𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐃𝐈𝐆𝐌 𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐅𝐓 ▹ KYLO REN [1]

𝘹. 𝘶𝘯𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯

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WHEN THE GUARDS CAME THAT NIGHT, Cassus was already awake, sitting on the edge of her cot. Meri watched anxiously from her cell as they led Fett down the hall and towards the Pen.

However, this time, the guards did not take her straight to the fighting ring. Instead, they steered down another hallway toward the offices in the lower levels. The security was suffocatingly close when they reached a specific conference room. The door opened to reveal a smiling Sol.

"Welcome, Cassus," he said, lifting one of his folded hands to motion to the seat across from him, "Thank you for meeting me."

Cassus almost groaned at the sight of his smug face as she took her seat. "It's not like I had much of a choice," she said lowly, crossing her arms over her chest and leaning back in the frustratingly comfortable seat, "What do you want?"

"I just wanted to wish you luck on your matches tonight," he said pleasantly, ignoring Cassus' scoff.

"I also," he added, reaching for a drink sitting on a nearby tray, "wanted to explain how this night is going to go."

Cassus narrowed her eyes as he went on. "Tonight, you will fight like usual, handing your opponents' rear ends to them on a platter. This will increase your value and worth for our...observers and also increase both my earnings and yours."

"But..." Sol continued.

And there it is, Cassus thought, The "but", the catch.

"Your stay here is—unfortunately—short, so I will not be able to...take advantage of your skills for long," he said almost apologetically, "There will come a time when you will need to do, and perform, as you are told."

"So you want me to lose," Cassus said simply.

"No, no, no. Not tonight," the warden said quickly, "Later, yes. But tonight, just keep doing what you've been doing. Perhaps not as aggressively as you did a few night ago; we have some new guests tonight and they'd like a show."

Cassus grimaced slightly, remembering how she had swiftly taken her opponent down. Her father would have been disappointed in her brashness and recklessness. But she had been frustrated and caught off guard.

Sol gave a slight wave of his hand, and Cassus felt two strong hands grip her upper arms, forcing her up. As she was pushed toward the door, Sol called after her.

She turned to see him raise his glass. "Good luck."

Just like a few night prior, the lights in the Pen were dimmed save for the strobe lights flashing across the noisy crowd. As Cassus neared, surrounded by guards, the prisoners turned to see her and grew louder. Some cheered in enthusiasm; some shouted in hostility.