The Realm of Muertos [Under Editing]

Chapter 6. Two Steps Forward, Three Steps Back

So if you guys skipped the previous chapter, I promise you, this chapter recaps most of the other chapter.

And for the rest of you, welp, I don't have much to say except to enjoy the chapter!

I don't own anything.
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Bodhi's P.O.V.

I clean up the kitchen and wonder what to do with the remaining two omelettes. It's been nearly a half hour since Krennic left to find Cassian and the omelettes probably wouldn't taste good cold. "Gumdrop! Come!" I call and my lazy pit bull dog comes waddling over. I slap the omelettes onto a plate and place the plate on the floor for Gumdrop to eat. I'll make new omelettes when Krennic and Cassian return.

Having nothing better to do, I sit down and watch Gumdrop lap up the food. I always wanted a dog in the Realm of Vida but never got the time to get one. When I crossed over to the dead realm, I lucked out. The previous owner of this cottage wanted to move to an urban area and she was planning on giving her dog up for adoption. I told her that I'd take the dog along with the cottage. Some credits and a contract later, she had more money and I had a home and a dog.

Gumdrop finishes eating the omelettes. Then she begins to bark and races for the door. I scurry after her and peek through the window. It's Krennic and Cassian. Cassian is being supported by Krennic and I can't help but grin when I see Cassian smile a little at something Krennic whispers into his ear. I don't think I've seen Cassian smile since the day of the Battle of Scarif.

I let Gumdrop outside. She gallops to Cassian's feet. Krennic looks uneasy wth the dog around while Cassian drops to his knees to hug Gumdrop. I follow Gumdrop's trail to where the two are standing. "I'm glad you made it back," I said to them. "Where was he hiding?"

"He was down by the beach," Krennic responds. "Just watching the tides." I can tell it's a lie and Krennic's just saying that to cover the truth up because Cassian's eyes are still puffy and red and Krennic's shirt was tear-soaked. I'll ask Krennic what really happened later.

Cassian looks beyond tired, which isn't surprising since he probably didn't sleep a wink last night. I help Krennic support Cassian back to the cottage. Krennic wanders over to the stove and blinks. "Hey! Where did the omelettes go?"

"They got cold so I fed them to Gumdrop," I answer. "I'll make you some new ones."

Krennic shakes his head. "I'll make them." I give in and let him do it. At least this leaves me more time to check on Cassian.

Cassian seems to be better than he was yesterday. "Are you okay?" I ask.

He nods then looks down sheepishly. "I'm sorry I snapped at you yesterday..." I try to convince him that it's alright. No feelings hurt at all... the only thing that hurts is the left side of my face from the slap last night. I don't tell him that, for fear of striking up memories he'd rather not remember.

Not many words are passed between Cassian and I. We kind of just sit there and wait for Krennic to come rescue us from the agonizing silence. At least, the agonizing silence for me. I don't know about Cassian but I hate silence. After years of fighting in the giant war, it was hard for me to enjoy the calm and quiet of nature. And in this household, Cassian and I are painfully quiet. I find it hard to say anything without Cassian going crazy or start crying. I'm hoping Krennic will be able to lighten the sullen mood around here.

Krennic comes out with the two plates omelettes and Gumdrop dancing at his feet. He hands one plate to Cassian then sits down across from us. "So! How did you two meet? Both in the... in the realm of the living and the realm of the dead?"

I glance at Cassian. He's not interested in answering so I do so. "We met on Jedha in prison cells in the Realm of Vida. Then we met here a week after Scarif. I saw Cassian wandering around on the planet, looking pretty tired so I offered to let him stay with me and give him somewhere to call home."

Krennic smiles. "Interesting." He glances down at the pit bull, whose begging him to spare her a bite or two. "You can't have any more eggs. You already ate two."

Now it's my turn to ask about him. "How did you get here? And how have you survived this long when you couldn't even defeat a markavipe?"

"A marker-what?"

"A markavipe," Cassian says quietly. "It's the animal that attacked you. Thankfully it was only a baby."

Krennic's color drains from his face for a moment. Eventually he finds the strength to say something. "Well... Galen and Lyra Erso... they live on this planet too." Cassian looks up hopefully and Krennic seems to know exactly what he's thinking. "No... Jyn's not with them." Cassian sinks back into his sulking position.

I try to keep the conversation going. "So Lyra and Galen took you in?"

"Yes, and they did some sort of rehabilitation therapy thing to me -don't ask. They were waiting for Jyn and when she didn't come in the first two weeks I began to plan to go look for her."

I sigh. "So you really haven't heard anything from Jyn?" Krennic shakes his head. "Damn... I was hoping we'd get something. You saw all the communication towers around this cottage, right? They're the Rebellion's way of being able to contact each other across the Galaxy. I get to transmit all the messages through here, as this apparently is the center of the realm." I pause to let that soak into his head before continuing. "The Rebellion is spread across the realm's Galaxy. We're looking for Jyn ourselves."

"Perhaps I could aid your Rebellion in the search?" Krennic asks hopefully.

Cassian jumps up. "You?! Of all people, you would be the last one she'd want to be rescued by!"

Krennic looks shocked. I can see his anger flaring in his eyes. "I still have a chance," he growls. "She was a friend of mine prior to-"

"Prior to you abducting Galen Erso? Wonderful to know," Cassian snaps back.

I don't want to have any issues, not this morning at least. "We'll consider it!" I said quickly. "Right, Cassian?"

Cassian growls but sits down and finishes his egg. Krennic eats a few more bites and then gives up on his appetite. He turns and places his dishes in the sink then walks outside. I stay with Cassian until he finishes eating. Cassian then goes to bed and I head out to find Krennic.

Krennic isn't far. He has my staff and is trying to maneuver it around. He's failing but I don't tell him that yet. Krennic glances my way and I smile. "You're doing good." That's a flat lie. Yet it brings a small grin to the former director's lips.

"Thanks." He holds the staff out towards my direction. I take it and then decide to ask about Cassian. Krennic looks down. "He's not doing well. Apparently when he passed over he saw traumatic images of everyone that he cared for dying before him. Then, as he exited some purple thing, whatever he was in to cross over, he saw Jyn being torn apart." Krennic shudders. "I would be traumatized if I had gone through that."

I nod in agreement. When I had passed over, I had lived my regrets. It sounds worse than it actually was. I only had two regrets. 1. I had never told my new friends how much I loved them and 2. I couldn't save Jyn's father in time. Of course, once we found Jyn and brought her to the Realm of Muertos, the two would be reunited and everything would be wonderful again. As soon as I decided to accept that I would never be able to amend those regrets I was allowed to pass to the Realm of Muertos.

Which lead to a bothering question: why did Krennic and I have such easy trials to the Realm of Muertos while Cassian went through hell?

Krennic seems to be thinking the same thing. Perhaps we will never receive a straight answer. For now, I decide to worry about the question later. I need to focus on my work with the communications. "Director, come and help me filter the telecoms."

"You know, you can call me Orson. I don't have a rank in this realm."

I smile. "In that case, call me Bodhi, not Rook." Things are looking up between me and him. I hope I'm not making a mistake trusting Orson.
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Well this chapter took forever to write, and I believe YouTube is exhausted from having to play a bunch of sad, slow songs in order for me to write this.

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