#⁽ 𝑘.𝔞. ₎ ﹐ ▒ 𝟶𝟶𝟺 ▒ : answered .

[scargivr]

@nepehnte , anakin : " hey , look at me . i don't care . are you okay ? "

ᵠᵘᶤᶜᵏ , shallow breaths 𝙷𝙴𝙰𝚅𝙴 in & out of kora's lungs , catching at the end , a 𝑐𝑦𝑐𝑙𝑒 they can't escape . reminding herself to breathe had gone out the window minutes ago , it's no use . [ blood is still 𝒉𝒐𝒕 against the side of your face , ᶜˡᶤᶰᵍᶤᶰᵍ to short hair atop shaven head . how can you breathe when your mouth tastes of metal & 🇮​🇨​🇭​🇴​🇷​ ? ] gaze is 🇬​🇱​🇦​🇸​🇸​🇾​ , mumbled explanation 𝐝𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 upon their lips with anakin's interruption . his heartfelt dismissal nearly 𝚋𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚔𝚜 the dam , weight of having to elaborate upon & rationalize their actions lifted . bones feel heavy , shoulders ₛᵢₙₖᵢₙ𝓰 a little as eyes come to focus upon anakin . ❛ i blacked out , ❜ they acknowledge , voice ᵗʳᵉᵐᵇₗᵢₙ𝓰 despite kora's best efforts . ❛ it's not mine , i don't think . most of it , anyways . ❜

[scargivr]

@wr1tten , gunnar : [ HUSH ]   sender clasps a hand over receiver’s mouth to silence them .

immediately does 🇫​🇪​🇦​🇷​ spike in their veins . ₜₕᵤₘₚ , thump , thump , goes the pounding of kora's heart ( ... ) they can 𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚛 it in their ears , 𝑓𝑒𝑒𝑙 it in their throat . ᵠᵘᶤᶜᵏˡʸ is the knife in her belt torn free , hand whipping around for the tip of her blade to press dangerously into the fabric over their assailant's torso — blade freezing before drawing 𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐝 as gunnar's whispered words stop it in its tracks . relief is a 𝑤𝑎𝑣𝑒 , ʷᵃˢʰᶤᶰᵍ over them as knife is raised in front of them ; a ᵈᶤˢᵖˡᵃʸ of their understanding as they 𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑛 into gunnar's body .

on edge would put their state of mind too ˡᶤᵍʰᵗˡʸ , ever since noble's 🇫​🇱​🇪​🇪​🇹​ had entered their atmosphere ; ships hanging ₗₒ𝓌 in the sky ( ... ) surely 𝚂𝙴𝙴𝙺𝙸𝙽𝙶 their grain , & the 𝑙𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑠 of those who may endeavor to defy the motherworld . from what information aris had gleaned , noble was unlikely to know that they had 𝚛𝚎𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚗𝚎𝚍 to veldt ; much less that titus & the others were also in attendance . [ that gives you ₛₒₘₑ margin of 𝐚𝐝𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐞 ( ... ) you must ᶜˡᶤᶰᵍ to the hope that when they descend , you'll have the element of 🇸​🇺​🇷​🇵​🇷​🇮​🇸​🇪​ . that might be just what you need to win this . ]

[scargivr]

@echoylir , gabrielle : " what the hell did you do ; tap - dance all over the body with ice - skates ? "

it 𝑐𝑒𝑟𝑡𝑎𝑖𝑛𝑙𝑦 would seem so ( ... ) kora standing above the 𝒸ₒᵣₚₛₑ , light steam expelling from the imperial officer's clothes . blue heat of their blade has ˢᶤᵐᵐᵉʳᵉᵈ out to a cool silver , clutched in kora's 🇸​🇭​🇦​🇰​🇾​ fist . ❛ he kept coming , ❜ tone carries a 𝐛𝐥𝐮𝐧𝐭 edge of defensiveness . the officer had taken two or ᵀᴴᴿᴱᴱ slashes before crumpling , & had even then continued to fire off shots . [ you'd simply bore down after that , in a blur . ]

❛ if you're done here , there will be more on their way . ❜ patrons ˢᵖᶤˡˡ out of the cantina in a flood of 𝚙𝚊𝚗𝚒𝚌 & fear ( ... ) fleeing , lest they become the next body on the floor . [ you would have preferred to abstain from violence ( ... ) yet it becomes increasingly clear that yours & your companion's faces will not go unnoticed . too many bounties , too many people 🇱​🇴​🇴​🇰​🇮​🇳​🇬​ for them . ] ❛ — we need to go . ❜

[scargivr]

it's  an  ᵃᵍᵒᶰᶤᶻᶤᶰᵍˡʸ  dry  heat .   golden  sand  burned  where  it  met  your  palms ,   filling  every  hollow  &   crevice  it  can  find .   you're  mindful  of  each  step ,   🇼​🇦​🇷​🇾​  of  what  lurks  within  these  dunes  —  duncan's  demonstration  of  the  sand  worms  had  been  more  than  enough  warning  of  what  horrors  called  arrakis's  underbelly  home .   feet  finally  meet  solid  stone  &   you ʷʰᶤˢᵖᵉʳ  a  hollow  prayer .   the  rocky  pass  promises  shade ,   if  nothing  else .   legs  weary  from  the  🇩​🇦​🇳​🇨​🇪​  that  had  gotten  you  across  the  desert ,   you  ʰᵒᵇᵇˡᵉ  forwards  &  collapse  below  an  underhang  of  stone  .

