Not Milliways Continuity :Aftermath, here be spoilers.

[last_kallig]

Ibani feels....well, she's not sure how to describe what she feels. She comes through the door to Milliways looking shaken and pale, vulnerable. She hates being vulnerable.

Darth Zash tried to steal her body, her identity, her power, her legacy, and was within a hair's breadth of success. Ibani is trying not to think about it, because she's afraid that if she starts to fall apart in here there will be no getting herself back together.

She has her hands wrapped around a mug of something intensely alcoholic, but she hasn't drunk any of it yet. Her hands are shaking, you see, and they never shake.

Comments

[iprotectyou]

Baze can deal with a clingy Ibani! While he wants her back to normal, he'll take the opportunity to cuddle her as much as she lets him.

"I can understand completely," he says warmly, caging her in with his massive arms, providing a shelter from the bar at large. "I wouldn't want to be alone after that either. And you won't have to be. Chirrut and I will be there for you."

[last_kallig]

"Again, thank you. Both of you." Cuddling is good, comforting. "Force, I'm not sure I want to think about what I must 'feel' like in the Force right now."

She grins wryly. "If he wasn't already dead, I might frighten years off his life."

[iprotectyou]

Baze laughs, full and hearty. Dark humor is the best humor. "You very well might! He's described the Force as 'roiling' before. I bet it would be around you, with your soul bruise. I'm... I'm glad I can't feel it. I'll make sure Chirrut is sitting down when you approach--though he'll probably stand up and come to you anyway, to offer comfort."

[last_kallig]

Ibani chuckles. "And use that strident tone he did when I came in with blood on my gauntlet," Ibani adds. "And I'm sure I'll get the 'check for injury' pat down too."

Ibani finds that the thought of those things doesn't bother her a bit.

"I feel like I could sleep for a week, but I know I won't be able to sleep at all right now if I try."

[iprotectyou]

"Absolutely," Baze says, still smiling a little. His smile fades at her next statements, and he nods. "Of course. I don't blame you at all for not wanting to sleep just yet. Maybe we'll have to spar, and wear you out?"

[last_kallig]

"That's an idea," Ibani replies. "And it would be entertaining for the three of us as well as medicinal."

She grins. "Have to stick with pure weapons work too, which would give you and Chirrut an advantage."

[iprotectyou]

"It would be," Baze says, not releasing her just yet. "And that wouldn't give us too much of an advantage. You're formidable without your Force powers as well. I wouldn't want to be up against you in a real fight."

[last_kallig]

"Thank you," Ibani replies, pleased at the compliment. "Of course I try and AVOID real fights, assassin training and all that."

Ibani is quite content not to be released. Baze is good for leaning into.

[iprotectyou]

"You're very welcome," Baze says, rubbing her back. "I can understand that. Sort of. I was never trained as an assassin, for stealth and all of that, but I took on assassin jobs that would have benefited from my being less straightforward."

[last_kallig]

"Really? I didn't know that you'd done that kind of work." Ibani replies, surprised. "What happened?"

[iprotectyou]

Baze scratches his beard. "Well, there was one job where my contact gave me bad intel, where they didn't know or didn't tell me about a Selkath bodyguard," he says, looping an arm around her again. "Had I snuck in, I wouldn't have run into them. But I went in guns blazing, and was poisoned. Chirrut had to run and get an antidote."

[last_kallig]

Ibani grimaces. "Urk. Selkath venom feels terrible! I'm so sorry you had to go through that."

"An awful way to learn the benefits of stealth, that kind of occurrence."

[iprotectyou]

Baze frowns. Of course she knows what Selkath venom feels like! Ugh.

"It does," he says, shaking his head. "And the job was a few months before my death, so, clearly I didn't learn very well."

[last_kallig]

"Well, changing a habit of a lifetime takes a while," Ibani replies, leaning into Baze. "You have to change the way you think, the way you plan."

And she's not sure a stealthy approach would have worked for their last mission anyway.

[iprotectyou]

"That's true," Baze says, cuddling her close. "And I wasn't exactly inclined to change anyway. The straightforward approach worked well for me. My gun shoots 35,000 rounds--being stealthy, I'd never get to shoot it all."

[last_kallig]

Ibani stares at Baze. "35,000 rounds. What in the Force would you ever need 35,000 rounds for?!"

[iprotectyou]

Baze laughs. It's not an uncommon reaction, but it's funny every time.

"Well, technically I didn't make the gun that way. It was supposed to be mounted on a vehicle. I just picked it up for personal use."

[last_kallig]

"You picked up a weapon that was supposed to be mounted on a vehicle for personal use," Ibani says, facepalming with one hand. "Of COURSE you did, why am I surprised?"

"How do you not throw your back out every time you use that thing?"

[iprotectyou]

Baze is thoroughly amused. He squeezes her tightly. "Lots and lots of upper body strength. Plus, the armor provides some support, too. The gun weighs sixty-six pounds," he says, beaming. "I can weild it one-handed."

[last_kallig]

Ibani laughs and shakes her head. "I'd make a crack about people accusing you of compensating for something, but I'd bet no one dares."

[iprotectyou]

"No, no one has said that," Baze says, cocking his head to the side. "Why would they? What does it mean?"

[last_kallig]

"Oh, it's, well, the gist of the comment is that a man who's wielding an enormous weapon is trying to make up for having a small penis," Ibani explains, flushing. "It doesn't make much sense to me, to be honest."

[iprotectyou]

"Oh," Baze says, his eyes widening. He rubs the back of his neck. "Ohhhh. Well. I don't understand it, but maybe I'm just intimidating enough to avoid having people ask that. Chirrut would find that hilarious. He probably gets what it means."

[last_kallig]

"You are definitely intimidating," Ibani confirms. "And yes, Chirrut would find it hilarious. I suspect he'd be bent double laughing right now."

"You could ask him, if you promise to record his reaction," she teases.

[iprotectyou]

Baze grins. "Why don't you just ask him with me?" he says, nudging her. "I mean, we have plenty of time over the next few days to do it. And then you can say you tried to explain, and make him laugh even harder."