Then you came along

[Deidera]

Coruscant - 2 months ago

Deidera's stay at the hospital had been cut short. She was quite certain they had begun to become suspicious of the soft spoken red head who disappeared during the day and returned only to eat and rest at night time. She spent most of her time searching around Westport for any answers pertaining to her past and unfortunately, nothing had turned up. It was extremely frustrating, but she supposed it just wasn't meant to be.

After leaving the medical facility, she had immediately purchased, with the large sum of credits that had been left in her possession, a place to call home not too far from where she had been found. It took up the entire first floor of a rather run down building and there was plenty of room to pace which she admitted was a terrible habit of hers.

Day after day, she searched the same spot over and over again. She kept hoping that maybe she'd missed something or that perhaps someone would recognize her. They'd come running with open arms and all her memories would fly back into her head. A miracle. It never came. But one day, she felt a gentle tug at her pristine white skirt and her heart raced. Maybe it was-

She turned swiftly, nearly knocking over the poor kid who had done the tugging. He had the biggest green eyes she had ever seen. His face was extremely dirty, he probably hadn't brushed his teeth in ages, but he had a cute smile none-the-less. She knelt down, propping her arms on her bent knees and offered the child a cheerful grin.

"What can I do for you?" She asked, though she might have guessed the answer.

"Please, ma'am. Got any spare credits, 'ave ya?" He returned, relieved to see a friendly face. No doubt he'd been run down before by the uncouth adults rushing their way to work.

"Not really. But if you'd like, I have some banja cakes at the house. If you wait here, I can go get them for you." She informed him, noticing how he kept looking back behind him. Sure enough, she saw those murky faces lurking in the darkness. Deidera might have mistaken them from gremlins if she didn't know better. "Friends of yours..?"

"Yes, ma'am. Orphans like me, ma'am." He stated, very polite about it all.

And that was the beginning of it all. That was how her house came to be overrrun by rugrats.

___________

Present

"Nija! If you use that expletive one more time, I swear, I'll wash your mouth out with soap!" She called from the makeshift kitchen. Deidera, of course, was talking to the oldest of the children who had taken up residence in her living room. She stepped out of the kitchen, a tray of food perched in her hands. Instantly, the now clean faces of the orphan quartet swung toward the sweet smelling breads she had made for them.

"You'll share, you'll clean up after you're done, and then you'll go directly to bed." She told them, one hand abandoning the tray to gesture widely at the nest of pillows, blankets, and stuffed animals she had provided them with. "No fights, either." She added, to which they all mumbled out some form of 'okay'.

Work beckoned. A job was neccesary with a pack of munchkins gobbling up all the food and occasionally burning the silk curtains with their antics. She wanted something simple, something where she'd meet a lot of people. Deidera had yet to give up on her memories, but she hadn't made any progress either. Two months and not even a sign.

Within the Embassy Mall, the Starview Lounge had been searching for a singer/waitress and she figured the new hotspot would be the perfect opportunity to meet some people. Her voice wasn't half bad and the patrons often told her that she was the reason they attracted so many different crowds.

This night was just like any other, they were packed. Deidera had just finished her number and she was being rushed to take the order of this lonely looking guy near the front of the stage. Pasting on a friendly smile, she swept up her datapad and paused just to the man's right. A soldier?

"What can I get you, sir?"

[Eric Quinlan]

Eric liked the Starview Lounge, it had a pleasant atmosphere the food wasn’t half bad, miles better than anything he could have scrounged up at the mess hall. The live performances made the place five-star in his books, they didn’t even charge extra. Which was probably why the menu was slightly overpriced; but what the hell, it was just a nice place to be.
<o></o>
Of course he might have been enjoying it a bit more if his mind wasn’t zoning out into no-man’s land.
<o></o>
“Wha..!” The voice startled Eric out of his thoughts, he’d been fading in an out for a while. A hard day’s work did that to a guy. Of course it also meant that his knee-jerk reaction was to spin in the direction of the voice; and as luck would have it Eric’s glass of water was just close enough for him clip with his elbow…and ended up soaking the poor waitress with most of its contents.
<o></o>
“Whoa!” Sometimes he just made himself look like an idiot. “Oh jeez, I’m so sorry.” Eric scrambled for the cloth napkin at his table, more embarrassed than a he’d been walking into the girls bathroom in elementary school.

