RAYLA:
I stare up at the sprinkle of stars that littered the sky. I remember that day. How could i ever forget, what you left me with. I wiped the tears across my face and blind my eyes. This wouldnt have happened if I just hadnt found out. I shouldnt have followed them. I really shouldnt have.
Then Thomas, you didnt have to die like this.
I breathed in through shaken teeth and gathered my strength. I rested my hand onto my dagger that was rested in the sheath attached to my right belt. Encarved on it were our initials 'TM-R' , abbreviation for tomorrow, short for Thomas and Rayla. You always were the reminiscing type, always so considerate. Yet, what the hell is this.
You remembered their names, and they still betrayed us.
"Im gonna fix this mess, thomas. Even if it kills the both of us."
I followed the carvings on the sheath with my finger and draw it out to my palm. I examined the reflection staring back at me. Who knew, id become a murderer...
I woke up sticky from the humid weather and the persistent chatter of the birds conversing with one another. I scratched my dry throat, and ruffled my hair. It was so stuffy. I looked around, searching for my bag that I managed to keep with me throughout the year. I took out a flask and held it over my mouth, but to my disappointment, there was not single drop left. Grumpily, i threw the bottle out the roof and sighed. Watching the sky above, I suddenly realized something.
Where was the sound of the bottle when it landed?
Like hell.
I immediately put the pieces together and fell flat to the ground in an instant. My heart raced, calculating the possibilities that I had been found by an Imperial Guard. It was natural for me to take every precaution, every detail always has an underlying meaning.
Somebody is here and I am not going to go down easy. I had been very careful in scouring the place, making sure that this town had really been left ghosted. It was so dilapidated that, I should be crazy going to the top of the roof, but I had thought at the time, that if the integral structure of the roof were to betray me, I could at least jump off before i get buried alive. Also, it was a good position to see any suspicious movement from far away, though I had been asleep...
I listened carefully to the rustling of the wind that could possibly mask the sound of footsteps.
"Hey lady, you dropped your bottle!"
Shit. I was right.
"I know youre there, you can stop hiding! I saw you threw it out the roof!"
I took out my blaster, hid it behind my belt that was strapped across my back. I got up slowly, just enough so that he could see me.
I examined this cloaked figure, holding my bottle in his hand. He looked tall and lean, fit for a guard, except where was his emblem? Where was his uniform? Could he be a mercenary? But that wont be right. Those types are usually quiet and dont always fight it big. They use strategic methods, like set traps, waiting and skulking before the moving in for the hunt. This one, was chatty.
"Sorry. Didnt see you. Thought I was alone." I give him a small laugh as I pretended to be unarmed and vulnerable.
"Well, im waiting for an aplogy! Never thought that I would be attacked by a bottle." He chortled.
He then reached for something inside his cloak, and right before he could, I immediately pulled out the blaster from behind and aimed it on him, preparing to shoot.
"Dont move!"
This had been the tactic I had picked up in the past year. Being chased down so mercilessly by everyone makes me really feel important. Sometimes they were guards, other times they were mercenaries sent to claim their bounty for my head. The tactic depends on the situation, usually if they were guards, pretending to surrender is better than shooting first. Doing that, gives you time to understand your position and also verify your opponent's. Then when they least expect it, you point your gun and switch the game to your advantage.
However, this only works if they didnt shoot first. The fact that he caught my bottle, meant that he's the passive aggressive type and that meant that this tactic would work.
Immediately, his hand retreated out of his cloak and were raising them to his head.
"Flinch just a little, and watch me blow that head of yours." I fingered the trigger, ready for anything this sketchy guy would pull.
"Woah! Woaah woah, wait a second!"
"Lay down on the ground, and keep your hands up! Try to run, and I will, shoot you." I gestured the gun to the ground, eyes locked on him.
I watched as he slowly dropped to his knees, following the orders and keeping his hands where I could see them. After he was completely down on the ground, I climbed over the ledge of the roof ready to propel down using the pipes that lined the side of the house. To make sure he doesnt try to run, I shot the closest piece of rock near him with precision.
He squirmed from the sudden blast and quickly cowered, lowering his eyes towards the ground.
"Dont move, or that's gonna be you!" I threatened him again.
"Im not going to move, damn it!" he retaliated.
I climbed down in a split second, reloaded my weapon and pushed it to his head.
"What's your buisness here huh?"
"Omg no, stop. Im a traveller!"
"Cut the crap, youre with the guards aernt you?" I pressed it in harder and continued,
"Where's your emblem, who sent you!"
I could hear his hesitant scuffle, and decided to search him instead.
"Turn around, and sit up." I pulled him up forcefully.
"Take off your cloak."
"What?"
"Take it off!"
"No you dont understand, I wasntt try-"
"Take it off!!" I strained it too much this time, my hoarse throat began to itch and I started to cough horribly.
He kept quiet, moving to take it off.
I eyed him with my good eye, as i had my other hand massaged my throat.
Right after he passed me the cloak, he began reaching out for somewhere behind him.
Right then, my reflexes kicked in and both my hands wrapped tight on the gun to his face.
"No No, wait!"
"Hands!"
"Wait, its not what youre thinking!" He urged me. I scrambled my left hand to his back and pulled out a transparent bottle in one of his deeper pocket slings. I stared at the glorious liquids that were now in my hands.
I remembered how thirsty I had been when I woke up. My mouth had been so dry that i could taste the blood from the skin that was peeling on my lips. I had managed to survive the 2 weeks by taking a sip of water for 3 parts of the day and eventually finished every last of it the night before. I touched the broken skin at the sides and looked up at him.
"Drink."
His facial features reminded me of someone that I was not sure I knew. His hair short and neat with an undercut and bangs that covered part of his right eyebrow. I wanted to stare at him longer so that i could recall who he resembled but the desire to quench my thirst overthrew that priority.
I scanned his eyes for deception and finally made a decision to take it.
"Thank you." I told him sincerely, and that was the truth.
I slammed the blaster right across his head, knocking him out.
Ive learned better than to trust people.
I opened the bottle and indulged in 2 gulp-fulls of water in satisfaction.
I quickly went up to grab my bag, packed the bottle and put the cloak over me. I checked his belongings again, hopefully to find more useful things that I could use.
I rummaged through his pockets and found what it looked like to be a brown leather wallet and at the corner was just what I had expected. The imprint of the imperial's guard insignia.
"Traveller huh?"
Where was his emblem though? No imperial guard will go anywhere without it, it is their access card to resources and everything. Not having one would meant that either he went rogue, or he did something that caused them to take away his entitlement. I tried to flip open some more pockets to find it still missing. I turned my attention to the wallet again and examined its contents.
"Lets see who you really are."
I opened to reveal an identification card with a younger and familiar photo of him. Clad in the full uniform of a guard, i read the name written below it.
Juin Qi, Mark.
Mark? I turned to look at him again and took two fingers squishing his cheeks to face me.
"Mark?"