"Thire, CT-8374," Daisy said as they entered, both standing rigid in the confines of her living room. She'd officially graduated to the couch, yay. Molnata's check ins kept her from daring to push it to an actual chair. With a wide gesture, and the iron will to ignore the constant dull ache in her arms, she offered them a seat.
They predictably didn't take it, but Thire did remove his helmet and tuck it under one arm. "It's good to see you, Johnson. You had us worried there."
"Bad habit of mine." She shrugged unrepentantly. "How'd you guys manage to swing sticking around?" Molnata told her one of the clones on the mission tipped off the Royal Security Forces on their way back. Alderaan's demand for their own citizen to be returned to them first for medical treatment necessitated the entire ship coming along. Apparently, there were some grumblings from the GAR.
"We have orders to ensure you make it safely back to Coruscant," CT-8374 said, his voice still slightly modulated through his helmet. "Your doctors say it is not safe for you to travel yet. Our orders didn't specify anything in the meantime."
She had a sneaking suspicion who the tip came from. Nice convenient excuse. "So, bored out of your skulls on a forced shore leave?" She kept her voice light.
Thire fixed her with a look, but didn't call her out for dancing around the obvious reason they came.
"You can tell the others they can come in too." She smiled a little. She could feel them waiting awkwardly outside the door.
It didn't take long for the rest of the troopers to file into her room. It felt... Good. Like those godawful days spent recovering on the bus where the whole team would try to squish into her little pod for game nights or just to entertain her between breakout attempts. When did they stop? When did she stop trusting them to be there while she drifted in and out of a pain killer filled haze of consciousness?
"Just got out a med hold myself, sir. I don't envy you," The clone in green and yellow paint said. Engle, she thought his name was, from Thire's brief introduction of everyone.
She patted the couch beside her. None of the clones moved from where they stood, though they relaxed to a lean against whatever piece of furniture was closest. They all had their helmets off now. Daisy appreciated it. Her bones were still irritatingly tender and reaching out with her powers to read them ached. "Oh? There's a story there isn't there?"
"Nothing inter-"
"Grevious shot down his fighter while he was fighting with General Kenobi," the clone whose armors bore no colors said with barely restrained excitement and awe. "Heard the shockwave from the wing exploding collapsed both of his lungs and he still dragged his way out." CT-8835 edged closer.
Poor Engle rubbed his neck, looking anywhere but her. "Yeah, well, like I said, nothing interesting."
"Yeah, cause saving General Kenobi's ass isn't a big deal or anything," Falco said, his armor striped with orange bleeding from his armpits. He rolled his eyes and knocked his shoulder into Engle's. It got a little smile from him.
"Cheers to that," Daisy held up her mug of tea, tipping it toward him. "I've met the guy, seems like he doesn't need saving often." She caught CT-8374's eye and nodded toward the canister of tea sitting on the kitchen counter. He quietly slipped away. Her eyes weren't the only ones to track him.
Hound, she knew. She'd seen him around Coruscant, and his crimson red markings were the most distinctive, more detailed than Thire and CT-8374's by far. Seeing him without the helmet made him less severe, but still didn't help the government narc vibes. It was something in the way his eyes catalogued her.
"Cooler story than mine," she teased, bringing Hound's attention off CT-8374 and back to herself again as she leaned in toward Engle, grinning at the way all of them immediately puffed up and began to offer assurances that yes, being kidnapped by pirates and surviving Dooku was cooler than early going down blazing in a fighter. Daisy didn't agree, but she also admittedly kinda forgot about this recent near death experience. "Oh, no I mean like, the first time I basically dead and had to be revived by weird alien goo." Never mind that weird alien goo was probably some creepy great-great uncle a billion times removed.
"The first time?" CT-8835 asked, his eyes alight. Oh, this kid was gonna get eaten alive.
