#zareena

[rajeevpradhan]

#ACTRESS ZAREENA WAHAB

[muslimintp-1999-girl]

Nemrah Ahmed better not make my girl Zara toxic

#maala #zareena my beloved

[mybeingthere]

Bakarwal blankets: this pastoralist community makes them using wool from their animals. It has become almost impossible to continue with this beautiful and essential craft. Ritayan Mukherjee reports:

The woollen blankets are made by members of Scheduled Tribe communities – Megh and Mihngh, known for their wool craftsmanship. Once the blankets are made, they are washed and dried by the Bakarwal men. The thread and yarn for the blankets are usually made by Bakarwal women, and the yarn is dyed at home by Bakarwal families.

Mohammed Kalu has come from Khanna Chargal, a small settlement in a riverbed upstream from Pargalta. Pointing towards an old woollen blanket on which his little son is asleep he says, “[The blanket] lives as long as a human being or longer. But the market-bought acrylic wool blankets hardly last a few years.

He adds that blankets made of pachim (the local word for acrylic wool) take days to dry if they get wet, unlike pure woollen blankets. “Our feet burn and body aches after using the acrylic blankets in winter”.

“I can look at a quilt and tell you which family it comes from,” says Zareena Begum who lives in the same settlement as Talab Hussain.

“It is difficult to get people who still have mills,” says Maaz Khan. In his sixties, Khan is from a family that still processes wool. Many in the community say that the charkha (spinning wheel) is dead and have given up spinning.

As a result, pastoralists are also finding it difficult to sell wool. “We used to get at least 120-220 [rupees] for a kilogram but now we get nothing. A decade or so ago even the goat hair had a price in the market; now even sheep wool has no buyers,” says Mohammad Talib, a Bakarwal from tehsil Basohli, in Kathua district. The unused wool lies in their storerooms or is discarded at the shearing spot. The number of artisans working with wool has also reduced.

Maintaining a herd of animals for their wool is no longer easy as grazing grounds are scarce in and around Jammu. They also have to pay people whose land their animals graze on.

Recently a lot of areas around the villages in Samba district were taken over by invasive species, Lantana camara. “We can’t graze here. There are weeds everywhere,” says Munabbar Ali, resident of a small village in Basohli tehsil .

Many of the old breeds of animals have been replaced by the state and Bakarwal’s say that the current cross-bred sheep cannot stand the heat of the plains for too long, and neither can they navigate mountain paths, “When we migrate to Kashmir, they stop in their tracks if there is a small ledge as it is difficult for them to jump. The old breed would walk well,” Tahir Raza a shepherd told us.

https://ruralindiaonline.org/.../bakarwal-blankets-out.../

[chic-beyond-the-wall]

What Daenerys Targaryen would wear

(Zareena)

October 28th

#game of thrones #house of the dragon #a song of ice and fire #asoif/got #asoiaf #headcanon #fashion #house targaryen #hotd #daenerys targaryen #jon x daenerys #daenerys x drogo #daenerys stormborn #daenarys #daenerys targeryan #queen daenerys #khaleesi #missandei #cersei lannister #sansa stark #jon snow #westeros #kings landing #dragon stone #meereen #essos #dothraki

[ceapa-mica]

The Choices We Make | Chapter 5: Stealth

{cross-posted on ao3} {masterlist}

<- previous chapter next chapter ->

Pairing: Imperial!Crosshair x Tholothian!OC

Warnings: angst

Word count: 2767

Summary: Zareena has a plan to search for information regarding Lyle's wherabouts.

a/n: Welcome back!

Sorry I didn't post this chapter sooner, but after that season finale I was too depressed to write for almost a week. I love writing a grumpy character falling in love, and I hope you have just as much fun reading this chapter as I had writing it, dear reader. Enjoy!

"What is this? Misfit central?"

That was the first of many comments Zaree paid no mind to as she approached the table Crosshair sat at with a sad expression on her face. She had looked sad last night, but now even more so, and Crosshair had a feeling something had happened. She didn't look like she fully acknowledged his presence as she sat down and shoved the mushy food over her plate with her spoon. That ray of sunshine of a woman was gone and that concerned Crosshair.

