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orime-stories · 27 days

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An Unsatisfying Farewell

The Warrior of Light and Aymeric share some last moments together before the Scions leave for Azys Lla. Full story below the cut. (831 words) Previous Story / Next Story / Read on AO3 / Tumblr Masterlist

“We are at the Congregation,” Aurelle said, confirming the presence of the boundary between them.

“We are at the Congregation,” Aymeric confirmed. “’Tis a private enough space, and we would have warning enough were someone to approach. But I cannot have you leaving this room looking dishevelled. And nor would my knights fail to notice such delightful sources of gossip as kiss-swollen lips or flushed cheeks.” His eyes travelled regretfully across the highlighted areas as he spoke. “So we must master ourselves. In the knowledge that we shall have time again together soon enough. Time to spend as we please.”

She did her best to swallow her disappointment with grace. “I’m going to spend the evening at Fortemps Manor. Count Edmont… he needs company right now.”

“I understand. And surely there is no company finer than yours.”

“So we’ll have to wait, until I get back,” she pressed, eyes firmly on his, making sure he truly understood the cost of this restraint.

He swallowed, his hands curling into fists on the desk before him and then retreating to his lap.

“I shall be eagerly awaiting your return. You have already accomplished so much. You will accomplish this too. And you will return home safely.”

A wry smile flitted across her face. “Well I’ll try my—”

“You will return,” he then insisted, in a commanding voice that surely the Fury herself would struggle to deny.

And Aurelle could only nod, doing what she could to wield even a fragment of his faith as her own.

“And so there is nothing to begrudge about our current state of affairs,” he continued. “We master ourselves today, that we might better enjoy our reunion on the morrow.”

He stood then, and walked her to the door. Where they stood a moment longer, just surveying each other’s faces.

How easy it would be to close the gap, to feel his lips on hers one last time. How absurd to deny the impulse.

“Come back to me,” he said softly. Allowing a little of his sentiment to leak through at the last.

Sorrow shuddered through her then, railing against the unfairness of their parting and of this self-imposed barrier between them. Until she found herself closing her eyes in the way he always did, taking a deep breath.

Mastering herself.

And when she opened them once more, her voice was steady as she answered him.

“I will.”

—

Aymeric watched as Ishgard’s best hopes assembled themselves on Master Garlond’s airship. The tired trio of engineers making their last pre-flight checks, the Scion Y’shtola observing the newly mounted device that had been built to her master’s specifications. And then young Master Alphinaud, in conversation with the two that would be taking his heart with them into battle. Estinien, his oldest and dearest friend. And Aurelle.

He did not yet have a satisfactory word for what she had become to him. Did not yet know what words he had the right to. What words she would welcome. For all the moments they had managed to snatch together in recent moons, precious few of them had been spent defining the shape and boundary of what they now shared. And far, far too few of them had been spent making sure she knew just how dear she had become to him.

It was easier to hold himself back from her now, in public and in full view of the many admirers and supporters that had come to see her off. But those last moments they had shared alone in his office had been downright torturous. Desperately trying to find a way to justify a careful kiss to her hand, a brush of his fingers across her cheek. Something, anything to hold close and remember should the worst come to pass.

But if he started touching her he feared he would never stop. Would need to know every ilm of her before letting her go — to commit it all to memory, just in case. But he had to operate on the assumption that there was a morrow to safeguard. A morrow to keep free of scandal and rumour, that they might be able to continue enjoying each other’s company on their own terms.

Whatever words they might then choose.

She would come back. She always came back. She had slain Nidhogg — his people’s bane for a thousand long years. Whatever his father had done. Whatever horrors he might summon. It would prove to be no match for his… for her.

“Return to us. All of you,” he commanded in parting as the ship gathered itself for flight. Eyes making deliberate contact with each person standing on the deck, equal weighting intentionally given to all. One of Aurelle’s hands dipping into her pocket as he met hers, seeking comfort from whatever it was she was keeping there. He hoped that it was something meaningful, something that might being her peace and safety when she needed it most.

