Private A Broken Relic

[Phalsi Drynchen]

Phalsi frowned, the type of look that was fitting a small grumpy child than a young woman.

"The sisters are giving you some leave time to heal. There isn't any point keeping you cooped up while-" The nurse waved at the bandaged and wrapped leg. "That heals. Give you a chance to enjoy festivities than listen to the sisters hem and haw about this and that. Maybe visit family or friends. You'll have training to do when you get back and are fully healed."

The grumpy face switched quickly to stunned disbelief as the Nurse shrugged, pulling the clipboard towards her.

"They mentioned good use of cover identities, but to lofty. Also your senses need training obviously. Since you. I don't know. Didn't detect danger coming your way until the last second."

"I've never been good with the weird stuff. If I can't figure it out, it's...frustrating." She explained quietly, making the nurse smile all the more as she gently bopped her on the head with the clipboard.

"Worry about it when you come to it. For now, focus on healing. Report anything weird when you can. We don't expect anyone to follow you, but we also won't be far away. Take care little sister." The nurse nodded, giving a small farewell in their tongue before heading for the door.

"When can I leave?" Phalsi asked, leaning enough to cause her to wince.

"When he does." Came the smiling answer as the door shut.

 

[Acaadi]

Acaadi had grown up as an only child in a relatively comfortable household. His hobbies had been encouraged - all of them. As such he had a tendancy to put his own feelings and problems above those of others. It was not his finest quality.

When he returned, unhindered by any nursing staff, he had expected to start off into a rant about being kept on the phone too long. His father had started a tirade about the neighbour he didn't like, and then Acaadi's aunt. Even with the stress Phalsi was under.

Acaadi didn't need her mental barriers down to sense the shift in the room.

"What's wrong?" Acaadi asked from the doorway, chanting his head to one side.

 

[Phalsi Drynchen]

The nurse had left all of about a minute before Acaadi had poked his head back in to see her. The half smile she gave was both amusement and indignation.

"I...I got told I suck pretty much." She fiddled with her fingernails as she nodded her head back and forth. "But I get some time to heal at least. And we don't have to stay here."

She snorted before blowing out a breath and giving a sincere if small smile his way.

"How did your call go?"

 

[Acaadi]

"It was dad, so...I got the full earful," Acaadi said, stepping into the room and closing the door behind himself.

"That seems unfair," he said, frowning as he made his way over to his chair. It was his chair now. "It's not like we could have predicted someone would bring that kind of explosive to a spaceport..."

He shook his head and reached for her hand. He looked irritated on her behalf.

"When will you be allowed out?"

 

[Phalsi Drynchen]

She laughed a little at his earful but frowned at his second comment.

"When you don't understand the force, you tend to think everyone has the same danger sense." She explained quietly with a long look at the door. "But yeah. They want to work with me on extending my senses. And what cover I use apparently. But that comes later."

She leaned back and pondered on the answer before pointing to him.

"When you do. Figure you are being made to care for me now." She mused, before making an amendment. "Or at least getting me somewhere I can be watched over."

 

[Acaadi]

"That's good," Acaadi replied. He didn't give the context that he had been worried she would be in for a few more weeks.

"Well I'm just waiting to get my bag of drugs to take to keep the healing going," he said. It had sounded as if he was getting some kolto patches, antiinflammatories and painkillers.

"I don't mind looking after you."

Acaadi was now trying to think how he would manage a wheelchair with his arm in a sling. It was going to be a little awkward but he would manage to get out of this place more quickly.

"Not to add to your stress..." he started saying cautiously, not realising it was only going to make her think something worse was coming. "...but when you're up to being on a starship we could visit my family for a bit."

 

[Phalsi Drynchen]

"As good as it can get. I think it might have something to do with keeping us out of the limelight. Ship blowing up in the hangars and all. Cam's everywhere." She waved her hand about, glancing to the bandage before looking back to him with a smirk.

"Bag of-" She giggled at the mental image of a nurse tossing random things into a bag and shared it with him rather than explain.