"You're bringing the mood down here." he said, keeping a neutral expression, staring at her while slowly eating the goo that was supposed to be breakfast. "Did one of those regs upset you again?" he asked with a lot of suppressed anger, eying the table the group of clones that were bothering them were sitting at.

"If that was only the case." she huffed. "My foreman paid me a visit this morning. He said someone new will take Lyle's position. They really want to replace him, I- I don't want to work with someone new. How can they do that?!" she hit her fist on the table, accidentally spilling her caf. "Shit…" With one hand she tried to dry the puddle of caf, the other wiped away the tears forming in her eyes.

Crosshair had never seen Zaree like this. At that moment he decided he hated seeing her so unhappy. Sure, her usually positive nature annoyed him at times, but seeing such a warm person so broken made him feel things, which, of course, he wouldn't show.

"The work needs to be done, and since your friend is gone…" he tried his best to find words of comfort, but comforting someone was really not one of his strengths.

"I know you're right… I just wish Lyle would be here. I'm sure you two would get along well. I made a new plan by the way."

Crosshair sighed exasperatedly. "What now?"

Zaree looked around and whispered "Come to the maintenance room at noon, that's when my shift ends. I can't tell you here."

He rubbed the bridge of his nose at the thought of another one of her "excellent" plans. "Fine, but don't waste my time."

The corners of Zaree's mouth twitched in an almost-smile and she stood up and left, her breakfast left halfway uneaten. Usually she was a good eater, but today she simply wasn't that cheerful Tholothian woman Crosshair had met. The cheeky glint in her eyes was gone, replaced by a weariness he hadn't seen before. After finishing his breakfast, Crosshair took a detour to the kitchen where he secretly stole some of the better rations for her to eat later. From what Zaree had told him about Lyle, he had always looked out and been there for her. Crosshair felt like this duty was now his for the time being… until Lyle returned, so he hoped. He wanted to help find her friend to see her happy again, he really did.

As Crosshair showed up at the maintenance room at noon he was surprised to find a stranger spinning on the chair - a young human man with tousled brown hair and dark shadows under his eyes who was listening to the newest jizz tunes on his headphones.

"Who are you?" Crosshair asked with obvious distrust in his voice.

"I could ask you the same question. What's a trooper doing down here?"

"I'm looking for Zareena."

"Aw the little lady got caught up repairing the valves on boiler S43. Had to postpone her lunch break."

As a sniper Crosshair had learned to be patient and leaned against the doorframe, waiting for fifteen minutes. He had to show up for yet another medical exam right after lunch break so he couldn't stay.

"Tell Zareena I was here."

"Sure thing, clone!"

Crosshair rolled his eyes at the way the young man talked. He didn't like him, especially not that he smelled like deathsticks. He took the rations he had stolen from the kitchen with him since he had a feeling that the boy would eat them himself instead of giving them to Zaree.

When Zaree didn't show up for dinner either, Crosshair became worried. Worry and uncertainty were feelings he hated more than anything and didn't exactly improve his mood. With a scowl on his face he went to bed that night, but couldn't fall asleep. Too many thoughts occupied his mind. He wondered what the Batch were up to. Why wasn't Zaree at dinner? What would his next mission be? Those were the questions that wouldn't let him catch any sleep. Around midnight, when he was about to doze off, there was a knock on the door of his quarters. He sat straight up, wondering who it could be. A new mission? 

"Come in!" Crosshair looked in surprise as Zaree came into his quarters. "You have no authorization to be on that level. Please tell me you didn't steal another access card."

"Good evening to you too. And no, this time I came through the ventilation shafts. A great way to go places in this building that are protected by doors you need those cards for."

"How the fuck do you even know which room is mine? I never told you."

She grinned, the mirthful spark in her eyes had returned. "Lyle taught me some basic slicing. That's how I learned your CT number and then looked up your room. Easy."

How she stood in his room in a confident stance, hands on her hips made his mouth go dry. "You came here for a reason. What did you want to tell me?"

Zaree sighed and sat down cross-legged at the end of his bed. "First of all, I'm sorry I didn't show up during mealtimes when I said I would. I had to show that newbie around and explain everything three times because his only interest seems to be his kriffing music box. He works so sloppy and slow… I just hope that's only temporary but…probably not."