With everything that he was, he hoped.

#final fantasy xiv #heavensward #aymeric de borel #oc: aurelle silmontier #aymeric x wol #shippy stuff #orime's stories

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purplefangirl42 · 4 months

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Fazed (Part 15)

Series Summary: With Anakin out of commission and Obi-Wan sent elsewhere, the 501st needs a new General. Lena Orim has stepped up to take Anakin's place and has rattled the 501st's usually stoic Captain Rex. His feelings are not one-sided, which may lead to some questionable decisions.

Pairing: Captain Rex/Jedi! OC (Lena Orim)

Parts: Series Masterlist ~ PREVIOUS ~ NEXT ~

Part 15 Summary: Conversations and heart-to-hearts lead to both closure and pain.

Warnings/Tags: Dialogue Heavy, Mentions of cruel behavior, Misunderstandings, Slight Angst

A/N: Many thank yous to @silcoitus for beta reading for me!

Lena and Rex spent the following few hours talking about everything and nothing. She listened to him talk about the crazy antics that Anakin put him through and gave him tales in return of embarrassing stories from Anakin’s childhood. She told him of the time Blaze had tried to eat Keebo’s spicy cooking and nearly set his mouth on fire, which led him to share the story of how he and Cody had gotten stuck in an air vent as cadets.

Knowing she didn’t have much more time to spend with him before they went their separate ways, Lena cherished each laugh as Rex remembered something funny and she found herself smiling every time he looked at her. It had been quite a while since she had felt this at ease, and she wanted to make it last.

“You keep telling me things about other people,” Rex said. “You haven’t said much about yourself.”

Lena thought over the conversation and realized that he was right. Most of her stories had been about Keebo, Anakin, Obi-Wan, or one of her men. She didn’t really know what to say about herself, not knowing what would be interesting for him to hear.

“The important things in my life have to do with the people I care about,” she said. “What could I say about myself that wouldn’t feel like I was filling out a survey?”

“How did you get the scar on your arm?” he asked.

“We’re back to talking about scars?” Lena said with an amused smile. “You don’t want to know what my favorite color is or something like that?”

Rex rolled his eyes and gave her a pointed look.

“It’s blue by the way.”

“How convenient that I wear a lot of blue,” Rex said.

“Yes, very convenient.”

The two of them stared at each other for a few moments before Lena reached up and pulled at the loose neckline of her shirt. She pulled it down to expose her right bicep, where a dark line marred the pale skin.

“I assume this is the scar you’re talking about?” she asked. “You aren’t the only one that gets shot off of speeder bikes. I was on a mission a few months ago, and was riding on the back of a speeder when some droids knocked some rocks into our path. I was lifting the rocks so we could get through and one of the droids that was following us shot me in the arm, knocking me off the speeder. The rest of my group managed to escape, but I was blocked by the falling debris.”

Lena saw Rex wince at the mention of her flying off a moving speeder bike so she gave him an encouraging smile.

“While it did hurt a lot, I’ve been through worse. One of the members of the team I was working with managed to get me away safely and he even helped bandage my wound afterwards.”

As she told Rex what had happened, memories flooded Lena’s mind. Memories of wiry arms wrapped around her midsection; of warm, practiced fingers carefully tending to her arm; heavy, intense stares from a pair of eyes the exact color of the man across from her. Lena shook her head rapidly in an effort to clear the images from her mind and pulled her shirt back up, covering the scar.

“Everything alright?” Rex asked.

Lena gave him a small smile and reached out to take his hand. The warm, calloused skin felt good against her own. It was reassuring and real. She could count on him, she could trust him. Rex was more than an idea or a lingering possibility, he was here.

“Everything’s fine,” Lena said. “Just got a little lost in my own head for a moment there.”

“I have a question about what goes on with your head,” Rex said.