[Deidera]

If Deidera wasn't so used to the same things happening at home with the boys she might have been quite miffed with this guy. But, instead of tearing him a new one, she calmly wiped at the star patterned apron and her skirt which had taken the brunt of the water. It wasn't so bad, really.

"Thanks..." She mumbled out, taking the napkin from his hand and dabbing at her attire half-heartedly. After a while, she stuffed the soaked napkin into the pocket of her apron and she just removed the covering completely. The layered, lavender skirt she wore dripped but the white top she wore remained dry.

"No need to worry, all better! For the most part..." She assured him, draping the apron over her arm. "So that was another water... and..?"

[Eric Quinlan]

Eric was still probably as red as hell, if his squadmates had been here the jokes would never have ended. Ah well, act like nothing happened and everything would be back to normal, right? “…um, what’s the special today?”
<o></o>
His eyes turned away from the menu towards the waitress, giving him a chance to actually focus on the woman he’d just soaked. And wow, maybe it was a good thing at that, pretty was an understatement…and that skirt looked good on her as well.
<o></o>
But definitely not what he’d expect from a waitress, she had an aura of confidence and a masked attitude. Now that he thought about, Eric was a little surprised that she hadn’t gone nexu on him. Not that he would have minded.
<o></o>
His eyes drifted to her name tag...Diedera. A bit of an unusual name, at least for humans in this sector. Still, it ran a bell in his head…wait a minute…Eric lost his interest in the menu.

<o></o> “Hey, you preform here don’t you? A singer?”

[Deidera]

Deidera tipped her head back as she tried to recall the special of the night. It was just like the owners to change it up on her, but she could remember taking a peek before climbing onto the stage to do her number.

"Well, that'd be the nerfsteak. Comes with Corellian style potatoes and you can order a - ..." She stopped at his voice, turning her bright blue eyes upon his face. He was quite handsome, she was surprised she had gotten to him first. The girls here could be quite viscious.

"I sing here, yeah. It's always nice, being allowed to do something you're good at. Something you like to do." She paused again, shuffling her feet some and tearing her eyes from his face.

"Eheh... and you... you're a soldier, right?"

[Eric Quinlan]

Was that a blush? Naw, his mind was probably just putting ideas into his head; probably his mind just making up ideas.
<o></o>
<o></o>"Eheh... and you... you're a soldier, right?"
<o></o>
“Uhm…yeah…yeah I am.” Okay, that was one level of weird he wasn’t used too. And Eric was pretty sure the surprise was clear as day on his face. “
<o></o>
He did a mental checklist: look-alike designer shirt, slacks, and a cheap chrono; definitely not a bit of military on him. How in the Nine Corellian Hells did she figure in the he was a soldier? Sure he’d been here before, a few times with squadmates, but he’d never spoken to her before.
<o></o>
“How did you guess that?

[Deidera]

"How did I...? Oh well..." She mumbled, shuffling her feet again. Nervous habit that she had never taken the time to notice before. She didn't dare meet his eyes. Crossing her arms over her chest, she sucked in a deep breath and mentally attempted a convincable excuse. It didn't sound too bad.

"Well, you just seemed like the type and all. Lucky guess, maybe?" She explained, her words kind of blurring together as she tried to execute it swiftly. Shoving one hand back through her hair, she managed an uneasy smile.

[Eric Quinlan]

One thing you got from basic and learned over time in the military was how to read another persons body language. Especially when most of your enemies were cutthroat and fanatical terrorists, you never knew whether a citizen was more than a simple person walking down the street and had a bomb strapped to their chest or a sawed-off carbine under their jacket.
<o></o>
Red flags were going off in his head, stuttering and fidgeting weren’t that subtle. Of course it could also be his paranoid brain kicking into high gear. A lot of people got nervous around the military types, every body had something to hide it seemed; it wasn’t his place to pry.