Crosshair cocked his head listening to her vent. "Some people just can't get the job done. That's what it feels like working with regs."

"Oh come on, not all regs are like this!"

He rolled his eyes in frustration at the mere thought of how the regs had treated him and his brothers when they were young and still as grown ups. "Now to the reason you visit me in the middle of the night. Y'know what this could look like to someone else. Young lady, visiting me at night…"

Zaree searched for the right words. "I- um oh I'm not here to-  I don't want you to think…" Crosshair enjoyed watching her stammer, a smirk forming in the corner of his mouth. "I told you at breakfast that I have a new plan." She was suddenly interrupted by the growling of her stomach which was loud enough for Crosshair at the other end of his bed to hear. He grabbed the flimsi bag with the rations he had stolen from the kitchen and threw it on the bed in front of her.

"Wanted to give this to you since lunchtime. Didn't trust your new coworker enough to leave it there for you."

"Aww that's so thoughtful! Thank you!" Her wide smile made him feel things he tried hard to suppress. As he watched her bite a chunk off the first ration bar, he wondered how her lips would feel on his - a thought that scared him so much he blinked to focus back on what she was saying with her mouth full.

"This facility has a prison. The thing is, Lyle never taught me how to slice into the registry. I need access to the data terminals for that."

"Those are…well protected. They scan your face for verification and alert the security if you don't have the necessary rank."

Zaree nodded. "I know that much. I can overwrite this standard protocol, which includes the face scanning. I need someone to keep watch while I'm doing this and you're my only friend right now…"

Crosshair sighed in exasperation. "Those reckless plans of yours will one day cost you your life. When do you plan on doing this?"

"Tonight."

He blinked once in disbelief. "Pulling a stunt like this takes days if not weeks to plan."

"Days or weeks are something Lyle doesn't have! We need to find him as soon as possible."

She took a small holoprojector from her bag. A map appeared as she switched it on, showing a floor plan with serval red markings.

"See those? That are all the security cams three floors down. The data terminal is right here." She pointed at a yellow marking, then pointed at a certain hallway. "There's the ventilation shaft. It can't be seen on any of those cams, but to get to the data terminal there is one cam that needs to be taken care of. There's a panel hidden in the wall. I can slice into the security system from there and disable it, and show the security personnel some old recordings. I need you to have my back there too."

"And how do you want to disable the cam without anyone seeing you?"

"The cam shows what's going on in the hallway in front of it, not what's happening right below it. I will sneak along the wall and disable it, slice the data terminal, you have my back, and we'll be out of there before you know it."

Crosshair grabbed one of his toothpicks from the small box on the shelf next to his bed. "You said Lyle has never shown you how to slice the prison registry. What makes you think you can do it without his help?"

"I need to try!"

He rubbed his temples at her determination and stubbornness. "Fine. Just be quick." He hated the idea of having to crawl through the ventilation shafts with her, but said nothing. She wanted her friend back, and being one of her friends himself, he should support her, he figured.

Maybe I'm not so bad at this whole "making friends" thing after all…

The mere idea of crawling through the ventilation shafts with Zaree made Crosshair uncomfortable, but actually doing it? Zaree crawled in front of him, knowing which direction to go. He tried to distract himself from the view of her backside in front of him, thinking about that little mission they were pulling off.

"We have to climb down three levels." she notified him. In front of her the ventilation shaft went down and with their hands and feet on its walls they managed to climb down without making much noise. Being a sniper, Crosshair was excellent at stealth. Snipers were supposed to be invisible and deadly, and crawling down a ventilation shaft undetected was one of his strengths. It was even easier wearing only his blacks, the plastoid of his armor would have made crawling quietly somewhat harder

Three levels down they crawled with the airflow until they saw light that came through a grid. Zaree grabbed her screwdriver from her utility belt to open it. 

She looked both sides down the hallways.

"Clear." She left the ventilation shaft and held out a hand for Crosshair to take, which he accepted. Afterwards she put the grid back into place, just in case.

"Let's get moving." he said in a hushed tone. Everything was going according to plan. They sneaked along the wall. Crosshair had a single blaster in his hand instead of his rifle he kept trained on the doors, ready to shot in a milisecond's notice. Meanwhile Zareena opened the panel and plugged in her datapad, slicing into the system.