“Is it about my hair?” Lena said jokingly. “Because I have questions about yours.”

She heard Rex sigh, which she responded to with a mischievous grin.

“I’m sorry, Rex. What did you want to ask?”

Rex took Lena’s other hand in his, forcing her to face him directly as they sat opposite on the bed. His sudden seriousness concerned her, her grin fading from her face as she tilted her head curiously, awaiting his question.

“Last night, you said something about separating our feelings. You said that you would explain it later. I want to know what you meant, if you’re comfortable explaining it.”

A sense of relief flashing through Lena, a bit brief as it was pushed aside by the concern emanating from the man across from her. She could understand why he could possibly be worried about what she had said with no context.

“How much do you know about what Jedi sense through the force?” she asked. “About how we sense emotions and thoughts of those around us?”

“I know some, but for the sake of this conversation, pretend I don’t know much of anything.”

Lena took a deep breath as she contemplated the best way to explain this to him. It wasn’t usually a subject of conversation with people outside of the order. Usually she was speaking to those who had the ability to feel the world around them already and understood a fraction of what she felt.

“Every living being is connected through the force, some more than others depending on how the force flows through them. Certain Jedi have special abilities that focus on certain aspects of the force. Some gain memories from items they touch, some have strong connections with animals and nature, and some can accomplish feats that no one has ever heard of before. I have an ability where I can feel the emotions of others as if they are my own without even trying.”

Lena could see a sense of understanding dawn on Rex’s face. She could feel some of the concern disappearing, which eased her mind.

“When I said I needed to separate our feelings, I meant that I needed to ensure that what I was feeling was truly coming from me and not just an extension of your feelings. It would have led to complications and hurt feelings if we acted on those feelings, only to discover that they were truly one-sided.”

“And you’re certain that they aren’t?” Rex asked hesitatingly. “They go both ways?”

Lena smiled and released one of his hands, raising it to cup his cheek.

“I’m certain.”

Rex let out a long sigh and Lena could both see and feel the relief in him. She wondered if he had been worried about that exact thing, that she had acted on his feelings alone.

“I appreciate you asking, Rex. Never hesitate to ask. Feelings don’t always explain the meaning behind themselves, so if I don’t have the words to go along with them, I could assume the wrong thing.”

Rex nodded and reached up his hand to place it against hers, pulling it forward and placing a kiss on her palm.

“I suppose the same goes for you. I definitely can’t read your mind, so you’ll have to tell me how you’re feeling.”

Lena laughed softly, pulling her hands out of his grasp and standing from the bed. She stretched her arms up over her head, feeling her spine pop from the movement. She grabbed the dishes and trash they had generated and began to clean up a bit. They still had a while before they would reach Coruscant, but she felt the need to do something.

“Not to put a damper on this pajama party,” she said. “But I’m getting dressed.”

Lena moved over to the drawers built into the wall of her quarters and started removing items, draping them over her arm as she went. She could feel Rex’s gaze on her as she gathered everything, watching her every move. When she had retrieved all her clothes, she walked back over to the bed and plopped the pile down. Rex looked at the pile with a raised brow.

“You wear a lot of clothes,” he said.

“Coming from the man that wears an entire set of armor most of the time?”

Rex shrugged, seemingly agreeing with her before he stood up from the bed as well and walked in the direction of the fresher. Lena stripped off her sleeping clothes before starting on her many layers. She had on only her undergarments when Rex returned, having retrieved the top half of the blacks she had given him. He gave her body an appreciative look, his eyes scanning her entire form.

“Don’t look at me like that,” she scolded. “I’m trying to put clothes on. I don’t need you undressing what little I have on with your eyes.”

Rex held up his hands defensively and sat back down on the edge of the bed to wait for her. Lena pulled on her thermal undershirt and long socks before pulling her pants on, tucking the shirt in. Her tunic, a long-sleeved light brown one, went on and was also tucked in. Her darker colored wrap was next, followed by the even darker overdress. Her belt was the last thing added, and she didn’t feel her wrist bracers were necessary at this time.

