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[Boba isn’t used to social visits on the best of days, much less after several weeks of self-imposed exile. He throws on a jacket and prepares to head out to the Maurtia Falls Porter, feeling out of sorts.]

Sure.

[He doesn’t specify any more than that. Free food is free food, after all.

He’ll show up at the provided address within the hour and knock at the door. He still has the vague feeling that he shouldn’t be here, but at least he’s not as wary as he was the first time he visited one of Lucien’s safehouses.]

[A single heartbeat outside the door, at the right height for his expected guest. He disarms the door and opens it for Boba, stepping aside with a smile.]

Please, come in. [This is one of his more livable safehouses, by the conventions of this country. There's working plumbing and lights, but he's not likely to keep this place for long. It's easier to trace him to this one. Still, he hadn't wanted to meet Boba in the government-provided apartment he still retained. Both of them valued privacy more than that, he thought.]

I ended up taking quite a lot from the event, so there will be food to spare.

[As much as Boba trusts Lucien more than he did before, his instincts upon being invited into a new environment are much the same; he stands at the threshold for a moment, eyes briefly looking past Lucien to scan the room behind him. Then, seemingly satisfied, he looks back up at Lucien with a nod and steps in.

This safehouse feels more like an actual home than the last one and yet, Boba doesn’t seem at all at ease. He’s not quite on-edge or mistrustful, just tangibly awkward as he struggles to remember how to be social after several weeks of near-solitude.]

Okay, [he says, standing stiffly in the middle of the room.] Er… thank you for inviting me over. And for giving me the address.

[Another safehouse compromised. Boba wonders how many he has left.]

[He nods approvingly at Boba's caution, closing the door behind him once he's made his decision.]

Of course. The Maurtia Falls location is unfortunately not seasonable at the moment, so rather than sit in the cold with candlelight, I thought this would be less uncomfortable. [Less. Because Mother knows, Boba doesn't seem likely to stop worrying any time soon. Understandable, but it appeared to be a setback from the last time they'd spoken in person.]

And besides, this place has one of those little microwave ovens. Fantastic inventions. I'll just re-heat the food, and then we can eat. [He heads for the kitchen area, pulling some containers out of the fridge and beginning to prepare them.]

How has your work been?

[Boba follows at a distance, grateful for Lucien’s chatter, even if it is about microwaves. It’s a good distraction from his own discomfort and is… comfortingly mundane in a way he isn’t used to.

He’ll sit down in any nearby chair, watching Lucien take containers out of the fridge.]

It’s been okay. They’ve still got me on courier duty. [He doesn’t have to tell Lucien what his preferred occupation would be. But that’s not likely to happen. Something about a hitman of his age attracting “unwanted attention” from the authorities if word got out.]

I had to use your knife a few months ago, though. [He doesn’t think he actually told Lucien about that yet...]

[He tsks.] What a waste. [The boy had such a fantastic power for covert work, it was a shame he wasn't able to make full use of it.

Though it is gratifying to know that his gift hadn't languished all the same.] Oh? Would you be willing to tell me more?

[He set the microwave humming, double-checking once to make sure there wasn't any metal inside. He'd gotten quite an unpleasant shock one day when he'd left a fork on a plate with his food--apparently something about the shape of the metal made the--gods, it was so hard to remember what they called all these things when they had no magic to make sense of it with.]

[Boba nods his agreement. It doesn’t seem to matter how useful his powers would be, his employers still balk at his age. They don’t realize just how much experience he already has.]

Sure, [Boba says with a shrug.] It was a few months ago, back when all those imPorts thought they were gods. I think one of them made people angry? [It’s possible Boba’s attacker was one of those affected. Or he could’ve been that angry naturally. Boba supposes it doesn’t matter.] Someone I was delivering to attacked me. But the knife worked just like you said it would.

[A faint smile. He wouldn’t quite count it as a good memory, but he’s still proud of the way he reacted. He could have panicked, like so many do in the face of a lethal threat, and died struggling helplessly against a larger attacker. But he’d kept himself calm and ensured he was the one to walk away alive. A lot of older bounty hunters can't even manage that.] It was a lot messier than using a blaster. But it worked.

[But that wasn't the end of the story. Boba considers for a moment and then turns a curious eye towards Lucien.] A man helped me burn the body afterwards. He said he knew you.

[He stops his fussing with the food, turning to give Boba a broad smile.] You did well, then. Especially when forced into response, rather than taking the lead.

[The smile doesn't dim when Boba changes the subject, but it does take on a more knowing, possibly exasperated tinge.] Oh? Who was he? [There's a logical suspect, obviously. And as much as it's yet another risk, he can't honestly fault Finn if it is him. Especially since he's personally been rather... creative in his own interpretation of the Second Tenet with Boba as well.

...But Merle had also been around at that point, hadn't he? He wouldn't be surprised if that man were just as strangely accepting of body disposal as he'd been about ritual murder.]

[Boba can’t help but smile slightly at the praise. He knows he did well, but acknowledgment is always nice. Perhaps the reality was a little chancier than he’s saying, but he’s glad to keep it that way. He has a reputation to maintain, after all.]

He said his name was Finn. He had magic like you do.

[He thinks back to their conversation, trying to remember if the man had said anything else of note. It takes some work—memories can be fuzzy when he switches off.]

I… don’t think he actually said your name, [he says after a few moments.] He just said he had a brother from Tamriel who collects knives. [His expression turns to one of mock innocence.] I guess he could have been talking about someone else.