"Oh man, no military funding goes into that security system, that's for sure." she chuckled. She typed on her datapad for several minutes in which Crosshair grew more and more impatient, yet he admired her skills. The way she was so focused on slicing reminded him of his brother, Tech.

They would probably get along well.

"That's it! We should remain undetected for a few minutes until they realize it's an old recording they see on their screens."

The data terminal was in a transparisteel compartment by the hallway. It was semi dark in there, in their case a clear advantage. Zareena frowned as she plugged in her datapad and worked her way to overwrite the terminal's protocols.

"And…I'm in. Great, now let's check those prisoner data." she mumbled, completely lost in her work.

Suddenly one of the doors hissed open and there were steps in the hallway. Crosshair reacted in the matter of a second, pulling Zaree into the dark corner of the compartment, putting his hand over her mouth to keep her from making any surprised noise. Her datapad was still hanging from the data terminal. If anyone looked any closer they were screwed.

Two white armored TK troopers walked past, thankfully none of them paid attention to the terminal or the trooper who kept a mechanic against his chest. They didn't dare breathe until the other door swished open and the troopers were gone. They both let out the breath they'd been holding, only to realize how close they were to each other. The look in Crosshair's eyes was more vulnerable than she had ever seen him. It trailed down to her lips, and so did hers to his own. They could feel each other's breath on their faces. Just a few centimeters closer and their lips would meet.

"We should… my datapad…" she whispered and let her hands sink from holding his waist.

"You better hurry." Crosshair's expression turned from vulnerable to sour in the matter of seconds. He wasn't mad at her, he was mad at himself.

How could I allow myself that? This is wrong. So, so wrong! You're a damn soldier, Cross! Act like it!

Zareena groaned as she opened the files. "Ugh! Fuck! There's no name to the prisoners, only numbers. But their species might be added in the data. Hang on… There it is… Umm…They have no Mon Calamari in custody? That… can't be. Lyle…" Tears were welling in her eyes as she unplugged her datapad from the terminal. "He's not in custody and there are no records that he ever was." Her shoulders sank and tears were now running down her cheeks.

Crosshair hesitated at first then put a hand on her cheek, wiping her tears with his thumb.

"We'll figure out what to do next. But first we need to get out of here."

Zaree nodded, wiping the remaining tears with the sleeve of her dark gray overall.

Back in the ventilation shaft they climbed the rest of the way down to the basement levels where the humid air greeted them. In front of the maintenance room with nobody else in sight, Zaree suddenly jumped to hug Crosshair's tall frame. He stiffened at the gesture, but eventually wrapped his arms around her waist as well.

"Thank you for helping me out tonight." she whispered into his ear and kissed his cheek as she let go of him.

She caused a warmth to spread in his chest that felt like a natural cure to the darkness that lingered there. He was afraid of that new feeling, but it felt too good to not welcome it into his heart.

"Get some sleep, I'll see you at breakfast." was all he could say.

"Funny, I just wanted to tell you the same." She yawned symbolically. "Sweet dreams, Crosshair." With a tired smile she went into the maintenance room where she crashed on the cot that for some reason smelled like deathsticks, but Zaree was too tired to care for her new co worker's bullshit.

Crosshair casually walked back to his quarters and as soon as he shut the door behind him, he hit his head back against it with a frustrated groan.

What is she doing to me? I can't allow myself to be vulnerable.

Just like her, he crashed on his bed and fell asleep almost instantly, the next morning would come soon enough. In that short night he dreamed of deep blue eyes and a smile so bright it was a contrast against her brown skin. That spark in Zareena's eyes followed him into his dreams, and Crosshair felt as light as a feather. This was no spice dream though, no, those feelings were real. He feared that they could become as addictive as spice nonetheless. His rational mind told him to be careful, while his heart yearned for more.