"I don't want to make you feel like you have to. They're really good about making things seem like your own idea." She explained quietly, pondering on the exact same thing he was about the wheelchair and his arm.

"I'll see if they don't have like a hoverchair or something." She offered before he made a statement that put her on edge immediately. There existed certain phrases in the galaxy that never did what they intended. Not to make you worry. Don't freak out but. Not to cause alarm but. All of them self-defeating with good intention.

Then he offered up the other half and she stared for a long while. Blinking on occasion as she processed what he had said and asked. Her tongue rolled over her teeth as she thought about it before looking at him seriously.

"I would like that. Just...I need to ask." She shook at little and moved her hair aside before pointing to her back. "Do I need to like, hide this? I've got some knuckle scars and...I mean. I don't. I don't want to look like a bad influence." She finally blurted.

"I mean I know I am. I can't even get through a lecture or lesson without stirring up some kind of trouble so-" Words began pouring out as stress did indeed begin to build. The monitor beside them slowly picking up in the beeping tempo.

 

[Acaadi]

Acaadi didn't always think enough steps ahead. It wasn't the same as being more cautious. That had been the case since his sith encounter with Kyra. They had broken him.

The final manifestation of the overconfidence that had been so thoroughly shattered years ago was that he tended to not think a situation through to its final conclusions before jumping in.

He reached out towards Phalsi and took her hand. Acaadi ran his thumb across her knuckles and the scars that had more meaning and tried to pretend that the little part of him slightly amused by the Accelerando of beeps didn't exist.

"You don't need to do anything. Whatever you want to tell them is up to you. They won't judge you...Well dad will be a little miffed that you aren't green but he'll have to deal with that one. He might try and talk to you about your religious views, sorry. "

 

[Phalsi Drynchen]

She shut her mouth when his hand touched hers, the fidgeting slowing as she looked at him with a blend of worry and hope. His words did more to reassure her than anything she could have mustered as she smiled and nodded.

"Heh. If you say so. I don't want to. I dunno, make it harder for you?" She'd already had one door closed to her forever, and she didn't want that to happen to him as well because of her. Worry was still present in her slightly open barriers, like a cracked door that one knew was open but ignored.

"Disappoint I guess is the right word. As for religion, it'll be a bit harder to talk on that given my perusing the holo-net as a slicer. The force is already this weird sort of religion thing on its own without trying to bungle it together with another strange, all knowing, all powerful cosmic entity."

She laughed a little at the idea. The monitor slowly calming as she looked at him with sincerity and worry.

"You really want them to meet, me?" It wasn't quite disbelief or mistrust that tainted her mind as she gripped his hand a bit tighter.

 

[Acaadi]

"Of course I do," he replied plainly. He canted his head to one side, watching her closely. It had caught her off guard a little more than he expected. That, of course, led to a little of his own panic. Was this too soon? Did she not feel they were there yet.

"I don't really know...well I sort of have quite a - day says - I have a very casual relationship with our religion," he said, stumbling over an attempt to explain a little. She deserved a bit of preparation at least.

"Sometimes I see little flashes of future through the Force and most of my people believe in a sort of cosmic fate through the Force. So it's not like I disagree I just don't think about it much."

That much had to be obvious, given how little he had spoken on the subject to Phalsi except for some explanation on why he had his tattoos.

 

[Phalsi Drynchen]

"I don't want to be...an issue I guess. I would like to meet them though." She blew out a breath, fiddling with her hair as he spoke. Listening to him explain was a bit confusing at first until she mentally stood back and arranged the pieces.

"Sort of like a quasi-stars align sort of belief then?" She tried to finagle the pieces herself, into something she could understand. "Do you see these little flashes often then? Is it just you or others too?"

 

[Acaadi]

"Yeah it's kind of like that. My dad was always explaining that you had to get a feel for it yourself. That fate was based on your past and the life you've lived."

Acaadi gave a big shrug.