"Yup. Took two in the gut," she pointed to the two points on her shirt, under which lied twisted masses of scarred flesh. "My fault. I was too squeamish to shoot him the first time. Actually jumped out a window to avoid it... He didn't have the same problem. Bled out in a creepy cellar yelling for help so, yeah. Blaze of glory star fight is way cooler."
CT-8374 came back with tea for the troopers. He sent her a nod. The other clones were so hesitant to take it, but it was a brother offering it to them, and that they couldn't deny it then. Each reluctantly took a mug, and each looked remarkably cozier with a too small mug clutched in their armored hands. Daisy missed the random assortment of mugs they'd collected at the old SSR base at times like these. The tiny little tea cups in the hands of soldiers didn't hold a candle to seeing Melinda May, the Calvary, drink from a grumpy cat mug.
"I almost died during training once." CT-8835 eagerly looked around for any biters.
A chorus of 'same', echoed from the clones around her. Which... Okay, yeah, Daisy nearly died in her own training, but that was significantly less structured and involved a lot of getting thrown into missions she had no business being on solely due to a lack of numbers. The GAR shouldn't have that problem.
She swallowed back her flare of anger and plastered an interested smile on her face. "Yeah? Alright. CT-8835, you first. Embarrassing or blaze of glory?"
His cheeks flared red and she laughed head thrown back.
"You opened this cannister of brain worms, you gotta tell us now," Thire said, his voice thick with amusement as he side eyed the plain trooper next to him who suddenly regretted opening his mouth.
"I- Well it was only sort of my fault. My brothers-"
Daisy let herself relax into the camaraderie, the comfort of a team so similar to the one she'd lost, and let her fatigue take her.
Breha smiled weakly as she slipped into Daisy's suite. The woman in question laid splayed out on the couch, on her back, one leg dangling over the armrest, one hand dangling near the floor. She twitched, her eyes moving behind her eyelids for a moment, head turned slightly toward the door, but she didn't open them, and a moment later, she relaxed again. Breha continued in. With another long look at Daisy, she gently picked up the girl's legs from the couch and sat down, placing her legs back down in her lap.
"Hey…" Daisy mumbled, her voice still thick with sleep, and her legs pulling back to fold neartly beside Breha, always worried about her burden, even now. As much as she tried to claim that she was fine, Molnata kept reporting her frequent naps. Daisy only ever napped a handful of times, and never when she thought there was anything worth throwing herself into. Breha didn't doubt that Daisy knew she was keeping something from her. But she napped. And that told Breha all she needed to know.
"How are you feeling?" She laid a light hand on Daisy's thigh, closely watching her face. The swollen, splotchy purple and red mess she'd first seen being carried through the halls barely resembled her at all. Now it had faded, the bacta, brief as it was, helped speed the healing along, aided in part by Daisy's own biology. Still, the last vestiges of sensitive yellow bruising spread across her jawline and cheekbones and clustered close around her eyes.
Her eyes snapped open now, rolling fondly at the concern she must've read on Breha's face. "Fine. Seriously. Tired but fine." Idly, Breha wondered if Daisy was aware how much she was rambling, and if it had anything to do with the raised eyebrow she employed like a weapon. "I can move all the things, pain is like… got jumped in an alley instead of hulk smashed. So we're good."
"Conveniently leaving out your frustration at being stuck in here, I see."
She blew out an annoyed breath. "You should promote Molnata. I think I made it all of two steps out of here before she got to me that first time."
"If I thought she would take the promotion, I would. Captain Rieekan has certainly tried." She drummed her carefully painted fingers against Daisy as she they slipped into a comfortable silence. She knew she needed to tell Daisy. But she couldn't bring herself to do so. Not yet. "Sabé is coming this evening, I believe." Her lips twisted into a small teasing smile. "Do you plan to stay in your sleepwear?"
Daisy's cheeks didn't flush, but the tips of her ears did pink slightly. "Nope."
"Go get dressed. I'll help you with your hair."