<- previous chapter next chapter ->

a/n: He's catching feelings, and of course he doesn't know how to handle it! This is kind of a fix it fic because I wanna give Crosshair what he deserves: Love (and some good pussy later in the story) …and maybe a much deserved break lol

#tbb crosshair #crosshair x oc #crosshair x reader #crosshair fanfiction #tbb #tbb fanfiction #the bad batch #the bad batch fanfiction

[tehacomel]

Ez Mekbex

Ez Mekbex @ Zety Zareena, bini orang kuat seks

#ezmekbex

[famousbollywood1]

100 Most Loved Bollywood Heroines

Bollywood has the most gorgeous heroines in the industry. The glamorous and talented ladies of the industry bring excitement and the people who watch them get inspired to be like their role models and their favourite Bollywood heroine image and name. The industry is full of talent and most importantly, their hard work pays off, the list of Bollywood heroine names is endless, and it keeps on growing year after year. You can also find heroine photos everywhere rolled over the internet. 

So, the top Bollywood heroine images and names are listed below, we assure you that your favourite must also be one of them, as these are the top in the industry and doing a great job in their work.

Aadin

Aakarsha

Aakarshika Goyal

Aaditi Pohankar

Aakanksha

Aakanksha Naresh

Aakanksha Madhu

Banu

Bhanu Sri

Bharatha Naidu

Bhavana Bhatia

Bhavya Sri

Bhoomika Chawla

Chahat

Chandini Chowdary

Chandrika

Chaya Singh

Chara Fernandes

Daisy Shah

Damini

Dayan Erappa

Deepa Nair

Deepali Purohit

Deepika Bajwa

Diksha Panth

Dimple 

Ekta Khosla

Esha Deol

Elsa Ghosh

Ester Noronha

Erin Andrea

Fagun Thakrar

Farah Khan

Fozia Khan

Gayathri

Gauri

Gauhar Khan

Gayathri 

Gurleen Chopra

Haleem Khan

Harini

Hari Teja

Hari Chandana 

 Indhuja

Iraa

Ishika Nair

Ishara

Ishita Vyas

Jaya Vani

Jasmine

Jayanthi

Jennifer Kotwal

Jerina

Jessy

Kajol

Kalpika

Kamna

Kamna Singh

Kanchan Sharma

Kanika Kapoor

Kareena Kapoor

Karishma

Karronya Katrynn

Kriti Sanon

Lata Suhani

Latha Hegde

Lavanya

Leya

Laya

Leena

Leena Kapoor

Lakshmi Nair

MM Srilekha

Maina

Malavika

Malavika Nair

Malishka

Mouni Gandhi

Sai Sindu

Sailaja

Sakshi Agarwal

Saloni Mishra

Teja Reddy

Tejashwi

Thanamai

Tiska

Upasna

Urvashi Soni

Utthara Unni

Vaani Kapoor

Vishni Santh

Wamiqa

Yuggaa

Yuvika 

Yami Gautam

Zara Sha

Zabyn Khan

Zarine Khan

Zeba Anjum

Zareena

With the best heroine photos and top Bollywood heroine image and name in the industry, this is the list of heroines. 

#actress

[uneviemorose]

Kuch Ankahi definitely had its share of flaws, in the sense that I'd have rated it much higher had it displayed a tethered sense of cohesiveness in its plot or accorded more interiority to the leads in the ensemble, ie. Aaliya and Salman, I still adore this show for its nuanced treatment of familial relationships, societal expectations and how it tends to shape human tendencies which can clearly be seen wrt Shammo; Aaliya's mom, Saif and Zareena; Salman's mom. This show clearly depicted how the burden of childrearing and preserving misplaced notions of honour falls within women which lends different kinds of trauma responses which pass through generations, and in a sense, also depicted how fathers tend to feed progressive ideologies onto their daughters because of the familial and societal structure which inherently grants them freedom to do so. I do wish we had got a compelling juxtaposition of Aaliya's workplace dynamics and her relationship with Salman with the travails of other characters, but I actually appreciate Kuch Ankahi for handling multiple plotlines delving on child abuse, attaining women's rights in marriage, financial independence,toxic parenting, raising daughters with independence and deftly navigating workplace dynamics despite its tendency to meander alongside different lines. I do wish we got to explore Aaliya's trauma attached to her unhealthy work approach and her inability to communicate her feelings which leads to a huge fallout with Salman as well as his attachment issues and his sincerity towards Aaliya which was sacrificed for weaving in multiple narratives with subtle, nuanced characters who are treated in a humane manner without any inherent prejudice. Also I have to mention that I love how this show essentially did not stigmatize Aaliya for her response towards work or money, or her clamoring towards attaining a better future for her family despite the apprehension raised at her constant struggles for securing her father's prized posession, and the script was able to call out Salman's insecurity and chauvinism and in a way, make him realise Aaliya's perspective on life as well. I do wish we got a confrontation scene where they could've addressed their bias and communication issues plaguing their relationship and that would've accentuated the perfection of this drama.

