A Conversation

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

Aela gave a slight smile.

She supposed that she and her padawan were a bit more alike than she thought. "Maybe you should have."

Aela joked quietly. There was no denying that such a situation in it of itself was more than a little karked up. Jamie was caught in the middle of...well she had no idea what you could even describe it as. From her own words it was clear that Kurt still loved her and wanted to be with her, but did Jamie still feel the same? Did she even want to figure it out? If Aela had been in her shoes she would have simply moved on and kept on living her life, perhaps a bit more sad...but it's what she would have forced herself to do.

The Marshall shook her head. Battle, being kidnapped and tortured by Sith seemed relatively easy compared to this. At least those things were relatively straight forward, easy to figure out, but here that wasn't exactly and option.

"Do you still care about him?" It was all that she could think to ask.

The heart wanted what it wanted, or that was what her mother had always said. Kira had forgiven her father for being a Sith Lord, was that the same as this? She'd have to ask her one day.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

"Maybe I should have."

She agreed with a slight nod. It certainly would have made her feel better, at least in the short term. It just wasn't her though. As angry as she was, she didn't have it in her to hurt him that way. Leaving him there in the hospital was an incredibly difficult thing for her to do. She didn't want to see him there, and she hadn't wanted to leave him, nor would she have, if the circumstances weren't quite as they were.

"Yes. I still care about him as much as I did before."

Jamie didn't quite understand why, but she didn't think it was possible to stop caring about someone on a whim. If that were the case she didn't think that there was much to care about in the first place if it could be so easily thrown away. At least that was what she believed in.

"But it doesn't change anything. That whole roommate situation was a tense subject to start. We had a pretty substantial argument over it way back when. Now that she's pregnant? I can't trust those two together at all. I don't know her, or her motives. And I don't trust her."

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

Aela nodded her head slowly. She thought she understood, at least a little bit. You couldn't just stop loving someone, no matter what they had done. Perhaps that was why it hurt so much, why it stung her more than anything. The Marshall frowned for a second, a suggestion forming in her mind that she wasn't quite sure she should make. Her lips thinned for a few seconds, and then she shook her head.

It wasn't her place. "I can't blame you."

For some reason The Marshall doubted that this 'roommate' was entirely at fault for the situation, more that it was probably Kurt's own shenanigans that had gotten Jamie into this. At least that was the impression she got from her Padawan.

"I wish I could tell you something" She said quietly. "The many relationships I've gone through can't help here."

She tried to joke, obviously never even having kissed a boy. "I can always listen though."

 

[Jamie Pyne]

Jamie burst into a small laugh, the sob on the tip of her tongue coming out first into a mangled mess of cry and giggle made for an arguably funny noise. Her hand brushed her eyes again, clearing the last few drops of salt water from her face. The younger girl appreciated beyond measure Aela's attempt to make her laugh, and in doing so made things seem a little bit better, if nothing else.

"Thanks." Leaning back towards Aela she embraced her, squeezing the older girl tightly. "I feel like I am always thanking you."

It was strange. Where the first time it felt tense and awkward when Aela had hugged her, now it was gone. Instead it felt genuinely comforting. A bit of the tense, shot nerves began to slowly subside, along with her breathing returning to a more normal state. Her vision was still pretty cloudy, likely due to the alcohol still very much lingering in her system.

"But as for family, you're sort of all I've got." It wasn't the words she wanted to use, but it hopefully came across correctly. "Not that I'm not happy to have you here! I just..." Jamie's hands fell away and she leaned back against the cold duracrete. "It's nice to have an older pseudo sister to cry with."

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

She shrugged. "I'm not going anywhere."

That was true enough. Though Aela had been having her own crisis of faith recently she wasn't about to abandon Jamie. Even if she left the SIS she had always intended on talking to Jamie about it first, but she wasn't quite there yet. Perhaps in the coming years, but not yet. The First Order was looming on the Horizon, and Aela knew that if she abandoned the Alliance now she would never forgive herself. That was a simple matter of fact.

"I can't say I'll be the most helpful person." Not with this stuff anyway. "But I'll be here."

Jamie would always have a place at Aela's side.