Or he was just doing a good job at flustering her. The thought almost made him chuckle a bit, it was cute.
<o></o>
Eric gave a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry, I’m not a stormtrooper or anything. We don’t bit like they do.”

[Deidera]

"Oh.. t-that's good." She stuttered again, gulping despite her attempt at being subtle. She didn't know why she was so nervous, he seemed nice enough. But the women at the hospital had said to stay clear of soldiers because they were trouble. Trouble for 'people like her'.

"I guess I was wrong..." She started, her smile sincere this time around. "You don't exactly seem like the type. Maybe nicer? Or maybe you're just trying to lure me into..." Her voice trailed off as she glanced over her shoulder.

"A trap!" She exclaimed, clapping her hands together. She was beginning to think she was spending too much time with the children.

[Eric Quinlan]

Eric laughed at the little joke with more enthusiasm than he probably should have, he was enjoying himself. “Well in that case I guess we screwed up, you sure found me out fast enough. Don’t think you’re the type to get caught off guard.”

And then a thought hit him like charging bantha. He was actually flirting with the waitress; well sort of. Still it was a good feeling, like finally having some normalcy after being stationed off world in some insect-infested swamp on a gods-forsaken dren-hole of a planet on the Outer Rim. He was glad to back in the core.

Eric offered a reassuring smile. “Most of the downers you hear are just made up anyway. Imperial doesn’t mean heartless” He was going to ask more about the attractive woman, but before he could form the words a shrill voice rang out.

“Dee, I need you to cover Shira’s tables, she called in sick.”

[Deidera]

Dee, I need you to cover Shira’s tables, she called in sick..!

Deidera furrowed her brow slightly, rewarding the man with a sheepish grin and shrug. She hadn't realized that she'd been talking so much, perhaps it just came naturally when the conversation was this fun. Could have had something to do with how cute he was too.

Her cheeks pinkened. Swirling not too gracefully on her heel, she waved toward her employer in acknowledgement of what had been said.

"So, I'll get your order in. The special, right?" She checked in, holding up the datapad directly before her face as to hide her blush.

[Eric Quinlan]

Eric had to turn his head and use a hand to cover his laugh at the beet red color the plastered itself to Deidera’s cheeks. She looked like a gundark caught in the headlights and he couldn’t help but chuckle at it. And the datapad didn’t detract nearly as much from the moment as she probably was hoping it would.]

The Imperial cleared his throat and put on a serious expression……well as good as he could manage. “Yeah, the special sounds great.” He smile at Deidera

She scurried mumbled something and scurried away, still hiding behind the datapad. A sudden thought came to Quinlan’s mind and he put his arm on the chair backing and turned over his shoulder.

Hey!” The red-head paused to look back at him. “I’m Eric.”

[Deidera]

"Eric..." She repeated, gently tapping the datapad against her chin. She said it a few more times in her head just because she liked the sound of it. Then, moving the screen away from her face, she grinned.

"I'm - "

Deidera! Order up!

"Well... there you go!" And then she was speeding off. She had a few more numbers to do that night and it was getting busy, she probably wouldn't have much time for chit chat. It was a frelling shame too. She really liked him.

-----

Some time later, when things were beginning to wind down, the doors to the establishment came crashing open. Deidera, from behind the counter, turned her vivid blue gaze upon the frightened youth.

It was Nija.

"Hey! What's going on, Nija? Something happen?" She called out to him, quickly drawing the attention of her employers and some of the customers sitting in the back.

"D'ved fell off the chair in the living room and hit his head! He wont wake up..!" The young boy swiftly explained. Deidera was already yanking her still soaking shirt off the chair she had draped it over and was heading toward the door.

"Take your time, kiddo!" She heard the manager say before she rushed out, Nija following just behind her.

