candor1 | Open RP Post

"Which unsavory people would that be, sir?" said Cassian. Avoiding commitment and hopefully getting more intel himself.

"You know exactly who I'm talking about, Lieutenant, don't play dumb", Krennic replied, his congenial tone long gone. "Rebels, who we will beat into submission until they're gone. Do this for me, and you'll be rewarded handsomely. Speak a word of it to anyone, and you'll be reassigned. Pity, since you and your wife seem to be getting on famously, don't you think?"

Don't challenge him. Krennic sure didn't make it easy. Cassian drew himself upright and folded his arms across his chest. He wasn't ignoring Jyn's warning; but caving in to this too easily would be more suspicious than not. "I'm sorry, Director, but I answer to the Admiral, not to you. I believe an Admiral still outranks a Director. I thank you for the warning—I will keep my eyes open for any unsavory acquaintance on Jyn's part. I could even talk to you about it. But I don't think the Admiral would approve of your threat."

"Disappointing that you should choose not to work with me on ... nipping this in the bud if it is, indeed true", Krennic sniffed, his rage at being denied only just simmering below the surface. "But ... I would appreciate your insight if you do see or hear anything. No threats here, Sward, just concern for my lovely niece, that's all. If you'll excuse me."

And with that, he swept away, seething under his high collar.

Cassian watched him go, made sure he was well off before turning around too and making his way back to Jyn.

Jyn was bored out of her mind, trying to appear as invested as possible in a mind-numblingly boring conversation with some man about his vague business dealings, fighting not to roll her eyes or worse every time she caught him staring directly at her chest .

"Sorry to interrupt," his voice came softly over her shoulder, just loud enough for the other man to hear too. "May I steal you away?"

"Of course - ", Jyn answered, smiling softly, only her eyes betraying her relief. She then turned to her speaking partner, her expression shifting into something apologetic. "If we can put a pause to this conversation?"

He looked a bit put out by the interruption, but waved her off dismissively.

She turned back to Joreth, sighing softly. "I'm all yours."

He swept an arm around her waist, to shoot a smile past her at the boring man, then bring her around to his side as they walked away. He murmured in her ear, "Well, your uncle wants me to report to him, on you. What's new with you?"

There was no mistaking the tension in her shoulders, how stunned she was - at least momentarily - to hear what Krennic had asked of Joreth. Of all the things she could have anticipated, that possibility had not been in the forefront of her mind. She struggled to pull her expression together, not wanting to draw any undue attention to them as they walked.

"For what?", she asked, shaking her head slightly. "I - you know, fending off his propositions. Nothing new."

Cassian made a disgusted sound in the back of his throat. He had enough trouble as a man with darker coloring and an Outer Rim accent. He couldn't imagine being a woman or a nonhuman in the Empire.

Back to her first question: "Your choice of 'crowd'," he said softly back. "Possible Rebellion influence. Your standard paranoia."

(And again, that nagging voice coming from the back of his… no, not even his brain; different organ entirely. Can't take anyone with you. Shh.)

While her engineering achievements were being lauded by her uncle, she wasn't respected on more than a superficial level. But that wasn't solely what had turned her toward looking for something elsewhere, even if it had been a factor.

"I don't know why he would think that - ", she started, all the while cursing herself for not being more careful in her queries. The pause went on as she considered whether or not she could trust her new husband. Probably not with something of this magnitude. After all, what had they shared other than a few nights wrapped up in each other's arms, that was comfort, not trust, and he was by his own admission, a career officer. "I am loyal to our cause."

Just saying the words left a sour taste in her mouth. But what else could she say? It was an impossible situation all around.

"What did you tell him?"

I am loyal to our cause. He wondered if he was really picking up on the hidden grimace behind her words, or was imagining it because… he wanted it there.

Not now. Leave it. Leave it.

Cassian shifted his arm to rest around her shoulders, where he could turn them toward each other and he could say more quietly still, satisfied nobody but her could hear, "That I answer to the Admiral, not to him. And I might consider doing as he asked, but I won't be threatened.

"Incidentally: I've considered it and decided to reject it."