#kuch ankahi #sajal aly #bilal abbas #aaliya agha #salman #okay i will definitely miss them #we need more wholesome dramas like this

[perfectwomanmagazine]

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[rajeevpradhan]

ZAREENA WAHAB IN A PHOTO SHOOT

[latestmoviesblog]

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[ceapa-mica]

The Choices We Make | Chapter 7: Conflicted

{cross-posted on ao3} {masterlist}

<- previous chapter

Pairing: Imperial!Crosshair x Tholothian!OC

Warnings: angst

Word count: 2419

Summary: Crosshair wants to keep Zaree out of trouble.

a/n: Crosshair and Zaree are back!

I finally finished this chapter and can't wait for you to read it! I have quite a few other projects going, but don't worry, I'll still continue this fic. The message of this story is too important not to finish it.

Crosshair checked himself out in front of the mirror before getting dressed for the day. As a soldier he hardly ever cared much about his physical appearance since he spent so much time wearing his helmet. Shore leave had always been an exception though. With his brothers he used to visit 79s, meeting a nice Twi'lek lady or two. Without his brothers he never considered going back there, and he had different plans anyway. Zaree needed him, and he didn't wanna be late. He splashed cold water in his face, put bacta cream on the scar at the side of his head, and shaved the light stubble of his beard. Ever since he became friends with Zaree it had actually turned into a daily routine for him. 

Wearing armor inside the facility was mandatory. So he put on the black plastoid and a toothpick between his teeth before he took his helmet and a simple DC-17 blaster, leaving his quarters, eager to see the young woman.

Zareena, already wearing her civvies, was working on her datapad when he entered the maintenance room. She looked up in surprise, her signature smile was back.

“Cross! Right on time! Thank you for doing this.” She switched off the datapad and left the room so he could change into the civvies that belonged to Lyle. Crosshair sighed, his feelings for her trying to break out of the corner of his mind.

Get a grip! You’re going with her so you can protect her down there. Focus on her safety!

The first time he'd worn them, the civvies had felt strange on his skin, but by now he wished his blacks were as comfortable as Lyle's clothing was. Compared to them, his blacks were somewhat itchy, something he had never noticed until he had worn this outfit for the first time.

Zaree had checked out of her shift and they went the secret way she had shown him last time.

"I wonder how many people will come to this get together. You're so quiet, are you okay?" Zaree asked.

"M'fine." Crosshair replied with an icy tone in his voice. He tried so hard to stay emotionally distant. It's what he thought was best.

"I bet the kids look forward to seeing you again, especially Baxel."

Crosshair rolled his eyes at the mere thought of the Mon Calamari boy who talked way too much for his liking.

The way to the Kjori family's apartment was more of a one sided conversation. He listened to every word Zaree said, but didn't add much. She told him how she and Lyle had become friends and how he had taught her the everyday tasks the job included.

"You know, talking about someone a lot keeps the person alive somehow. Not that I think he's dead, but…" At the last few words her voice broke, but her face remained neutral and so did her posture. That's when Crosshair figured out she was an expert when it came to hiding her true feelings, that there had to be more than the smile she put on every day. But wasn't he the same way? Putting on a brave expression in his line of work?

Crosshair still wasn't used to the stench of the lower levels. He kept an eye out for potential dangers and instinctively put an arm around Zaree. With the scowl he wore on his face, he probably scared away any criminal waiting for their next victim. Still, it was a relief when the door to the apartment building shut behind them. To their surprise the small apartment was crowded with people - friends and neighbors of the family. When their eyes landed on Crosshair, the entire room fell silent, except for Oura who was serving her guests seaweed salad - a Mon Cala delicacy.

