Howzer stole our hearts when he appeared in TBB S1 E12, and I wanted to write a bit of a backstory for him. It begins with his newbie days during The Clone Wars and stretches to where we last see him in The Bad Batch. Enjoy his character arc and som...
It had been a week since what Howzer referred to as "the disaster", and neither of them had been able to stop thinking about it since. Work and life had kept them busy; Orn Free Taa had been entertaining in the evenings, requiring Howzer's presence more frequently. Aurelia began to wonder if he was avoiding her, and worried that her reaction had put a distance between them. So she was particularly relieved one night when, as she was escorting the last patrons to the exit and preparing to lock it behind them, she saw him standing in the doorway.
"Sorry mister, we're closing for the night," she said, tilting her head and smiling.
"I'm on a mission," he responded, "Important Republic business." There was a glint in his eye as he lowered his head a tiny bit, and she ushered him in, eager to reconnect while she finished closing up for the night.
"I've missed you around here," Aurelia admitted, opening the door for the same authenticity they shared at the park. He smiled, sauntering to the utility closet and taking out a broom.
"Droid broken again?" Howzer asked, starting to sweep in a corner.
"As usual," she said, grateful for his help. It was the wee hours of the morning, and he was certainly exhausted, yet here he was. She began replacing glasses on the shelves from the drying rack as his sweeping brought him behind the bar as well.
"Listen," he said, leaning the broom against the wall for a moment and turning to face her, "I'm sorry about the disaster. I don't know what came over me, and it wasn't my most shining moment."
She waved a hand dismissively, trying to put him at ease. It seemed as though he had been carrying the weight ever since, and she didn't want it to be a permanent regret. "It's no big deal," she said. "It was... cute."
"Cute," he repeated, rolling his eyes, "That's exactly what I'm going for here." His face turned serious, and he took a step closer to her, rubbing his fingers across his chin before taking a deep breath and standing tall, addressing her with resolve now, "Reli... I want to try that again."
Her breath caught in her throat, and she nearly dropped the glass she was holding. His vulnerability was equally disarming and magnetic, and she found a deep yearning rising within. She scrambled to maintain her composure forcing herself to sound nonchalant, "I mean, if you must..."
Without another word, he closed the space between them, bending over her slightly and looking intently into her eyes. His mouth was set in a firm line, and he lifted a hand to the back of her head, spreading his fingers across her neck and nestling them under her hair. His other hand rested on her hip, pulling her toward him a little more. He moved slowly, carefully, with an apparent amount of effort and focus, and leaned in to kiss her.
His lips pressed against hers softly, then more forcefully, and he tilted his head, eyes firmly closed. Aurelia's heart was beating against her ribcage, and she was sure he could hear it. Her eyelids squeezed together and she closed out everything else, savoring the scent of his face and the thrill of his mouth on hers.
"Oh yeah!!" a throaty voice yelled, and they jerked apart in surprise. Apparently, she hadn't yet cleared the refreshers, and two clones appeared from the doorway, one of them holding the other up with an arm around his shoulders. He had probably been sick in there, and her elation began to fade as she considered the scene that awaited her.
"Wait, Howzer?!" the standing clone said, ignoring his brother's groaning and mumbling about getting out of there when he recognized the messy mop of hair. "Haha!! With the bartender?! No way! That desperate, are you?"
Howzer's face turned bright red, and he backed away as if he'd been jabbed with an electrostaff. The two hobbled for the exit, which Aurelia slunk over to unlock, and the standing one threw one last jab over his shoulder at Howzer, "The boys are gonna love to hear about this."
Aurelia moved to click the lock into place as the door slid shut behind them, but it sprung back open as Howzer quickly approached. He paused for a moment, opening his mouth to speak, then snapped it shut again, shaking his head and disappearing into the night. She watched him until the door whooshed closed, leaving her there speechless.
***
Aurelia fought the desire to crane her neck toward the door every time it opened, trying to distract herself with the never-ending demands of the raucous crowd. She had a coworker at least: a new service droid who would eventually be helpful but was currently more of a burden in its need to be constantly instructed in everything. She had come to approximately eighteen different conclusions about the events of last night but felt sure of none of them, so was anxious to get some closure.
Half an hour later, she found herself elbows deep in a fiasco: the droid had somehow crossed the keg lines, resulting in a whole batch of mixed-up drinks and confused patrons. She was simultaneously trying to show the droid where it went wrong, make the right drinks, and answer the litany of questions from the demanding customers, and quickly felt the frustration rising.
"Oy! This isn't what we ordered!" came another identical voice, and that was the last straw. Whipping around, she held up a hand and promptly began yelling.
"I KNOW! I'm on it, okay?!"
The clone in question still had his helmet on, oddly enough, and balked at the vitriol in her voice before coming right back, "Well let's hit the engines then, eh?"
She stared at his expressionless helmet, starting to see red and determining if she would lose her job for throwing a shaker at him. It was playing out in her mind when the voices of the friends he'd been sitting with came from a table behind.
"Come on, Howzer! Where are the drinks?!"
She felt as if she'd been punched in the gut this time, mouth falling open slightly for a moment. How could he be treating her like this? She was used to his usual bravado, but this was a level beyond. Two of his brothers ambled over from the table; one clapped him on the back and the other pulled off his helmet, revealing a face that for a brief second held an expression of shame.
"What's the matter, Howz, getting all tongue-tied around your girlfriend?" heckled the one with his helmet.
"Seriously, mate, scraping the bottom the barrel, aren't you..." said the other, jabbing him in the ribs. "I mean... her?"
"She's not my girlfriend!" Howzer barked, shoving them off of him. "I told you, I was drunk out of my mind! You two get the drinks then." He gave each of them a hard look, striding back to their table without a second glance at Aurelia.
This time, it was not merely a visual in her mind, and Aurelia whipped the steel shaker cup across the room at the back of his head. It connected with a gratifying thwack, sending his head forward and his hand immediately to it. He whirled around, gaping at her in shock as his cronies howled in delight and provided a colorful amount of commentary.
She stared at him, mouth closed now as she fought back tears, and his surprise dissolved into an unreadable expression. "Pivot!" she yelled, and he appeared from the crowd, "Congrats. You're hired. The bar is yours tonight." And without another word, she stalked right out.
Amid the cacophony of cheers and remarks, Pivot stared speechless at the door after her, then at his brothers around him. He wasn't one to pass up an opportunity, though, so he raised his mug in his hand, smiling broadly.
"Looks like it's on the house tonight, boys!"
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