“I don’t understand how you could ever be cold with all those layers on,” Rex said. “I just wear the one layer under my armor most of the time and even that is too much sometimes.”

“Remind me to show you how cold my hands and feet can get sometimes,” Lena said. “You’ll probably add another few layers to me yourself.”

Rex reached out and took one of her hands, holding it between his palms.

“I’ll keep your hands warm for you anytime you need,” he said.

Lena leaned down and kissed him softly before pulling her hand away and heading in the direction of the fresher to grab her hair brush. She swiftly undid the long braid and got to work on running the brush through the thick strands. Rex watched her as she worked through a few tangles, and she swore she saw him wince a few times.

“By the way, I never got to ask my question about your hair,” Lena said. “Is it naturally blond like that or do you have to constantly color it? With how short it is, I imagine that would be a lot of upkeep.”

Rex ran his hand over the patch of fuzz that covered his head. Lena knew his hair would be soft curls if he let it grow out, and she longed for the opportunity to do such a thing.

“I actually use a special kind of dye,” Rex explained. “It lasts for a very long time and doesn’t fade. Eventually the roots do grow out, but I have a special supplier.”

“Oh?”

“Kix is dating this girl who is a hair-stylist. Which is funny to me that she has that job, because she’s a Togruta and doesn’t have any hair herself. He gets the dye from her.”

“Keebo does my hair for me all the time,” Lena said. “It can be fun to experience that when you don’t have it yourself.”

“I suppose.”

“I’ll have to tell Sparx and Blaze about that dye. Their hair takes so much maintenance, especially Blaze’s, since he has to lighten it first before he adds the orange.”

“Sparx?” Rex asked. “Is he one of your men?”

Lena put the finishing touches on her hairstyle and returned the brush to its location.

“I forget you haven’t met him yet! Sparx is our resident ARC trooper. Both he and Chip have been with Keebo and I from the beginning of the war, even before we officially joined the GAR. He was away for some training, but I’m sure you’ll meet him soon.”

“I look forward to it,” Rex said as Lena walked over to where he was sitting. “I’m sure everyone has interesting stories to tell me about you that you won’t share yourself.”

Lena scrunched her nose at him and wrapped her arms around his neck.

“I promise, my stories are not exciting,” she said. “I’m actually very boring.”

“Somehow, I doubt that.”

Lena leaned in to kiss him again when her comm started to go off on the bedside table. She furrowed her brow in confusion, wondering who would be calling her. Everyone on the ship knew to leave her alone for now and most of the others she would talk to would be seeing her soon enough when they reached Coruscant. She released her hold on Rex and walked over to answer the buzzing comm. A voice she recognized as Senator Organa’s assistant came through.

“Forgive me for bothering you, Lady Orim,” she said. “I know you are on your way back to Coruscant now, but apparently this cannot wait until then.”

“What is it that can’t wait until tomorrow?” Lena asked, annoyance in her tone.

She wasn’t annoyed at the assistant, but at who she knew was likely the cause of this call. There were very few people that would be this insistent to get a hold of her, and she was related to both of them.

“Lord Titus Morell has been calling every few hours, insisting that he talk to you. He won’t tell me what about but insists that it’s urgent.”

Lena rolled her eyes. There was never anything truly urgent that she needed to deal with in her work within the Alderaanian government, especially since taking on the role of the General of the 394th, but Titus always made everything seem like an emergency.

“I’ll send the forwarding information for my office here aboard the Monitor,” she said. “You can let him know that I will speak with him within the hour.”

“Yes, ma’am,” the assistant said. “Again, I apologize for bothering you.”

“It’s not your fault he’s so annoying,” Lena said.