"I never really bought that. Never really got into any of it. Mum only pays it lip service. I've seen like whole flashes of future very rarely. Normally in deep meditation. More like...feelings and experiences than a dream. But you must have done the drone exercises? Must have felt the need to defend yourself before the little thing tried to shoot you? That's the future right, or an echo of it? "

The conversation had taken a sharp turn away from the visit. That was fine. For now, he felt his grin was enough of an answer to her statement that she wanted to meet them.

 

[Phalsi Drynchen]

Her head did a sharp wiggling twist at the idea of past lives and the one you've lived. Deeper stuff than she had ever really put in the effort to think about. But his explanation further into the drone exercises gave her a better idea of what he meant. "That sounds like a lot."

Finally putting to words her thoughts on the matter as her confused expression shifted to one of irritation at the mention of the drones.

"I hate those little things. Never could get a feel for anything beyond my arms. I don't know whether to call it a future sight or danger sense." She shuddered at the memories of getting zapped frequently with little success having barely passed the lowest bar for that particular test.

"So long as we aren't going to be discussing religion to the wee hours of the morning I don't think it sounds too bad. I'm pretty open minded about stuff and different views challenge the norm." She shrugged with a final nod.

 

[Acaadi]

The Mirialan community stretched across a wide sector of an entire city. Like a wedge running all he way from densely populated sectors towards the city and sprawling tower blocks, to sprawling suburbs.

The Tam household was towards the edge of the city. A detached two storey house with its own garden. There was enough room on the drive for the land speeder Acaadi had rented.

He helped Phalsi out of the passenger seat and into the wheelchair. He still had a sling for his arm, but he was confident enough to take it out to help push Phalsi up the drive.

The door opened before they got there. The mirialan couple standing side by side in he doorway.

Acaadi's dad grinned and stepped forwards to give him a hug but looking at the sling went for an arm pat.

"And you must be Phalsi. I am Qedi," he said before Acaadi could speak. "He has told us so...little about you because he is a dreadful son and never calls unless he's in hospital."

"Oh Qedi, go and be useful and fetch their bags. I've made up the guest room for them," said Acaadi's mother with what sounded like waning tolerance. The resemblance to Acaadi was striking.

"The guest room?" Qedi asked, grey brow furrowing in confusion.

"Yes."

"For both of them?" Acaadi's father asked, some colour having drained from his face. The colour seemed to have found its way to a still silent Acaadi's cheeks.

"Yes," she replied with an eye roll.

"Them why not Acaadi's..."

"Because no woman wants to stay over in a fifteen year old's bedroom," she said sharply, shooing him away.

"Welcome Phalsi, I'm Poyin," she added in a much softer tone. "Don't leave her out there in the cold," she said more curtly to Acaadi.

 

[Phalsi Drynchen]

She had enjoyed the ride over, only messing with the climate controls every now and again as she could never get the vent quite right for her liking. Being assisted in and out of the Speeder hadn't been terribly troubling thankfully as the first time they had tried shortly after being released from the hospital.

But things never went smoothly when one was antsy to leave those places.

The door was opened long before they knocked as Phalsi could do little more than awkwardly smile at being wheeled up to the door. Waving felt silly but also seemed the polite thing to do as his father stepped out for a greeting and cut off Acaadi.

A small smirk appearing as he explained his son's habits. Suppressing a chuckle, she listened to his parents go back and forth briefly before Poyin leveled instructions to her son.

"It's nice to meet you. I'm sorry for the inconvenience, but thank you for having me...us." Her remark followed by the patting of her wheelchair before she leaned back to Acaadi. She didn't ask about the fact they wouldn't be in his room, though she couldn't hide the stain of teasing curiosity in her mind from him.

She could only imagine the state of Acaadi's room if the guest room had been put together for them.

"Get me up to the door and I can stand inside. It'll be easier than trying to get the thing inside with me in it."

 

[Acaadi]

They were going to torture him. It was the only explanation he could gather for his parent's antics on his doorstep. This was payback for not calling home enough since he had joined the Jedi order. Acaadi was certain he could feel his very soul shrinking.

"Not an inconvenience at all," Poyin replied as Acaadi drew her close to the door and offered an arm.