"So you've got that." She smiled at her padawan. Whatever came, Sith, Boyfriends, monsters, Aela would be there.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

"Better than nothing."

Comparatively, the outpost monsters and the situation with Vrak were more horrifying, but she more often found herself dwelling on her family and love life situations more often, except when it came time to shut off the lights.

"I still see them." She sighed, hands fidgeting with one another in her lap again. "Sometimes before I go to sleep. Other times the images wake me up." It had been rather hard to sleep as of late, the constant bombardment from her imagination and memory. "The bodies in that room. The creatures, how they moved, how they sounded. Sometimes I can hear them in my head screeching." She'd had more than a few nightmares since then. "And then there's Vrak. I don't think I will ever understand the pure, raw, rage. What he did to me that day."

Jamie shivered. It was still a bit difficult to talk about. "Whatever kind of knife he stabbed into my leg, it did something to me. I saw...Things." Making everything out in her head was still difficult. At times her mind would recall an image that she hadn't been able to figure out before, but it would finally settle, and click in her mind.

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

"Mentalism." She began quietly. "Is often not a pleasant experience."

She had experienced that first hand many times.

"Meditation helps, I think will help with both things. Over time the images fade." Telti was where she had experienced her first burst of someone trying to wring their way into her mind. It had been painful, and eventually they had forced her to see images that in truth she could only describe as pure and utter terror. She shivered slightly as she recalled the experience. It wasn't something she wanted to go through ever again.

"Vrak will be brought to justice." She was sure of that. "He was trying to infect you. With rage, anger, hatred. Bring you to his level. It's what they do."

She shrugged. "That's the problem with being a Jedi. Sith fight dirty, we often can't."

Not in the same way.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

"Maybe." Her eyes widened as she looked up to the stars above, trying to regain some measure of focus.

Deep conversation was difficult when your body was still working full of alcohol. Nor did the whole teary eyed waterfall help the situation any.

"Sometimes when I try, I end up seeing him again in my head. It startles me out of focus."

On more than one occasion had she suffered from that. It seemed that Vrak, as well as those monsters had somehow managed to seed themselves into her mind so deeply that the mere thought of sleep or meditation evoked them to on occasion, return to torment her. "There have been nights that I don't sleep, simply so I don't have to risk seeing him in my dreams again."

Hopefully with the bounty, and knowing his identity, bringing him in and locking him up would be a swift end to that whole plight. She would at least sleep better knowing he wasn't on the other side of her bedroom door at night.

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

"I can help with that." She said quietly, her hand coming up to touch the Necklace that sat just above her breasts. The small lens had been crafted by her brother, exhibiting some of the same qualities as the lightsaber at her side. She smiled slightly and then looked over to Jamie. She couldn't give up this necklace, but she could ask her brother to craft something similar at the very least.

"My brother can make something." Aela said quietly. "To help you be a bit more calm, sleep better."

It would be easy enough for him. "My necklace does the same."

Aela smiled and then looked at her padawan.

"I'd give it to you, but it's a bit sentimental." The lightsaber lens was the same one that had come from her lightsaber. "I'll message him...tomorrow. When I'm not drunk."

 

[Jamie Pyne]

"Really?" She seemed to perk up a bit. "That would be nice. I--I mean if you think he wouldn't mind?"

After all she didn't want to impose or presume something of the boy.

A small breeze lifted off the water along the edge of the dam, pulling with it a bit of cool air that whisked across Jamie's face. It helped somewhat to settle the discomfort of the world that was still in slight motion around her, the top of her head feeling somewhat like a boat on top of choppy seas. "Didn't you want to see--Umm--" She had to think about where it was that Aela had wanted to go. "The opera houses?"

Not that she had the slightest clue of how to get there, or really anywhere at this point.

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

"He won't mind." Micah liked making things, they were a point of pride for him. Plus if she said what it was for he'd be more than willing. Despite his ego and silliness, Micah was a good person. Like all of her siblings were. They may have had their differences, but ultimately Micah would always do the right thing, especially if she asked him.

A yawn pulled past her lips.

"I..." She started with another yawn. "Don't think I can make it there."

