishes that they would need to set up.

"What is bothering you?" Boba took a stack of plates and started to put them down on the main table.

"Oh…" Rion blew some hair out of his face. "Just a job gone strange."

"Strange?"

"A job that I feel is going to haunt me."

"I see." Boba looked down.

A lot of jobs can lead to later consequences. He should know….

"But you are safe here." He carefully spoke out. "No on in their right mind would even dare to offend the Arions."

Rion shrugged. "The Brents would."

Boba snapped his mouth shut. The Brents? Not good.

"I ran across another hunter who worked for them." Rion exhaled shakily. "And… I didn't know."

"So?"

"I said some things, did things…." Rion shivered violently. "I am hoping it won't follow me here."

"What did you do?"

"I told them about me." Rion shrugged. "And when I knew who they were working for… I have a mark on my head."

Boba set the plate down he had been holding. "Did you give them a reason to come after you?"

Rion blanched considerably at the question. "I don't know."

"You seem to know." Boba countered, raising an eyebrow at the now shivering Rion.

"I don't want to think about it." Rion muttered, looking down.

"Do you think you are in danger?" Boba prodded more insistently.

Nothing. Rion turned away. Distant, closed off completely. He'd have to wait to hear what had happened. Even if it was going to take months.

For a long while they set the table together, Rion avoiding his eyes and keeping himself the furthest away as possible. Instinctual movements, twitching and flinching whenever Boba moved. This was not paranoia. No this was a fear for his life and feeling trapped.

"You have your own problems." Rion suddenly said, sounding hollow. "You have grown too close to this Altharya."

Boba's right eye twitched. Too close? That was understating it slightly. Only slightly. Nothing had happened, even if he was thinking about it.

"Don't you have bigger concerns?" Boba cringed at how defensive he sounded.

Rion sighed. "It is one thing if I fucked up. Doesn't mean I shouldn't be concerned when you are about to."

"Nothing has happened." Boba replied, not as harsh as before.

"Doesn't mean it won't still." Rion countered easily. "What when you have to part ways once the bounty is over? What then?"

It would be so much more complicated when Vader wanted his bounty delivered. There were options of course. Someone disappearing was no problem. But no one could really hide from the Empire and they were his biggest employer next to the Arions.

"I can deal with it." He said in the end, biting the tip of his tongue.

It was true. After all, he had survived his father's death.

Rion only stared at him for a long while before shaking his head vehemently. But he did not broach the subject anymore. Neither did the rest of the invited hunters who started to show up one by one. The nagging feeling at the back of his mind was pushed to the side when the Imve brothers started to boast about their latest exploits.

For once it was like the old times. No tooka kitten clinging to his legs, nor a former Jedi dancing around somewhere nearby.

It felt good.

If only it did not feel like a part was missing.

The chrono showed three in the morning. Most of the people Tehra had invited were fast asleep on the dais they had all shared while watching a holo-movie. One she hadn't seen before, but according to Tehra a film classic on Drog which had been an adaptation of the Arion and Brent split

Huffing, she rubbed her nose while she stared at the dark ceiling and closed her eyes. The visuals had been stunning though. Did Lorena really have to wear those ridiculous head dresses too? Or was it merely an old tradition that had hopefully died off? Those looked so uncomfortable that even her neck had started to cramp in phantom pain.

She never wanted to be like Lorena. Never. That sounded like a nightmare to live as the walking and breathing image of government.

Breathing out, she let her hand fall to the side onto the cushion she was lying on. Apparently the Arions, or more Lorena, were going to open a butterfly sanctuary in Senya's memory soon. The announcement had come after the movie had finished, Lorena reading out a resolution that had been voted on by all Arion representatives hours before.

Senya's funeral had been a week ago where even the Brents had issued statements of condolences. Those had been torn apart in their ambassadors' faces and then sent out of the ceremony. A week of held breath waiting for the Brents response. It had been indignant and then silence dominated the relationship between the two families again.

Immediate crisis averted and their attention was put directly onto the new sanctuary. Of all things it would be butterflies. Pretty ones, larger than her face and colourful. Would their wings feel smooth or would they break as soon as her fingers would touch them?

Should she try again? What had Tehra said off-handedly to her when Zolre had mentioned one of her more famous fights. Confidence was the key.

She could do it.

Skin prickling up her arms and chest, she felt the Force draw on her. Willingly taking her thoughts and form shapes at the back of her eyelids.

Exhale.

Light weight settled onto her nose, tapping gently against its bridge. Air moved against her cheek, small streams of it flowing over her eyelids and temples.

As if tiny legs were moving on her face, as if wings were beating above her making the air move against her skin. Exhaling through her mouth, she heard air hitting a solid object, a quiet, deep and hollow sound. Had she finally done it? An illusion?

Would be too good to be true. Though if she opened her eyes, this illusion might be gone. Maybe she'd indulge in the feel of tiny legs on her face and the softly beating wings for a moment.

But she had to know. Had to know that the Jedi had been wrong about her. That she could use the Force.

So she opened them.

Above her were blue glistening wings. White light glowed around them as they moved slowly up and down. Grey lines threaded through the delicate wings which ended in white seams framing the wings.

Beautiful… and peaceful with how it rested on her face. Felt almost natural with how it moved.

She had done it! An illusion of her own! Cheeks strained with how widely she smiled into the darkness of the room.

If only she could tell Boba about it...Tehra was right. Whatever was going on between them – calling it feelings of the romantic sort made her gut squirm and the butterfly flutter its wings nervously – it had to stop. Was it wrong? Yes. Did it feel wrong? No. She would have to talk to him about it. If Tehra noticed it, then Boba knew what had been going on for weeks now.

Though, that was easier decided than followed through.

Standing in front of the door to the house she still had no idea what to say or whether she should even say anything. Decisions… decisions…. But if she didn't she'd regret it later. Sighing, she pushed the door open.

"Altharya?" Boba's voice rang out from the living room, sleepy and exhausted.

"Hey." She greeted and walked to where his voice had come from.

He was lying on the couch, one arm thrown across his face shielding his eyes from the glaring sun falling through the window.

"You look… dead." She cringed at her own comment and walked over to him, sitting down in the space he had left.

"You too." Boba grumbled and lifted his arm off.

She did not have the energy to laugh. For a long moment silence hung over them, pressing down on her shoulders.

"Something is on your mind." Boba stated resigned and sat up.

The space between them felt hollow, cold and she felt goosebumps rising on her arms. This was starting out well.

"Yes." She replied, swallowed and glanced over to him. "Tehra explained the rule to me."

Boba said nothing, but rubbed his face with his two hands.

"I don't know what you feel…"

Boba snorted. "You know exactly how you and I feel about this. Don't bother lying for my sake."

She winced. That was fair.

"Even if we both do." She said carefully turning to him fully. "It is not like we can do anything."

Boba quirked an eyebrow at her. "Exactly."

That was it. All that had to be said, right? They both had agreed that nothing was to happen. Still, there was so much to say.

"I am sorry." She mumbled finally.

Boba looked at her intently, brown eyes flashing with something she could not quite put her finger on. It was fleeting, just out of her grasp. Then he lifted his arms, slowly almost hesitant. They settled on her shoulders, drawing her close, his arms resting comfortingly around her back.

Her own slung around his chest and her head came to a stop against his throat. It was mournful. But it was warm and it soothed the frayed nerves in her chest.

"I am sorry too." Boba muttered into her hair.