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“Hold on a moment”
Hammerly winced as her heels came to a clattering stop. Karyn had told her the footwear choice was stupid but she refused to listen. She was on ground damnit, she could make her own choices. Unfortunately, she had been right as usual and Hammerly was suffering the consequences.
Thrawn gestured to a small corner store. “I will just be one moment”
Pyrondi grabbed Vanto’s shoulder just before he followed Thrawn in. “Tell him to hurry up, it is fucking freezing”
It was Ascension Week, meaning it was a time of undiagnosed alcoholism and vague illegal substance use. Karyn and Hammerly had organised the night out; Pyrondi, Dobbs and Lomar all saying ye. Somehow the invite to Vanto became an invite to the bloody Admiral.
Hey, Hammerly liked her Admiral, she would die for him, yadda yadda. She just didn’t want him to see her throwing up in a lower level Coruscanti bin.
Thrawn, miraculously, was scarcely a moment. Vanto almost pinched his heels from how close he followed the Admiral out of the shop.
“Does anyone have a lighter?” He had barely started asking his question before Vanto had reached into his pocket and passed him a lighter. Hammerly sighed on Vanto’s behalf.
The crew watched in bemusment as Thrawn, their mentor, their leader, a pioneer in the Empire and the reason they all fought so hard every damn day, lit a cigarette and took a deep drag.
“Cigarettes?” Karyn asked quizzically.
Thrawn cocked an eyebrow. “Yes?”
Karyn and Hammerly exchanged a look.
“You smoke?”
Thrawn waved his right hand elegantly. “I have smoked cigarra’s for years”
There was silence, only broken by a quiet ‘huh’ from Lomar.
Thrawn looked around at his bridge crew in confusion. “ Is it a problem?”
“Nah, just unnerving” Pyrondi tried to say casually. Karyn slapped her on the arm as Thrawn’s head turned to stare her down.
“Unnerving how?”
Hammerly saw Pyrondi gulp and decided to try and take one for the team. “It’s just kinda odd, a bit…”
“Yes?” Thrawn said, his voice cold.
“…a bit human of you, I think” Vanto finished.
Thrawn wrinkled his nose, looking at his aide in disgust. “That is one of the worst things you could ever say to me”
Vanto’s arm brushed the Admiral’s. “I am sure you will forgive me”
Karyn made eye contact with her and they both tried their best not to burst out laughing.
“The club?”
“Let’s go”