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Nino seemed hesitant when she entered the room with a purple glowing face, her hands clasped tightly in front of her with her shoulders rigid as if she were waiting for a snide remark about herself.
He would never do that, of course, even if she had lost all her hair but Nino’s dramatic response after her long braid was chopped off by Darth Tormen’s lightsaber during the last fight had been…amusing to put it lightly.
For a brief time at least.
Torian was thankfully good at concealing his emotions but again all the amusement left him and was replaced with the most uncomfortable, heart-pinching feeling when he saw her actually crying. If it was anyone else he’d be rolling his eyes at the childishness but it was Nino and she was an exception to everything in his life. Torian had pretended to be thinking of a solution but he was relieved too, it was hard to concentrate on fighting when a part of his brain kept screaming how easy it’d be easy for any of their enemies to pull on her hair and slit her throat.
Nino was a soldier, of course perhaps much longer than he had been but her long, full hair and intricate braids were her biggest pride.
Until now that is.
‘You look beautiful!’, he said confidently, Gorgeous. Totally breathtaking. I…- he tried to find some more words but stopped when he noticed Nino lifting a brow like she’s trying to understand if she’s being mocked or not.
‘I mean it.’ he emphasized, ‘Should’ve done it months ago.’ and he drew closer, brushing her hands against her soft, blue curls.
‘So…I look decent at least?‘
Torian barely stopped himself from sighing and leaned even closer until his head brushed hers in a light, loving headbutt. ‘Looks good on you, but then again everything looks good on you’ he said, trying to flirt rather clumsily and at last, his attempts of cheering her up managed to give Nino a small smile.
True, it wasn’t a very big change but her once hip bones length hair was now short enough to brush her collarbones. Fluffier, now. Lighter.
‘ You know…I could get used not being suffocated to death by that hair of yours, cyare. Might be a good change.’
‘Hey!’
Despite her light protest she was laughing. It was not too further from the truth. There had been more than a few night where he woke up, feeling very hot -and not because of pleasant reasons- not that it’d drive him away of course. As if to prove his point he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her even closer, making her giggle against his face.
***
After a few more moments she reluctantly backed away from his arms with the mumbling words of trying to find a hair tie somewhere. Torian pulled her back, for one last kiss but let her go, his head going to the something he acquired from Dark Lord’s ship. Now…now…where could he put it…
It couldn’t be their room, obviously.
Too hard to explain to Nino in case she found it. He looked around for a while and then decided on his old locker at the crew’s room. He had a jacket there, an old one. He controlled his surroundings once more and took off his odd -perhaps creepy- little treasure.
A long and thick lock of blue hair. And a side of it signed by the lightsaber but still neatly braided and bright. Soft. Almost alive in his hand. He looked at it for a moment even himself not knowing why he took it when she was busy collecting Dark Tormen’s lightsaber. He just had a feeling like something bad was going to happen. Something atrocious. It wasn’t too unlikely for any of them to die, in a time of war like this -which Torian firmly believe it’d be him. He had to be dead before Nino went and got herself killed.- but he also couldn’t help himself from taking it.
Feeling morbid, he gingerly placed it in the inside pocket of the coat. Shutting down the locker a bit roughly, he leaned his forehead against the cold metal for a second.
Chatterings of Blizz and Mako from the galley, the humming of the engines, Nino’s laugh. oddly enough they all felt like it’d be the last time he’d hear it.
Gault’s familiar footsteps made him flinch much to his embarrassment, he turned around to face the devaronian who looked almost concerned which made all situation even worse for him; he straightened and tried to glare despite not having the heat to do so, ‘What do you want?’
‘Me? I sleep here. what do YOU want?’
‘…nothing?’
Gault rolled his eyes, ‘ You’re a terrible liar but at least change that expression on your face before Nino comes down and thinks it’s something I said again.’
There was a beat of silence and this time he asked again, softly;
‘Are you okay, kid? ‘
Torians sighed, lightly rapping against the metal and then as if to save him instinctively Nino called for him. Even her voice not enough to fix the heavy feeling in his chest.
‘No.’ he mumbled quietly while walking past Gault. ‘Not at all.’