? ~PROJECT SAC-1~ ??

Chapter 14 - First Trip to 79's (Part 1) ??

Hunter faced this particular fact early on in his life after leaving Kamino: the only 'flirting' he was good at was 'flirting' with death. And apparently, even simply telling Talla, his teammate who just happened to be a nice-looking woman, whom he had firmly labeled as: 🚫OFF LIMITS!!!🚫 Telling her that she looked great... apparently that easy concept to grasp was an impossible feat to actually execute!

Right about now, Hunter kinda wished things would go back to normal, back to before she came into their lives and he was forced into this tormental cycle of trying to keep his distance so he wouldn't be given the chance to screw things up on an even larger scale, because imagine if Talla was emotionally involved with him and he made such demeaning and unfeeling comments! It'd ROYALLY screw her up!

And this added another layer of hate towards himself, because after what happened on Silva he had promised himself to do better by her. What he said in there, that was not doing better.

Hunter's one and only consolation was that his brothers experienced similar social difficulties as him with the female of the species... but at the same time it was also pathetically depressing.

🟣◾🔺◽🔻◾🔺◽🔻◾🟣

"Forget him!" Skylar proclaimed with a stink eye directed at Hunter's speedily retreating back, the intensity of her loathing for his stupid comment almost burning two holes in his shirt and she hoped he felt the extent of her frustrations. She briskly turned deflated Talla around, to offer encouragement to her crestfallen face with a soft smile. "You don't need Hunter's or anyone's approval, 'kay?"

Next to her, Blair firmly concurred. "That's right - no one else's opinion matters! If you like it, that's what's important, Talla, and you definitely don't need a stupid guys' validation."

Sitting on the pay counter behind them, carefully checking over his mobile tattoo station in its decorative case, Nik peeked up from his fussing at this dig on his gender and dramatically cleared his throat, "Ahem." And raised his hand to jokingly as for permission to speak, "Uh, stupid guy here," His girlfriend gave him a comical look of acknowledgement, "Yeah, just to defend ME and the other good specimens of my gender -" He gave a synthetic, exaggerated smile of smugness to Talla and placed a hand over his heart in an equally exaggerated gesture to his faux meek and humble soul, "Yes, we do in fact exist -" Then, surprisingly, Nik dropped the comedian act and became solemn, "I don't believe Hunter is of the boorish variety, ladies, I've personally drawn the conclusion that -" He shrugged sympathetically, "Sergeant Luscious Locks just gets a little tongue-tied around women, which makes him snippy out of embarrassment." This rather candid statement about his friends' personal issues prompted him to hold up his favorite tattoo gun threateningly, "And if that leaves this room, I will stun the perp and then permanently wreck her face with the ugliest image Spiky can create." Nik really didn't give his artistic instruments names, he wasn't that crazy! The man just wanted to lighten the dreary mood again.

After some more reassurances that she looked ✨amazing✨ and the promise of the trio dropping off her bag of new clothes at the Marauder on their way home while the Bad Batch partied it up at 79's, Talla's spirits was somewhat bolstered again. She found the strength to face the alleged insecure man, who was seen through the windows pulling a Tech by burning a pattern of his own creation into the concrete ground outside through agitated pacing.

Skylar had also managed to bashfully petition Talla to, in her behalf, invite Wrecker to call her sometime, having been looking for an indirect way to ask him for the better half of a year now because despite her brazen conduct... she found herself clamming up when trying to ask him herself.

After a nod, Talla squared her shoulders and lifted her chin proudly, to at least give a semblance of confidence before leaving the empty parlor.

Nik snapped his case shut, having finished with the examination of his tools, and hopped off the counter to approach his favorite girls, draping an arm around each one's shoulders and pecking his girlfriend's head. They all sighed in gratification at seeing the accomplishments they had achieved today awkwardly interact outside.