[Eric Quinlan]

Eric had been quite enjoying his steak, medium-rare with just the right amount of juice. Admittedly it did make some people squeamish, but he figured that why waste perfectly good meat by turning it into a charcoal briquette. If he got food sick at least it was for a damn good and tender meal instead of spending half the time gnawing at a rock.

He’d kept an eye out for Deidera during the course, tried to see if she could spare a break from rushing from table to table. But every time one customer left, another four seemed to show up. And just when it was slowing down the events at the door drew his attention.

Another waitress sauntered over with the bill with a concerned look after Deidera.

“Her kid?” Eric hadn’t taken her for the parental type, especially with the good amount of flirting between them. Unless she really hated the mister, in which case the Imperial probably shouldn’t come back for a while. He really didn’t have the urge to get in a marital dispute, there had been well enough families split up growing up on Corulag.

But waitress shook her head. “Dee? No, hon. She’s picked up a couple of urchins off the street, really sweet gal. Most people’d just leave nowa’days.”

Interesting, Eric had to agree with the woman, there weren’t many good souls around. Not any as attractive as she was, anyway, Eric thought with a grin. The soldier gave the waitress his credit chip to scan through the datapad and dropped several hard credits on the table as a tip. With luck they’d find their way to Deidera.

[Deidera]

By the time she had made it home that night, D'ved was already conscious and playing hologames with the other boys. She'd called into work to let them know that she could come back, but that matchmaking boss of hers told her it was unnecessary because her man fancy had already up and left. So she'd blushed and told her that she'd probably never see the guy again even though she hoped that she would.

A few more nights went by with Deidera working the earlier shift. Things were pretty uneventful even in her extremely busy home. She was on her way back from the lounge when things took a turn for the worst.

"Pretty lady like you has got to have some credits, right?" A husky voice said from behind her while a slimy hand snagged her wrist.

"Let go of me. I don't have anything on me.." She lied, knowing that the money was supposed to go toward the meals for the next week or so. If she handed it over... well that was her punishment for trailing through dark shortcuts she supposed.

"Not gonna be helpful lady? I'll just find it myself..." The alien stated, his other hand moving down to the pocket on her hip.

"Stop it! Let go of me!!"

[Eric Quinlan]

Diedera landed a slap on the slimy, blue-skinned creature’s face as it made a move for her pocket. He recoiled from the blow and anger welled up inside of the alien. The woman made a move to run, but he quickly made a grab for Diedera’s arm and slammed her into the ferrocrete wall alley wall.
<o></o>
“That wasn’t very nice lady.” A hand closed around Diedera’s neck and the alien brought his face close to hers. Blue slime dripped from the corner of the creature’s mouth as he spoke. “Maybe I should teach you some manners.”
<o></o>
All he’d wanted were a few easy credits, but the bitch had severely irked him. It wasn’t like the police were going to show up anywhere, they had better things to do than scope out some alley in the middle of nowhere.
<o></o>
“Pretty lady like you ought to know how to behave like a real woman.”

[Deidera]

"Didn't you hear me, slime-face? I don't have anything on me!" She hollared right at his ugly mug, wiggling all over the place just to get away from him. Deidera had never been the type to just stay idly by and take a hit from the scum and villainy that wandered the streets; no way she was letting this creep get away with coping a feel.

She went still for a moment upon witnessing the dangling bit of goo slowly dripping down from what she supposed was his lips; it was just an inch or so from her blouse.

"You let go of me or I'll...! I'll!" She paused, realizing that there wasn't anything she could do.

Someone.... help!

[Eric Quinlan]

Eric jammed his hands into the pockets of his jacket as he trudge down the road back towards his flat. The man grumbled under his breath as he hooked a short-cut through the seedier region of the District, not really caring at this poinst.

Supposed to be his freaking leave time and the brass still had to track Eric down and haul him to the recruitment center…..in the freaking Sah’c District for crying out loud. Talk to a few potential recruits, watch to make sure they didn’t kill themselves getting to try out an E-11….or steal any of the guns in the cases of some….propoganda and all that crap. Could have been a good day, too.