For a moment, it looked like she might protest, but then she was dragging her aching body up off the couch with a groan and walking back into her bedroom. It gave Breha a much needed moment to collect her thoughts.
Everything was… fucked, to put it delicately. Too many things developing far too quickly, all at once, and with little that could be done. Daisy would hate it. No one direction to charge off to, and too many threats bearing down on her people. Where to begin…
Daisy re-entered the common space dressed in muted colors and pants, as was her way, though Breha was pleased to see she chose the black wool vest with a purple piping. One of the wardrobe additions she'd consulted Padmé on, finally seeing use. Likely only chosen due to the black leather jacket they'd found in Daisy's bunk on her crashed ship being stored safely in her Coruscant quarters. Still, it looked good on her.
She stood and patted the space on the couch she'd just risen from. Daisy took her seat while Breha crossed behind her, leaning her front against the back of the couch as she gently threaded her fingers through Daisy's hair. Her preference leaned toward looser styles, she knew that much, but the bacta hadn't been kind to her hair, nor the day or two of blood that had caked it. Even now it was stiff and dry, lacking its usual sheen.
"The little padawan asked if she could visit a few days ago. I wasn't sure if I should let her." Her fingers deftly began to separate Daisy's hair into sections.
Tilting her head back into the touch slightly, Daisy sighed contentedly. "Sure. Since you plan to keep me stuck here a bit longer."
"You've been napping every six hours." Breha sniffed. "I believe I am justified in my caution."
"I can do stuff in between the naps. Give me a data pad and I pinky promise I'll stick to just helping Sialvi. No galaxy wide hacking spree." She held up a teasing finger.
With a laugh, Breha batted it aside. "Which would last for all of a day before you get bored and decide to bend the rules of your promise. I know you, Daisy."
She pouted without any real sadness behind it, arms crossing over her chest. "If you told me what was going on, I wouldn't have to hack into anything to find out."
"If I told you what was happening, you would be out that door in seconds."
A pause. "That bad…?"
Breha focused on twisting three sections of hair between her fingers. Over under, over under. "Mmm… yes." She closed her eyes, letting the rote actions of her fingers operate subconsciously. "Please… just… let me finish your hair. Then I will tell you."
Daisy was silent for another long moment, and then Breha felt her head shift down in a nod. "Okay," she agreed quietly.
If Daisy noticed her deliberately slow braiding, she didn't comment on it. For that, Breha was grateful. Her fingers worked in a slow and steady rhythm to pull Daisy's hair into a tidy French braid. She fought to savor this moment, focusing on the feel of Daisy's lightly damaged hair under her fingertips, the smell of the shampoo Daisy must've stolen from the barracks showers since it smelled the same as Breha's personal guard, the way Daisy leaned into the touch and followed her hands when they took a moment to release pressure and reset.
The very idea that Daisy could be this girl curled up on her couch, looking so small and weary, and hold the title Destroyer of Worlds was discordant. Not the Daisy she saw leap in front of danger to save a droid. Not the Daisy she knew blamed herself any time someone near her got hurt. How could she be so kind and yet unleash enough destruction to be known only as a Destroyer.
Neither she nor Bail were inclined to press Daisy when she deftly maneuvered conversations away from her past. Oh, they knew the general idea, Daisy was very free when it came to short little anecdotes about her friends, enough for a small picture to form, but never enough to put the pieces together. Never anything sensitive. She blamed it on the group she was a part of, the S.H.I.E.L.D. who seemed to be a governmental spy agency on Daisy's home planet. Now, she kicked herself.
What guilt did Daisy shoulder, refusing to let anyone else carry?
It only took so long to braid hair, and she found her fingers nearing the end far too soon. With a growing sense of dread, she pulled an elastic from her wrist and wrapped it around the end of the braid. The braid pulled the hair away from Daisy's face, leaving it open, vulnerable, the fading bruises exposed to the world. Maybe that's why she always wore it long. But she didn't complain now, her hands reaching up to gently run over the length of it, admiring Breha's work.