[Really, he shouldn't have wondered. Of course it was Finn. And though they were both members of the Black Hand, and had both been lax in their secrecy regarding Boba, it wouldn't quite feel right to talk directly on the subject.]

Finn? I've met him. Perhaps he means another Dunmer back in his homeland. [The look in his eye, however, should make it clear that he's openly lying.]

But I am glad he helped you. He seems like a very capable mer, when he sets his mind to something.

Maybe, [Boba says, stifling a smile.] He didn’t give too many details.

[Boba doesn’t know why Lucien and Finn’s apparent partnership must be kept secret, but he knows enough of their line of work not to ask. It isn’t as if he can’t sympathize with wanting to keep a secret, even here. The thought saps some of his good humor and he lapses back into silence. After a long few moments, he speaks up again.]

Are you and Finn the only people from Tamriel here?

Sadly. We're quite rare here, it seems. And I'm sure you can understand how this can render us exposed, in some respects. [It was a connection they couldn't easily be rid of. If one of them were ever caught, it would be natural to suspect the other as well.

At least, depending on which of them was caught. Finn had the advantage of a quite charitable and, dare he think it, heroic nature, which would make it easier for him to avoid suspicion. On the other hand...]

He takes more risks than I do to help others. It can drive me to distraction, sometimes.

[Ah, some of the food is done.]

Here we are, first course. [He sets the containers down on the dining table, along with a plate and utensils.] Take as much as you want. The rest will be ready soon. [The only shame about microwaves: they don't fit much at once.]

I understand. [And he does. If Lucien is trying to keep his connection to Finn under wraps, it must be made more difficult by the fact that they’re the only two here who share a common origin.] But you also have less people to worry about. No one except Finn knows anything about you.

[And right now, Boba envies that freedom. He follows Lucien to the dining table, still distracted by thoughts about secrets and double identities. He doesn’t recognize all the food in the containers Lucien sets down on the table, but that’s nothing new. He tries the most familiar thing first, some kind of meat that looks a bit like chicken. After a few bites, he looks back up at Lucien, expression still preoccupied even while eating.]

You could tell people you’re anyone or anything and they’d believe you.

It has its advantages, but I do miss the rest of our people. [He would not say it, because it need not be said. Boba had only ever mentioned his father. It was likely he already knew: two people made for a very vulnerable family.]

I will always be what I am. The best lies are accompanied by truth, so I rarely stray far from it for a long-term identity. [It seemed like this was a topic weighing on his young guest.] Have you had difficulties with your own cover?

[Boba hadn’t really thought of the problem of leaving people behind. He simply doesn’t have many people from his own universe to miss. He supposes Ygabba and Gabborah count, but even their absence doesn’t bother him too much. It must be different for Lucien, a man who had left behind a family, whether of blood or, well… other people’s blood.

Lucien’s question makes him hesitate halfway through reaching for another container, this one holding something that looks like chopped up bread.]

...A little bit, [he admits after a moment.] A few people figured it out and… they didn’t react like I thought they would.

[It isn’t even a question of allegiances, confusing as those may be now. He had lied to them for months. Why had they still wanted to protect him?]

I don’t know why.

Are you safe at the moment? [It was the most practical question to ask first. Perhaps these unnamed people were charitable souls, but:]

Regardless, it is a truly unpleasant feeling.

Yes, [Boba says, but rather than sound happy about it, he sounds almost exasperated.] And that’s what doesn’t make sense. They shouldn’t have just let me go, but they did.

[It feels like there's a hundred reasons he shouldn't have walked out of that house without a fight, but he did. And he can't exactly just go back and ask why. He glares down at his food with an intensity that feels like it should be able to set it alight.] I thought I knew what side everyone was on, but now I’m not even sure I know all the sides.

Then you feel you cannot trust this safety the way you once might have. An unfortunate realization to make, but I am glad you were not harmed in the process. [The last of the food was brought out, and he finally sat down, hands above the table where they could be seen.]

Do you feel comfortable giving me more detail, or would you prefer not to?

Boba hesitates, eyes lowered as he pushes his food around his plate. The truth is, he does want to talk about it and he wonders, briefly, if Lucien might have some power that makes people want to open up to him when they normally wouldn’t. He dismisses the thought rather guiltily. Even if Lucien did, Boba’s own powers render him immune to such effects.

“They… work for the people who killed my dad,” he says after a long moment. “People who tried to hunt me down after he was gone. Or I thought that's who they worked for.” He’s not so sure about 622 anymore, but Rex still seems to serve the Jedi, or at least the Republic. “I think… maybe they let me go because they think I’m one of them. But I’m not. They know I’m not.” He makes a frustrated sound and looks up at Lucien, as if he might have the answers. “They don't make sense.”

"Without a better vantage on the situation, I cannot judge them with any certainty. But I see little reason why they would attempt to trap you with kindness for some other purpose. They would gain nothing by doing so, and if they have been here for any length of time, they must know that. You will eventually escape their grasp by returning home, and they will forget you." It was a shame that he would do so as well. Maybe in the Void, he would remember this place.

"It may be sentimentality. It may be that this place has changed them. But for now, we cannot know. These were people who you approached as Lucky?" He had watched the first exchanges on the network, just to be certain Boba had successfully hidden his identity.

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whoops this got lost in my inbox @_@

np!

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