Through the haze of his mental griping a frantic voice from a nearby alley grabed his attention. Eric’s eyes couldn’t pick out any detail in the dark, but it was clear that some weird non-human shoving a human woman around. The situation wasn’t all that abnormal for coruscant, with a quarter trillion people crime was an easy way of life. And this freak looked like he was looking for more than creds.

So Eric did the best thing he could think of to draw the attention of any street-scum.

“Hey you, Imperial Army! Get on the ground NOW!”

[Deidera]

"Oh thank stars!" She sighed loudly, wrenching her arm out of the blue thing's grip violently before inching away from him. The alien didn't get on the ground, but rather observed the individual who had made the command. Meanwhile, Deidera was scrubbing away at the goo that had dripped onto her arm; she was certain she'd never been free from the slime. Her mind gingerly worked through what had transpired, now that it had the time; slowing down the voice of her rescuer and decreasing the volume just a bit.

Eric.

Ice blue eyes pierced through the stillness, the almost tangible dark, and locked upon his serious face. Sinking her teeth into her bottom lip, she cast a nasty glare in the direction of her sloven captor and then skittered after her rescuer.

"Gosh, am I glad to see you! That's the last time I take a shortcut.." She murmured, grabbing onto his arm for support; she was still shaking quite a bit despite the brave voice she spoke with.

[Eric Quinlan]

“Are you ok?”
<o></o>
Eric looked over Deidera with concern. She was still shuddering at the ordeal she’d almost been put through; he was relieved to see that despite her roughed up appearance there wasn’t any sign permanent harm. Well, except for the sticky goop that had dripped on her arm, he didn’t even want to think about what that stuff actually was.
<o></o>
“We don’t like stormies around here, pretty boy.” The blue-slime alien glared at the Imperial with a tinge of hatred. It took a menacing step forward. “I think pretty lady better here.” The thing flashed a toothy, slime-filled grin.
<o></o>
Eric put himself between the alien and Deidera, letting her keep hold of his arm. It was then he realized that he didn’t have any weapon at all and he sure as hell was certain this creep had at least one shiv on him. Damned military policy with leave and no firearms.
<o></o>
The soldier pulled a commlink out of a pocket with his free hand. “Whatever, freak. I push a button and I can have the police out here in no time. You should walk away.”

[Deidera]

Deidera shrank behind Eric when the blue alien's gaze once again landed upon her; he seemed to be debating whether or not he wanted to press his advances further. Her hands only tightened upon her rescuer's arm when the creature drooled a bit of slime onto the pavement and removed a sharp, rusty looking dagger from his attire.

"You can't be serious!" She whispered harshly.

And yet he was; that much became apart when the alien rushed forward straight at them. She stumbled over something laying in the alley and instinctively released his arm. Landing with a resounding thud in a pile of abandoned who knows what, she stared in horror at what was about to unfold.

All the while helpless. How she despised herself for it.

[Eric Quinlan]

Oh great, this was the last thing that Eric wanted in a night. Well, he’d take an evening with Deidera in a heartbeat, minus the slime-dripping freak and his shiv infected with god-knows-what. Eric bent his knees and lets his center of gravity fall low.

The Imperials gaze moved past the weapon to the enraged alien behind the blade. Military training instantly cut through his mind. One: Read the intent of your enemy Two: Sssess the intensity of his hostility; both questioned easily answered by the fury in the creatures eyes.<o>

</o> Eric shifted his weight to the balls of his feet and twisted his shoulder to face the attacker. Three: Acknowledge that you will get hurt; easier said than done. Fourth: Don’t try to intercept the knife; definitely the hardest part of the whole situation.
<o></o>
Eric’s brow furrowed in concentration. Fighting on a battlefield was much different than a street fight, have the time with the army you didn’t see what you were shooting at. Being able to see the rage in intent to kill was a new and unwelcome sensation. But Eric was ready.
<o></o>
And then the clatter of debris from his side distracted him just as the alien was drawing into arms-range. The commlink dropped to the ground as the two went flying.