At least, Acaadi thought to himself, she knows about the models. He didn't think his room was that bad, but on reflection he could see where mum was coming from. Single bed, posters of varying ages and finished and unfinished construction kit models of lots of starfighters hanging from the ceiling and covering every surface.

"My ever talkative son tells me I can't ask how you were both hurt, but can I ask what you hurt?" Poyin asked.

 

[Phalsi Drynchen]

She smiled at Poyin for her reassurance. However much the woman assured her however, there was the lingering voice in her own head about the matter. Though she didn't press it further as Acaadi wheeled her closer and offered his arm.

She locked the wheels before she stood, bracing herself against the arm as the other pulled on him.

Her presence in the force was still slowly returning as she took a deep breath and straightened out the braced leg before pushing up on her good one. The final hiss of her once calm draw of air as the lack of muscle put a strange tension on what remained.

An awkward hop using Acaadi and the doorway put her out the way as she frowned and shrugged to Poyin.

"There was metal. Absent teachers... and students. Very, nervous students." The pause seemed like a weighing of how much to tell rather than relaying a supremely watered down version of the truth.

She hated lying at a base level. Hated the idea of lying to Acaadi's parent more. Especially on their first meeting. But she wasn't even sure she could tell anyone about what happened without some fallout.

"Acaadi pulled someone. I tried jumping between things." She padded her story just a bit more with a small shrug, letting guilt over the captains demise stain her expression into what might have seemed like anxiety about the matter.

At least she quietly hoped.

It helped that a majority of the wounds had healed, left with ugly bruising hidden beneath the loose fitting clothing she wore.

"Hopefully everybody learned." Words back with a wry chuckle.

 

[Acaadi]

"Oh you're only slightly better than Acaadi," Poyin laughed. Acaadi chuckled too. "I suppose that's something. No don't try and lift the chair with one arm Acaadi let me..."

She was cut off by him stubbornly reverting to use the Force to pass the wheelchair across the threshold. His parents had never seen him use the Force so casually before and it showed. The silence lasted a couple of seconds.

"You look to be better with the bad arm," she said to Acaadi. "That's good."

As she stepped out of their way she turned towards Phalsi. The entrance lobby split into two directions. The stairs ahead with dining room to the left and living space to the right. "Did they give you an idea of how long the recovery would be? Oh, do you need us to add you onto the family medical while you're here?"

 

[Phalsi Drynchen]

The grin she gave to Poyin was anything less than childish joy at the description. Vague enough to stop questions but enough to divert attention.

The scramble for the chair had her making a singular hop backwards and out of the way should Poyin have moved. Not needed when Acaadi used the force instead out of a familiar emotion. Wringing out another grin from Phalsi.

Which faded at the silence that followed.

"I can tell you practiced moving stuff out of the house." She murmured to him. Moving inwards, she slipped back into the chair with a grunt and shifting of her bad leg. Her attention shifting to the question posed to her.

She waved a hand before explaining.

"The bacta is taking well. Or that's what I was told anyway. I think they said a couple of months if I'm stubborn. Less if I don't stress it. My bills are being covered for this though, so not yet." The tone of her words changing slightly with a flicker of humor in her open mental barriers.

With just a dash of hope atop the humor as her eyes moved from Poyin to Acaadi and back again.

"If it's not a bother; The landspeeder was nice but I've been up and down enough I should probably check my leg before anything else."

 

[Acaadi]

"I'll get that arranged," Poyin said. "When are you doing dinner Qedi?" she called out to Qedi who was struggling with a case in each hand.

"Er, couple of hours?"

"There you go, get settled in," Poyin told them both.

Acaadi thought it most surreal to see his parents calling one another by their first names. Phalsi had been the one nervous about the situation, but he suspected he was going to be the most uncomfortable when his parents decided to turn the screw.

---

"So...yes...this is it," Acaadi said as he opened the door to his room to show Phalsi. After the introductions he felt that they might as well get it over with.

His parents had tidied away the model that had been in pieces across the corner desk, but otherwise it was much as it had been.

At a quick glance there were about twenty starship models around the room. At least half had even been fully painted as well as assembled.