She could swear she heard a cough on the other end, which was likely an effort to cover up a laugh. She ended the call and tossed her comm back onto the bedside table. Turning to face Rex, she gave him an apologetic look.

“I’m sorry, Rex. I was going to suggest we get some proper food and go grab some lunch, but it seems I have duties to deal with.”

“What was that all about?” he asked. “Seemed official. More political than military.”

“I’ll explain later,” Lena promised. “But right now I need to deal with a very annoying, stuffy man. Why don’t you head down to the mess and get yourself some food? I’ll come join you if I finish in a reasonable time.”

Rex watched Lena walk away after they parted ways. There was still so much he didn’t know about her life, such as what kind of business she was currently going to deal with. He was eager to learn everything he could about her, but she seemed to almost be withholding information unless he directly asked her about it. He had a feeling she wasn’t used to having new people in her life that she didn’t spend all of her time with. It was something they would just have to work through together.

Finding his way to the mess hall, Rex acquired some food to satisfy the gnawing hunger in his belly. The ration packs that he and Lena had shared earlier had taken the edge off, but he needed more than just that to keep himself going. GAR issued meals weren’t the most satisfying, but they were full of nutrients, so he suspected that was more important than tasting good. Lena had mentioned that Keebo liked to cook, especially spicy things, so maybe he would get some flavorful meals in the future.

Rex found a mostly empty table and sat down. There weren’t many men in the mess at this time, but he still wanted to have some space to himself. His wishes were denied, however, when someone sat down across from him. When he looked up, Rex found himself face-to-face with Admiral Yung. He supposed there was no chance of convincing the other man to give him some solitude, so he didn’t even bother mentioning it.

“Admiral,” he said in greeting.

“Captain.”

Despite being in the mess, the Admiral did not have a tray in front of him. He only had a cup of what Rex assumed was caf. With nothing to occupy himself with, he was focused on Rex himself. His gaze was a bit unnerving for Rex, who suddenly felt like he was under a microscope. He remembered his conversation with Lena about Yung being aware that something had happened between the two of them. Rex hoped this wasn’t some kind of sign that he was going to get reprimanded.

“It seems that you and the General have become quite close during your time together,” Yung said, lifting his cup to take a sip of his caf. “I believe she’s fond of you.”

Rex narrowed his eyes, wondering briefly if the Admiral had read his mind. He brushed off the thought and tried to regain his composure so as to not give away more than he needed.

“She is a very kind person,” he said. “And she and General Skywalker are close, so it would be a good thing for us to get along, would it not?”

“Usually, getting along does not lead to love bites on someone’s neck.”

Rex nearly choked on his food at Yung’s statement, coughing to clear his throat before glancing up to meet his gaze.

“I wasn’t born yesterday, Captain. I know the two of you are more than platonic,” Yung said. “As long as it doesn’t interfere with anything, I see no issue.”

Rex stared at the other man silently for a moment, surprised by his comment. Lena had said that Yung wouldn’t make a fuss about them, but hearing it from the man himself was a completely different matter.

“I believe non-fraternization rules have their place,” Yung continued. “But if everyone is consenting and there’s no drama that can’t be dealt with like adults, workplace relationships can lead to very fruitful relationships.”

“You sound like you’re speaking from experience,” Rex said.

The corner of Yung’s mouth quirked up slightly, the most emotion Rex had seen from him in their short acquaintance.

“I met my wife when we were both serving the Republic. I was military, she was medical. It led to a happy marriage and two beautiful daughters. Though I still miss her, I am reminded of her and the good times we had together when I am working. If you have to be somewhere all the time, you may as well find something to make it bearable.”

Rex nodded in agreement, not really sure what to say. He was surprised that Yung was sharing such a personal tidbit of his life when they barely knew each other. He couldn’t remember any personal conversations with Admiral Yularen ever taking place. They were all business, all the time.

“I’ll let you eat your lunch in peace,” Yung said, standing with his cup in his hand. “General Orim is a kind person, as you said. She deserves to be happy.”