[Deidera]

Deidera's vivid blue eyes darted after the comlink that Eric had dropped after the blue alien had tackled him. She gasped, watching them struggle, and then desperately searched for something that could assist him. This was all her fault for not being able to fend the creature off herself. Glancing down to the heap she had landed in, she spotted a rather rusty, long pole that looked like it had fallen off of someone's speeder. Taking it up in both hands, she shoved herself off of the ground and stumbled toward the two.

With her luck, she'd probably knock Eric silly rather than the alien trying to maul him.

"Hey, slime face!" She shouted right in his nasty blue ear. The alien turned an enraged, ugly look right in her direction. She took that opportunity to swing the make-shift weapon with all her might. The pole vibrated with the force of the blow and her arms shook. Azure blood streaked across the pavement and the alien fell unconscious to the side.

"Oh, Eric! Are you okay?" She yelped, dropping the pole and kneeling next to him.

"I'm so sorry!"

[Eric Quinlan]

“Nnnnngghhhhh” Eric screwed his eyes shut as he shoved the disgusting alien off of him, the damn thing smelled as bad as it looked up close. He really hadn’t expected that kind of ending, some knight in shinning armor he was.

“Don’t worry about me I’m….aaaaaaaahhhhhhh.”

The second he tried sitting up the pain that he hadn’t noticed pulsing in his arm sliced into awarness like a vibroblade through Neonan cheese. Eric instinctively reached a hand to his shoulder and met the blocky hilt of the alien’s knife sticking out of his flesh.

He hapazardly sat himself upright with Deidera’s help. Despite the pain he was able to look at her with a sheepish grin…….one that lasted all of two seconds before he shifted the arm and another wave of torture sent a shockwave down the limb.

“So who rescued whom?”

[Deidera]

"Oh Eric, you were the perfect hero!" She cried, gazing forelornly at the giant knife protruding from his muscular arm. One thing was for sure, he was going to need a massive bandaid and some pain killers; good ones. Sliding closer to his side, she peered down at the blade and urged herself not to faint. Blood always had a way of making her dizzy; like the time Nija got a nosebleed at dinner. She looked away.

"Do you need... h-help with that, Eric?"

[Eric Quinlan]

“Some how perfect doesn’t sound right.” But Eric grinned teasingly....and then his arm twitch again and his face twisted into a grimace. He looked over the blade, the thing was almost buried to its hilt in his arm. Blood seeped into his shirt, but the blade blocked most of the flow. Even so, the thing would have to go. Eric had seen rust on the thing and experienced first hand what an infection like that could do to a person. He’d have to get treatment for it, but it was best to minimize exposure.

“I think I can get it.” The Imperial grabbed the hilt of the blade and gritted his teeth and pulled. Instantly pure agony shot down his arm and he involuntarily lost his grip on the hilt.

“Aaaahhhhhhh.” Eric panted as the pain faded to an pulsing throb. He looked up at Deidera sheepishly. “On second though help would be great.”
And it was about that point that he noticed how Dee paled when she looked at the blood staining his shirt. Not good. But he needed to get the blade out before the adrenaline completely faded.

“Okay here, you don’t even half to look. Just pull.”

[Deidera]

"Don't be so modest-" Was cut off by his expression of pain and panting after he tried to remove the blade, once again, to no avail. Placing her hand upon his shoulder, a good distance from the wound, she looked the blade over once again, then took a deep breath. This was the least she could do, really, after he had saved her life from that thing.

"Okay... I can do this..." She tried telling herself, brushing the cascade of red hair from her face. Closing her eyes and slipping her hand around the knife, she sucked in a deep breath. Being nervous would just make him edgy around her, she calmed her nerves and waited for just a moment. Then, she gave the dagger a clean yank.

[Eric Quinlan]

Just as Deidera reached for the blade Eric realized, in his foggy state of mind, that hereally should have found something to bite down on. A realization that was already half a second to late giving him almost no time to clench his teeth together when.

