The Ruins of Dantooine by Voronica Whitney-Robinson Page B

not look that way now.
    He reached a gentle hand toward her face and laid it briefly against her brow before brushing anerrant strand of hair from her eyes. She lost some of her fearful look and closed her eyes at his touch.
    “What’s the matter?” he asked her again.
    Dusque shrugged her thin shoulders and said tiredly, “Nothing is wrong, Tendau. I think the day has finally caught up with me. So I’m going to call it an evening, if you don’t mind,” she added and started to leave. But the Ithorian was not so easily avoided.
    “As long as you are going back in, why don’t you join me for something soothing to drink? You know it will help you relax,” he reminded her, not willing to have her go before he could find out why she looked so troubled.
    She smiled weakly up at him, and he knew her heart was not in it. But she agreed anyway. And he knew she did it for his sake alone.
    “You never do take no for an answer, do you?” she quipped.
    “Not where you are concerned.”
    Dusque shook her head and waved briefly. “It’s nothing, really,” she said, dismissing her obvious distress. “But maybe something to drink would be good before retiring.”
    Tendau nodded and motioned back to the casino doorway. He walked slightly behind her as they both sidestepped the drunken Trandoshan who was still lying on the ground. The doors slid open with an airless
whoosh
, and the sounds of the gamblers hit them like a wave. He saw that Dusque faltered a bit and seemed unsure of her footing. The Ithorianstepped alongside her and offered her the crook of his slender arm. She hesitantly accepted, and he led her toward the bar. He lowered his head enough so that one of his mouths was near her left ear.
    “Just one drink, maybe a little something to eat, and we’ll turn in. All right?”
    “All right,” she replied, and this time he saw that she smiled at him with some genuine warmth.
    There were twenty or so customers lined up along the bar. As Tendau and his colleague walked the length of it in search of two free seats, he noticed that more than one male turned and stared at Dusque. It happened quite frequently, and Tendau was saddened that she should always be so distressed by the reactions of others. Like most Ithorians, he revered nature and saw the beauty in all creatures. It was not hard to see her beauty; it was just sad that so few managed to look past it and really see her. And he knew Dusque was aware of that, as well. No matter how she excelled at a very difficult job, her gender was always a stumbling block. And he had noticed that lately she had accepted more and more hazardous missions. He suspected it was in an effort to erase her gender in the eyes of their superiors. He feared that her growing desire to dive into risky situations was going to land her in some very hot water, and he wouldn’t be there to help.
    Toward the far end of the bar, he saw a small empty table. Tendau motioned to it, and Dusquenodded. When the waiter droid left with their order, Tendau tried again to find out what was wrong.
    “Where did you get off to?” he asked her.
    “I was just wandering around, taking in the sights,” she replied evasively. “Isn’t that what you were doing, too?”
    “Did you try your hand at some of the games of chance?” he asked, sidestepping her question.
    “Oh yes, I got a little more than I bargained for,” she answered, and Tendau could discern a trace of bitterness in her voice. “What about you? Where did you end up?”
    “Oh,” he answered slowly, “I just walked around and made observations.”
    “Did you find Mastivo and pass along your regards?”
    “No, I was unable to locate him. I’m afraid I saw no one we know, after all.”
    “Oh,” she answered, “no one at all. Hmm …” She seemed to be fishing for some kind of answer, and the Ithorian wondered why. Normally, Dusque was one of the most straightforward beings he knew. Now she was coming across almost as devious in her