|
|
3-10-99
Kyara had just zipped up her skirt when the knock came on her door, and she let out a shuddering breath. "Here we go," she muttered, crossing her tiny room to unlock the entrance.
Tara Valentine stepped in almost before the door had completely opened, giving the shorter woman a warm smile. "It's good to see you, Kya." She paused, taking in the Stilvani's expression. "What's wrong?"
Kyara hesitated, and finally gestured toward the chair at her desk. "Why don't you take a seat? There's something I've got to tell you."
"And I'm not going to like it, am I?" Shaking her head, Tara swaggered over to drop into the chair. "What's up? No, wait, am I going to want a drink first?"
Kya's answer came in the form of a bottle, as she took one down from a cupboard to pour a pair of shots. Handing one to her friend, she sat down on her bed, rolling her own glass nervously between her palms. "I don't know where to start."
The smuggler shot the drink down her throat, taking a moment to savor the fire that burned its way to her stomach. "The beginning usually works."
Kyara nodded slightly, taking a deep breath. "The beginning then. While you were gone, I was made aware that it had come to the wrong people's attention that my choice of companions was, shall we say, unwise."
Tara went very still, knuckles whitening as her hand tightened around her shot glass. "Unwise. I see. Well, so what? Who're they to say who you can hang out with?"
"They are people who can inflict dire consequences. And they're right, Tara, don't you see? I'm AF now- I've an honor to uphold."
Valentine swept that consideration aside with a disdainful gesture. "Bah, they're just trying to scare you, Kya. In the end, what can they really do? Toss you out? Big deal. You'd be better off if that happened."
"No!" Kyara's whipcrack answer was uncharacteristically sharp. "I don't want out. I'm in this for life, Tara. I'm going career."
The smuggler let out a rueful sigh. "Where did I go wrong? Alright, so go career. But that doesn't mean you should let them dictate personal relationships to you." She regarded her companion thoughtfully. "It was Addison, wasn't it? I told you he'd do this."
Kya shook her head. "No," she said softly. "He told me it was my decision. All the hell I've put him through and that's all he did- told me to make a choice."
Tara couldn't quite hide the gleam in her eyes. "Oh, I doubt he's suffered all that much. But he is a master at handing out guilt trips, isn't he?"
Kyara paused at the expression on her friend's face, and drank her own shot quickly, needing it. "A guilt trip? You bet I feel guilty, and for good reason too. It's not every day a friend takes administrative punishment for something I did."
"Administrative? Who, Addison?"
Kya nodded slowly. "And I won't let it happen again. Not on my account." She looked up, and stared at Tara in disbelief. "You... you're glad he was punished."
Quickly Valentine controlled the unholy joy she'd expressed at hearing of Riley Addison's misfortune, but it was too late, and she tried to rectify her mistake. "Well, why shouldn't I be glad?" the smuggler demanded, slamming her glass down on the desk. "After all he did to me, he deserves it."
A long moment of silence passed, then Kyara gently said, "Considering that he's still giving me a chance despite what happened, and that he's still looking out for me, and that he's still being nice to me, I have to wonder if perhaps your stories are a bit biased. He's not a devil." Wearily she shook her head. "Tara, please, don't make this any harder than it has to be."
Now it was Tara's turn to stare. "So that's it? You're going to abandon me too? I don't believe it... he's won again." Fury flared in her eyes as slowly she rose from her seat, her voice shaky. "Alright then. I won't bother you anymore."
Kya closed her eyes. "Tara, please..."
The smuggler paused by the bed, relenting with a sigh. "So long, Kya. I really do hope you do well. And if there's ever anything you need, well, you know where to find me." Without waiting for a response, she stepped quickly out. Behind her, Kya rose with a sigh to put her dinner back in the refrigerator. Somehow, she'd lost her appetite.