Warriors Chapter 2 (for Rev)

Ly fell out of the portal, rolling down a hill on her side. As she got up at the foot of the hill, the sound of death came to her ears. She looked around. Off in the distance she saw elemental energy being hurled across an old building, she saw lightsabers, she saw— Loke? Ae? Jared? She shot up immediately and ran for the battle, lightsabers in hand.

    Hunters surrounded the triangular base, forming a larger triangle, which was getting smaller, for the Hunters were pushing into the building. Those familiar to her retreated inside the base. Ly then broke our into a bolt, running as fast as she could, full of emotion and a righteous desire to help.

     The Hunters had almost all forced their way into the building, with only a few still outside, so one had noticed her approaching. Upon reaching the battle, she jumped over them all and through a window in the second floor of the building.

     She rolled into a room, which happened to be filled with Hunters. She lay in a pool of glass, which cut through her tunic and her skin, though not terribly injuring her. But they weren't concerned with her, but with a mandalorian, in brutally battered beskar.

     Ly felt within her something telling her to aid her fellow Mando'ad. So she did, using the Royal Vigor to let a powerful powerful circuit complete itself, stringing lightning through each and every Hunter in the room, causing them all to fade.

     "Thank you, my fellow child of Mandalore," the Mandalorian said, putting his weapons back in their sheaths.

     "Uh, do you know me?" Ly asked, confused.

—How's he know I'm a Mandalorian?— She asked herself mentally.

     "People like you tend to stand out," he said. His voice was static and dark under the ragged helmet.

     "Are you a Royal?" she asked.

     "Depends, are you?"

     "Yes…" Ly was super confused.

     "Good, follow me," and the Mando took off, out the door and down the hall. Ly followed, seeing him blast Hunters left and right. Ly followed, helping by zapping a brute here and there. They together ran into a giant room, which was filled with Hunters, and only a few Royals. Including Ae and Loke. Instantly, the Mandalorian got the work. But before he could take out a single Hunter, Ly had pierced them all with a string of brilliant lighting. They all faded, leaving only a few left in the room: Loke, Jared, Ae, the Mandalorian who'd been helping Ly, and Ly.

     "Is that— Shoi‽" Ae asked, shocked. And that was the beginning of the reunion. It jolted Ly with an electric bolt of passion and joy. It would've been perfect, but the absence of Kira, Katsumi, Rilioshi, and Zico weighed her down, painfully tinged the happiness. She then began to miss Mandalore, her old life. Her father. Her brother. Her friends back home. But she didn't let those stop her. No.

Later that night, she lay on her old bed, in her old room, not sure if she was happy or sad. Her lodging still felt drab and lifeless without her deceased friend.

     "What's next for me?" she asked herself, not noticing the door automatically opening.

     "May I come in?" asked her visitor. At this, the unaware child hopped up. The Mandalorian from earlier was standing in her doorway.

    "Of— of course!" she stuttered, startled. He sat down on the round, backless chair in the floor. The door shut.

    "What is it?" She hopped off her bed and looked at him. He then, very slowly, took off his helmet. It was a face Ly knew very well.

     "Zico?" she gasped. He looked up at her, beaming. She knelt down and hugged him, tears falling from both of their eyes. They'd both been to hell and back since they last met. Ly'd seen countless friends die before her own eyes, at her own incompetence, and become a strong and able member of the Royal Jedi. Zico'd come to grasp the shifting nature of life, having been sucked into a completely separate adventure.

They loosened the hug, Ly pulling back to look her old friend in the eyes. And then, it happened. For years she'd dreamed of this moment. Not his return, but their first romantic interaction:  she now leaned back in, kissing him. She'd wanted this for so long… but something was off. She didn't feel the rush she'd though she would. She didn't feel any pleasure. No romance. All she felt was love for Zico, but not this kind of love. No, something more sisterly, less amorous. However, he returned, carrying it on longer than Ly would've liked, for she now felt as if she was kissing her brother, not her lover. She pulled away.

    "Where did that come from?" Zico asked, looking into her eyes.

    "I— I don't know…" her voice trailed off. She then found the courage to speak her mind. "That was… wrong…"

    "I agree, Ly. We're not lovers, are we?"

    "No, we aren't." She nervously hopped up, and so did Zico. Thanks to what just happened,  there was a very awkward silence around them both. Finally, Zico broke through.

    "So… what next?"

    "Well, I assume you didn't come in here so I could make a move on you," Ly semi-laughed, trying to make the situation feel less uncomfortable. Neither of them would make eye contact with the other, they just stared at the ground.

    "I did come in here to say something," he began, "I need help."

     "Sure."

     "Well, I've received word that Loke has a message for me. Most likely a mission. I need you to come with me."

     "I'm game--- it's been awhile since I had any good action. Just training." Ly said, stretching, excited to finally be doing something.

     "But there's a catch…"

     "And that would be?"

     "I need you to do this… in disguise…"

     "Because?" she was now skeptical. What kinda mission was this?

     "Well..." his voice trailed off, "Loke doesn't know this is me… I'm just another bounty hunter to him… But to get you in on one of these missions, you need to pretend you're a bounty hunter..."