This was not the first time Rex had heard this sentiment from someone close to Lena. The fact that multiple people seemed concerned with her happiness warmed his heart. He was glad that she had such people in her corner. However, it also made him sad to think about the fact that she had been so unhappy that this sentiment was necessary.

“Good day, Captain,” Yung said before walking away, leaving Rex alone once again.

Rex ate his meal in silence, lost in his own thoughts. He was so caught up in what he was thinking about, that he didn’t notice that he was no longer alone. A pair of troopers sat down at his table a short ways down. Their conversation was mundane, but it was something to help him get out of his own head. Rex bowed his head and covertly listened to what the troopers were talking about.

“You know that chick, Maisy?”

“The Zeltron guard dog that practically lives at 79’s? Yeah, what about her?”

“My girl is friends with her and they were talking about this guy that apparently is bad news.”

“Is it that skinny guy from the squad of weirdos we worked with that one time? Cuz she hangs out with him a lot, and if anyone would be bad news, it would be that guy.”

“No, not him. Some other guy. Didn’t hear what his name was, but he seemed like a real piece of work. Apparently, he searches for girls that are vulnerable and makes them believe he’s going to make their whole lives better. Then, he just leaves them the next morning, laughing at them for falling for his lies.”

“What an ass. I’m surprised Maisy hasn’t kicked the crap out of him yet. I looked at a girl wrong once, according to her at least, and she was giving me the stink eye for months.”

“Apparently, she tried to get him banned, but the owner said he couldn’t ban clones from the clone bar.”

“Wait, this guy is a clone?”

Rex was quickly getting bored of this conversation. He had heard about this guy before from a few of his men. He had never come across him and, like the men at his table, didn’t know his name. He didn’t want to know him either from what he’d heard about him. Just as he was about to get up from the table, he heard something else that grabbed his attention.

“You don’t think it’s him, do you? He doesn’t seem like the type.”

“Blond buzzcut, ARC trooper, blue paint on his armor, and I’m pretty sure there’s an X in his name somewhere.”

Rex froze as he heard those words. It almost sounded like they were describing him. He had no idea what this guy looked like, but it seemed like the two of them had a lot in common, at least physically.

“There was a rumor that this guy has a list of ‘conquests’ that he hopes to achieve. It would not surprise me if a Jedi was on the list.”

“You don’t think the General would fall for that kind of thing would you? Surely she’s smarter than that.”

“Depends on how good the lie is.”

Rex couldn’t listen anymore. This conversation was getting dangerously close to slander and he would not have these lies told about him, especially not where Lena could possibly overhear them.

“Do you two think it is wise to talk about someone when they could be sitting right next to you?” he asked, his anger simmering. “Especially someone who outranks you?”

The two troopers stared at him blankly, one of them opening his mouth to speak, but he was interrupted before he could say anything.

“Exactly, you never know who might overhear.”

All three men whipped their heads in the direction of the new voice and Rex felt his heat sink when he saw Lena standing a short distance away. He panicked, wondering how much she had heard and if she had reached the same conclusion her men had.

“Sorry, General,” one of the troopers said. “We didn’t mean any harm.”

Lena wasn’t looking at the man that was speaking to her. She was looking directly at Rex.

“No harm done,” she said. “Excuse me.”

Rex watched in horror as she turned and walked away from him without another word. He couldn’t exactly yell for her to stop or chase after her. Creating any kind of scene would blow their cover, and there was no guarantee she would listen to him anyways.

He was trapped.

A/N: Hope you enjoyed this part! Please reblog, like, and comment! If you would like to be added to the taglist, go here.

Taglist: @jonesandjoanna , @photogirl894, @twinkyssideblog, @baba-fett, @trixie2023

#captain rex #captain rex x oc #captain rex x jedi oc #star wars #star wars: the clone wars #star wars fanfiction #original characters #OC:Lena Orim

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