"This is the soldier you told us about?" an elderly Nautolan woman asked.

"Crosshair!" Baxel pushed his way through the people to wrap his arms around his waist in a tight hug. "That's my friend!" he declared while Crosshair stood there completely rigid. Everything in him wanted to push the child away, but Zaree's amused chuckle kept him from doing so. "Enough, kid." was all he said, and the boy let go and looked up at him with admiration in his big eyes.

"Who says he won't tell his superiors what we're talking about? We could get arrested, just like my friend Col. He mentioned that he doesn't trust the new Empire while being out with a friend, next thing troopers came out of nowhere and arrested him. Chila hasn't seen him again ever since." the Nautolan woman said.

"What do we know so far?" Zaree asked. "Did y'all compare your financial records?"

"Yes, and the fee varies between households based on how many people live in one household, and the district you live in. The Empire doesn't even care about your salary." Oura explained.

"What if he arrests us for speaking our minds?" a middle aged human man asked, pointing at Crosshair.

"Not my orders." he replied, keeping a neutral expression.

"What are your orders then?"

"I'm on shore leave today, no orders. Say what you want, I'm just here to keep Zareena safe in that shady district you call home."

A discussion about the security fee broke loose. The human man, Mr. Darga, lived alone, and his security fee was still higher than the one the Kjori family had to pay because of the little convenience store he owned. Neela, the Nautolan woman, had to pay less than the Kjoris, because she only owned a little apartment with her husband. A young Twi'lek man named Griff was a single dad who couldn't afford enough to eat at the end of each month, and Risa, a middle aged Zabrak woman, had to move to a different part of town. Due to the fee she couldn't afford rent anymore, and now her way to work was even more unsafe than before.

"You know what else they do?" she raised her voice. "I've been working in the library for more than twenty years. A few days after the Republic fell some people in gray uniforms turned up at the library and took so many books and they gave me a very long list of books they say are now banned. And in the last few weeks I got deliveries with books I didn't order. When I read them, all of them were glorifying the Empire and its military."

"I didn't know it's that bad." Zaree said with a deep frown.

"Civil compliance makes our job easier." Crosshair muttered, leaning casually against the wall and shoving a toothpick between his lips.

"He's one of them! How can you trust this guy, Zareena?!" Mr. Darga yelled.

"He's my friend! I know I can trust him because… my heart tells me so!"

Why did Zaree's words feel like they stabbed Crosshair in the chest? Suddenly the air inside the small apartment became too thick for his liking, or was it the heavy feeling inside his chest making him feel this way?

"I'll wait outside." With these words Crosshair left the room, sitting down on the cold staircase right outside the apartment. He was angry, but he didn't fully understand why. It had something to do with what Zaree said, but it was not her he was mad at, nor anyone else in the apartment. What had he gotten himself into? It would be his duty to call for backup and arrest everyone in this apartment for treason against the Empire, yet all he did was sit on the staircase, musing about ways to ensure nobody found out about Zaree's obvious disdain for the very people she worked for. Nobody could ever find out. She cared, she was kind and compassionate, everything Crosshair thought he wasn't. He couldn't bear to see his only friend through a prison rayshield. 

After thirty minutes the door opened and Zaree came out, putting on her dark blue jacket.

"Sorry it took so long, really."

"Patience is a core trait any skilled sniper has." he responded with a shrug and a cocky smirk.

As they went on their way back through the district, Crosshair noticed that it was now Zaree who was unusually quiet. As they stepped into the elevator and she still hadn't said a word, he decided to ask her about it.

"I- It's just… Look, I tried to avoid this question, maybe because I was too afraid of the answer…" She looked him straight in the eye. "If you were given the order to arrest me, would you do it?"

Crosshair was surprised at her question, remembering what he had thought about while waiting for the get together to end. He averted his gaze, he couldn't just lie to her. "Orders are orders."

Zaree's brown eyes widened in fear and she took a step back. Not that there was much space in that small elevator, so her back touched the transparisteel wall. The way she stared at him with tears welling in her eyes made him feel uneasy.

"I'm just being honest." he added.

"You know you deserve more, Crosshair? You clones are treated like shit by the military, you basically have zero rights. You're my friend and you deserve more than being treated like this. So why follow their orders?"