SSLLIINNKK

The blade jerked out of his arm, leaving Dee hold a partially rusted knife with his blood dripping off it and Eric feeling like what could only be described as his arm exploding into a million pieces….slowly. Damn the human mind.

Eric shouted in pain and gripped the open wound.

[Deidera]

When he shouted, Deidera opened her eyes and the first thing they witnessed was the rusty dagger clasped firmly in her hand. Her skin drained completely of color and she dropped the weapon onto the ferrocrete walkway. Then, her frightened blue gaze went back to the wound she had wrenched the item from and she felt all the blood rush right out of her head.

"Oh my... so sorry..." She murmured apologetically. Then...

THUD!

Her body smacked soundly against the pavement and her eyes fluttered to a close.

Oh god... I've killed him!

[Eric Quinlan]

Eric managed to crack an eye open at the sound of a fleshy thud hitting the ferrocrete next to him. The first thought that entered his mind was a solid “Oh Great!”, but that quickly faded into concern when she didn’t even twitch.

He scrambled over to her despite the pounding in his arm. To his relief she hadn’t cracked her skull on the hard group when the crumpled over, but it looked like she wouldn’t be waking up soon.

Several drops of crimson splattered on her outfit before Eric thought well enough that maybe he should move his bleeding arm aside. He groan escaped his lips, no bandages in sight, which meant the usual self-first aid and crisis response taught in the military. Eric stripped of his shirt and spent several agonzing minutes getting the thing wrapped tightly around his arm. Step one check.

Step Two, make sure enemies in the vicinity are neutralized. The Imperials eyes flickered over to the unconcious alien. Oh well, close enoughl; check. Deidera really deserved a medal for taking the ugly freak out.

Step three, pick up the wounded and fallen. Eric gently scooped up Dee with his good arm and drapped her across his good shoulder. Check

Step four, hope you make it back to triage before you pass out. He had to gulp a bit at the thought, Eric had never really actually needed use that part of his training. At least he didn’t live too far away.

[Deidera]

Only dimly was she aware of the tight muscles rocking up into her spasming gut; someone, hopefully Eric, was making off with her into the brightly illuminated night. She tried to open her eyes and determine where they were headed but found that the blarring lights from advertisement signs were too much for her. Letting out a defeated sigh, she hung her head and waited till they made a stop to reorient herself with the land of the living.

She must have passed out again because when she reopened her eyes there was no longer a shoulder digging into her stomach. Instead, there was soft and plush fabric beneath her back and dim lights ushered in through an ajar doorway on the other side of the couch. Sitting up, rubbing her head where it had smacked against the pavement after the scuffle, she eyed the doorway.

This didn't look like any place a creepy blue alien would live, it could definitely be the humble abode of her hero though. Pushing off of the couch, she edged open the door further and peeked inside. Her cheeks instantly turned ten shades of red and she slapped her hands over her eyes.

"Ahhh! Sorry! I just wanted to... check you out.. I mean! Check on you!"

[Eric Quinlan]

Getting back to the flat while carrying an unconscious woman and still half in shock from being stabbed in the arm had been much less the pleasant. Shooting pain, bleeding from the shoulder, and damsel in distress draped over his back….an image straight out of those cheesy romance novels. Though somehow those always seemed more glamorous than this……..those authors really didn’t have a clue.

Eric was glad not to have run into anyone, the police might take a slightly different view of the situation. Upon reaching the flat, modest on a soldiers pay, he’d made sure that Diedera was not seriously injured before limping his way the the refresher. The fact that he had a gorgeous woman in his home still hadn’t hit him yet.

He’d managed to strip the bloodied shirt off and had been at cleaning the wound for half an hour before the door and crashed open and Dierdera almost fell back out as fast as she came in, her face nearly as crimson as her hair.

Eric quickly tossed the cleansing cloth aside and hastily slapped on a bacta patch and exited the door, Dee’s words not quite clicking yet, painkillers must have been messing up his mine.

“Hey hey, it’s fine.” The Imperial soldier turned on the glowpanels with a wave of his arm. “How are you feeling.”