there  had  been  no  previous  thought  given  to  the  🇸​🇹​🇮​🇳​🇬​🇮​🇳​🇬​  at  your  torso ,   nor  the  blood  matted  upon  your  forehead  —  simply  desperate  to  escape  the  desert .   the  center  of  beige  shirt  is  stained  🇷​🇪​🇩​  from  within .   each  pant  only  dries  your  throat  further ,   hope  slipping  from  between  clenched  fingers  ;  [  these  are  🇪​🇳​🇩​  times  ...  the  fall  of  house  atreides ,   house  valerius  ( ... )  &   you  die  in  the  desert ,   𝚊𝚕𝚘𝚗𝚎 .   ]  or ,   not  entirely  alone ,   it  would  seem  —  peripheral  picking  up  the  smallest  motion  from  within  the  valley  of  rock .   hand  that  had  reached  to  surveille  the  damage  beneath  your  shirt  instantly  ᵈᶤᵖˢ  into  the  waistline  of  your  pants  —  tearing  the  pistol  from  its  constraints  &  raising  it  🇼​🇮​🇹​🇭​🇴​🇺​🇹​  hesitation .   down  the  barrel  you  take  in  the  ˢᶤᵍʰᵗ  of  a  young  fremen  man ,   blade  in  hand  -  eyes  of  blue  within  blue  visible  from  the  few  yards  distancing  them .   ❛  stop  there .   ❜  commanded  in  a  🇬​🇷​🇦​🇮​🇳​🇾​  voice  that  you  can  only  ʰᵒᵖᵉ comes  off  as  minacious  .

@impercre ,   kaleff  :  ❛  i’m  not  gonna  hurt  you  !    see ?     look ,     i’m  putting  down  the    knife .  ❜

wary  gaze ,   watchful  ...  pistol  trembling  within  your  hands .   [  could  you  even  🇸​🇭​🇴​🇴​🇹​  straight ,   were  your  finger  to  graze  the  trigger ?   ( ... )   you  aren't  confident .   ]  chest  rises ,   taking  in  a  ᵈʳʸ  gasp  of  air .   as  the  man  lays  down  his  blade ,   you  ᵉˡᵉᶜᵗ  to  show  the  same  respect .   should  he  ʳᵘˢʰ  you  with  the  knife ,   you  have  the  benefit  of  🇷​🇦​🇳​🇬​🇪​ .   ❛  i  need  something  ( ... )  to  bandage  this . ❜  trepidation  licks  the  edges  of  your  tone  .

[scargivr]

@wr1tten ,  gunnar  :    ❛  oh ,  wow  ( … )  look  at  you .  ❜

you  feel  the  corners  of  lips  rise  against  your  will .  when  has  a  smile  ever  come  this  ᵉᵃˢᶤˡʸ  ?  small ,  yes ,  but  the  𝚠𝚊𝚛𝚖𝚝𝚑  blossoming  in  your  chest  is  not .  fresh ,  clean  fringe  feels  like  a  reminder  of  darker  times .  after  all  these  years ,  the  name  arthelais  makes  you  grimace  ( ... )  memory  of  your  time  serving  the  motherworld  being  something  you'd  rather  put  behind  you .  but  that  isn't  possible  ( ... )  noble  had ˢʰᵒʷᶰ  you  as  much .  they  will  never  stop  coming ,  not  until  the  flames  of  the  rebellion  are  🇸​🇳​🇺​🇫​🇫​🇪​🇩​  out .  veldt  could  only  remain  a  safe  haven  for  so  long ,  &   the  plain  farmer  you  had  portrayed  will  be  of  no  service  to  these  people  when  the  next  𝚒𝚗𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚝𝚊𝚋𝚕𝚎  threat  comes .  the  ᵖᵃˢᵗ  catches  up  🇫​🇦​🇸​🇹​🇪​🇷​  than  you  could  ever  hope  to  run .  a  hand  reaches  north ,  fingertips  grazing  the  short  buzz  along  the  side  of  your  head .

❛  thank you .  ❜  ᵗᶤᶰʸ  creases  at  the  corners  of  dark  eyes  are  as  traitorous  as  your  smile .   through  your  two  seasons  on  veldt ,  gunnar  seemed  to  ᶜᵃʳʳʸ  spring  in  his  pockets .  untouched  by  war ,  the  violence ...  famine  or  plague .  there's  something  in  his  eyes ,  those  gentle  eyes ,  that  promises  his  𝚏𝚎𝚊𝚕𝚝𝚢  ( ... )  &  he  must  know  who  he's  giving  this  privilege  to .  each  horror  of  your  life ,  every  🇦​🇹​🇷​🇴​🇨​🇮​🇹​🇾​  ( ... )  those  eyes  have  never  looked  at  you  differently  for  any  of  it . ❛  i  can't  keep  running  away .  ❜  ( ... ) ʲᵘˢᵗ ᵒᶰᶜᵉ ,  you'd  like  to  run  towards  something .   someone .