His heart felt as if a ton of bricks weighed it down. He didn't wanna talk about it - the guilt he felt for what he had done to his brothers and Omega under the influence of the chip.

"You don't know what I deserve." he spoke with a sharp edge to his voice. "If it's any comfort to you, I would try and avoid a situation where I had to arrest you. Look, I- I was created to be a soldier, just like any clone. There's nothing else in this life for me but my service to the Empire." he tried to explain.

I deserve nothing more after what I've done.

"You just came with me to keep me safe on the lower levels, you help me with the search for my friend. You listen to my rambling and you're respectful compared to many other people at the headquarters… Actions mean more than words, you are deserving of kindness and a life away from all this."

Crosshair didn't understand what she saw in him, but he was sure that if she knew what he had done - what the chip had made him do - she wouldn't speak like this. She would loathe him.

"I wanna continue what Lyle started while trying to find him. I'm glad I don't have to do it alone."

Crosshair grabbed her arm and she stopped in her tracks. "You should forget about this. I know these people need help, but if anyone finds out what you're up to in your free time… It puts you in danger and if you get arrested I won't be able to help you. Just do your job, stay out of trouble and let's keep having these little lunch dates once a day."

Zaree sighed and removed her arm from his gentle grip. "Don't expect me to look the other way when people need help. You were there, you heard what they said. What happens to these people is unjust and somebody needs to do something!"

"Then let it be someone else! Please, Zaree!"

She was surprised when she saw something in his eyes, even if just for a mere second, what looked like vulnerability.

"I need to do this for Lyle. He would take the same risks for me." She looked so confident. Crosshair knew, after meeting Lyle's family and friends, that what Zaree did was not foolish, but very brave. Hell, she was as brave as a soldier, he thought, but at the end of the day she was just an overlooked maintenance worker. He wanted to help her and have her back, but at the same time keep her out of any trouble. How could he protect her if she became a rebel - an insurgent - someone Crosshair, like every other Imperial soldier, was ordered to eliminate on sight?

As they reached the Imperial army headquarters, Crosshair put his armor back on, and somehow it felt heavier on him than usual.

"See you tomorrow?" Zaree asked with the signature smile on her face.

"Lunch. Same time as always." he nodded, but then went completely rigid as she jumped, wrapping her arms around his neck in a warm embrace. He tried to ignore the way she made his heart flutter, he tried so hard.

I don't deserve her. Get a grip!

"Thank you for joining me today. That doesn't mean that I don't know how to use a blaster though." she clarified, letting go of him.

Crosshair chuckled. "Is that so, little one? You need to show me sometime."

He liked the thought of spending time with her at the shooting range and showing off his skills to her. The only problem was that she didn't have clearance to the floor the shooting range was located. They could both face serious consequences if they were caught. It was too risky.

That evening he went there alone after taking a quick detour to his quarters to pick up his beloved firepuncher rifle which was really kind of an extension of himself. 

Hitting targets, never missing a shot, came naturally to him. It calmed the storm that raged in his heart and mind. Zareena occupied both, he couldn't stop thinking about her, nor did he want to. She was the first person after his brothers and sister he actually cared for. He shouldn't, he really shouldn't, but he couldn't help it. It frustrated him that he couldn't allow himself to act on his feelings. He let his frustration out on the targets for hours.

She's the one who deserves more than working in a humid basement. She deserves to be with someone who's good and can show her the Galaxy, and that can't be me.

At the first light of dawn he returned to his quarters, eyelids heavy and with a headache. After taking a quick shower he let himself fall on the mattress of his bed with a groan. Sleep came fast and quietly. Brown eyes with a joyful gleam and little lines in their corners from laughing, that broad smile on her plump lips. Crosshair sighed in contentment, not used to dreams as beautiful as this one.

He was definitely in trouble.

<- previous chapter

a/n: Crosshair is head over heels for Zaree and refuses to acknowledge it. I think we can all agree with Zaree that Cross deserves the world, he really does!

#tbb crosshair #crosshair #crosshair x reader #crosshair x oc #the bad batch #crosshair fanfiction #tbb #the bad batch fanfiction