Call her a coward, or whatever you like, but Breha couldn't bring herself to face Daisy. So, she spoke to the back of her head, one hand lightly resting on Daisy's shoulder, rubbing small circles with her thumb.
"You were taken by Dooku, by the Separatists. They… left a fragment in you. We took it out, of course. It's in my room, when you are ready." She felt Daisy stiffen under her hand. "Lead Mechanic Tos spoke with me. If… your world was already trying to create someone as powerful as you, it stands to reason the Separatists might try as well. Even our own Republic. They will have blood samples."
Daisy seemed to stop breathing, and her shoulders hunched inward. Her face fell into her hands. Breha could do nothing but squeeze her shoulder tight.
"Dooku used the footage of you in a cell as proof of an attempted assassination during the peace talks. The talks fell through. Bail's allies believe that he sent you to ruin the peace talks. Padmé is doing her best to persuade them otherwise, by all accounts, but it was enough to shake their alliance's faith. Without their block, the resolution to increase funding for the GAR will likely pass."
Daisy didn't move. Breha took a sharp breath. "This comes after attempted intimidation of both Padmé and Bail and the successful assassination of Padmé's uncle, Senator Farr. Neither of which, are your fault, Daisy." She made sure her voice was strong. "Sabé and Captain Rieekan handled it. But it successfully shook the alliance as well. Even if Dooku hadn't used the footage of you, it's likely the intimidation would've had the same effect regardless."
"I could've stopped it," Daisy said, her voice hoarse and barely audible through her hands. "If I had been there-"
"You made sure Padmé got back to Coruscant to push for peace talks, which nearly succeeded. Your gamble would have worked in any other circumstance."
"But not this time." She took a breath, shoulders shuddering under Breha's hand. "I was stupid. And cocky. I can't- I can't afford to make mistakes like that. I know how dangerous I am. I could shatter a planet," she breathed. Her shoulders shook with more intensity now, and Breha could pick up on the thread of horror seeping below her barely steady voice. Breha fought to take a deep breath and calm the sudden spike of her heart. "Someone has been able to use my blood to become like me, once. It can't happen again. I can't-"
"Daisy…"
"No! I've hurt you enough. I've hurt Bail and Padmé and Sabé and this entire galaxy too much just by being here." Her hands fell from her face, and she stared at the door. Breha shifted just enough to catch a glimpse of feverish, frenzied eyes full of panic and horror and loss. She was terrified. "I need to go. I'll… I'll fix my mess, get the sample back, destroy it all, and then I'll leave. Find a way home or become a hermit on a desert planet somewhere I can't hurt anyone and no one will-"
Breha leaned down to press a kiss to the crown of Daisy's head. Her lips lingered longer than they should and her eyes closed. She hoped, desperately, Daisy could feel the trust, the unshakable belief she had in her, and the love neither of them dared speak aloud. But that would be silly. So Breha just stayed, the shock enough for Daisy's mouth to click shut, and she counted breaths, until Daisy's evened out with her own.
"I can't stay," she whispered, suddenly still. "I can't hurt anyone else… Breha I- I was so angry. I- I think I... I wanted to do it." Her voice barely held steady, but her eyes were closed tight and she held oh so still.
"Daisy…" she murmured, trailing off. She moved back to the couch to sit beside Daisy. But one look at her, and she couldn't do it. She reached out, a gentle hand settling on Daisy's arm, and then she pulled ever so slightly. Daisy did the rest, moving quickly now with permission, leaning across the couch, half in Breha's lap, to hug her close. Her face pressed into Breha's stomach and her legs curled behind her. "Daisy… It wasn't you… It wasn't you. We're going to figure this out and I am not going anywhere."
For the first time since she'd arrived, Daisy cried. Breha could only hold her.