Jyn worried that she hadn't tempered her expression, her voice, the tone of it well enough to obscure her true feelings. But he didn't bring attention to it, so although she didn't relax, per se, she at least didn't feel as though he was doubting her.

Or her loyalty.

"I told you not to challenge him", Jyn whispered, sighing as she gently rested her forehead to his. "Now he might turn his suspicion toward you as well, and I - I don't want that."

Jyn closed her eyes momentarily, the little worry knot between her eyebrows deepening.

"Why did you tell him no?"

The faintest shiver went through him when she rested their faces together. Outwardly, he kept calm.

"I remembered," he said softly. "I didn't tell him no. I told him I'd think about it. I'm telling you." He lifted his hand to her face to brush her furrowed brow with his thumb. "I just reminded him, when he tried to threaten me, that Admiral Grendreef outranks him, and will be more inclined to believe me than him. Which, incidentally, is true. I don't like threats, and everyone should remember their place."

Only the last bit may have been more Sward than Andor.

Jyn exhaled slowly, but the tension was still palpable, even though all she wanted was to project an aura of calm, just in case anyone was watching. At least they couldn't hear. At least they had a modicum of privacy.

"Oh, I'm sure he didn't like that", she said, her eyes slowly fluttering open. "I just don't want you to get into any trouble on my behalf. I can court it well enough on my own."

She shared a smile, small and fleeting, but genuine. "Thank you."

He felt suffused by her smile, however small, and returned it. "Neither of us have done anything but what was expected of us. If your uncle or anyone else doesn't like it… they should have thought of that before putting us together. Picked someone who didn't consider 'marriage' to be a team thing."

"I don't think he would have been happy unless I married him, and even then, I know I would never be perfect", she murmured, unable to keep a small shake out of her voice. "I know this is ridiculous to say - I know that we barely know each other, but ... I'm glad that it's you."

His arm tightened a little around her.

Will you feel that way when—
It's okay, she'll be free
Will she? Or just be married off again? Maybe to him?

Put mind firmly in the now. Don't worry what comes next.

Doing that, Cassian still couldn't think of what to say, back. So just pressed another kiss to the side of her head. "I'm glad of you," he finally whispered back. Wherever things go.

Drawing back, he murmured, "I may have gotten us out of that awkward dance with the Grendreefs, at least."

She was grateful for the steadiness offered by his arm curled around her. She was grateful when he returned the sentiment - mostly, and feeling like for once, she wasn't alone and floundering.

And, as she laughed softly, she was grateful for the gift of not having to dance with the Admiral. Calling to mind the look his wife had given Joreth, she was grateful that he wouldn't have to dance with her, either.

"How did you manage that? I was only away for a handful of minutes."

How to explain… whether to explain…

Honesty. As much or as little as he could.

"Do you want another deep dark secret? Or should it wait until later?"

For as curious as Jyn was, standing in the middle of the room while other people milled about was probably not the time nor the place to share such things. Even in jest, if the wrong person heard ...

"Later. For now, we need to figure out what we're going to do - stay or go. I would like to believe that we've made enough of an appearance, but ... I don't know if it's been sufficient yet."

"We could give them a dance, then head out." He stepped back, holding out his hand to her. "Do you? Dance?"

"I don't particularly enjoy it - ", she replied, lifting an eyebrow just so, even as she took the offered hand. "But I think I can suffer through it just this once."

And then they could go. And then, they could find comfort in the privacy of their home.

That is, if it wasn't already bugged.

He smiled lopsidedly at her. "I promise not to step on your feet." As he led the way to the dance floor and claimed her hands in proper starting position.

Being trained for this kind of dancing by Mon Mothma and Bail Organa had served him well, especially in keeping his spine very straight and only barely touching his partner, depending on who it was of a given dance. Dancing with Jyn, who he was not only allowed but expected to touch, and they themselves didn't mind it, felt like something a bit different.

The dance finished, and Cassian stepped back and bowed to her, as all the male dancers were doing to their partners (once again, Imperial binary), and felt his heart thudding a bit in his throat and hoped he wouldn't have to speak right away.

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