Her head began to lull to the side. "Maybe we should just go to the hotel...sleep."

Sleep sounded like a wonderful thing at the moment, plus the Opera house was miles away from where they were...she was pretty sure anyway. Walking in it of itself seemed like a difficult prospect, and although she felt somewhat more sober, she knew that once she got up walking would be just as difficult, if not more so, than it had been earlier. She didn't want to risk embarrassing herself in front of dozens of fancy Opera goers who were just trying to enjoy themselves.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

There was a quick nod. Jamie actually rather hoped Aela would prefer to return to the hotel than to go to the opera houses. The girl's feet hurt from all of the walking. The alcoholic exhaustion certainly didn't help things. Thank the Force she hadn't gotten dolled up, lest her face would have looked like a child's worst fear, while her feet would have cried for freedom.

"Alright. Let's go home."

The thought finally hit her. "Why don't we just get a taxi?"

Jamie had no idea how to get back to the hotel from where they were, and had a terrible sense of direction to begin with. Aela didn't look to be in the best condition for walking back either. Combined it might very well take them until dawn to make it back to their room. If nothing else Jamie already was in desperate need of another shower, as well as thorough sleep.

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

She looked at her padawan with suspicion. "I."

Aela began quietly.

"Don't know how to do that." That was of course not true, Aela knew well how to call a Taxi, but in her current rather hazy state she wasn't sure of how to do anything at all. A part of her still figured that she couldn't even walk, a prospect that seemed more and more likely as time went on. She frowned for a few seconds and then looked at the sky again, thinking that it would be much easier if she and Jamie could just fly back to the hotel.

"Where do we even get one of those?" She asked Jamie, though she glanced towards her backpack. "I have money."

Those were necessary for taxi's.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

Jamie stared back at Aela, eyes shifting to the left and the right after several seconds, before falling to her lap.

"Ummm"

She huffed, shoulders rising and falling. "You need money just to call a taxi?" What about riding in it? Her lips fluttered, as if trying to figure out some kind of alternative plan. "Maybe a bus then?" Those were pretty common, though if they were even still running anymore was anyone's guess. Jamie had no idea what time it was. "There was a stop back..." She threw her hand in some obscure direction. "That way. I think."

Do buses take people to where they want to go? Or are those just taxis?

"We should get up...I think."

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

She scrunched her face. Aela had been on a bus before, and she was pretty certain that one could take them back to the hotel. This was a city made of life and light after all, and everything was centered out from the hotel so why wouldn't a bus go by there? She frowned for a moment more and then nodded. "Bus."

For a second she sounded like a toddler. A yawn escaped her lips and her head lulled to the side, though out of the corner of her eye she caught Jamie staring at her. Almost instantly she opened her eyes, remembering Jamie's words at the beginning of their little sit down cry. She frowned and then slowly pushed herself up and off the ground, a task that was more difficult than she could have possible described. Her arms felt floppy, like wet noodles, and her hands hardly found a grip on the stone above.

"Okay." She said quietly as she finally managed to stand.

Looking around for a moment Aela offered a hand to Jamie, grabbing the Padawan and practically pulling her to her feet.

"Do you..." She said quietly. "Remember how we got up here?"

 

[Jamie Pyne]

"Stairs." She said with disdain. "Lots. And lots. Of stairs."

Where actually those stairs were though was another question. She couldn't quite place them, nor was she terribly eager to go back down them. It had taken time before, but she felt entirely exhausted now, both mentally and physically.

"We're at the top now." As if it weren't obvious enough. "So, that means we have to go down."

The girl pointed towards the duracrete beneath her feet. Maybe we can just roll down the hill! That seemed like way more fun, and way less work too!

"I think that's the only way down unless we call for a Drexyl." Oh...But this isn't Onderon or Dxun...

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

"I didn't bring Malfegor." Aela said sadly. The Drexl that she had trained since it's birth was sitting on Onderon with her grandmother. Calling him likely wouldn't have worked since they were far away, but for a few seconds Aela reached out with the force in an attempt to reach the creature. When she found nothing, because of the distance, tears began to well in her eyes once again, her nose sniffling a few times.

"Not fair." She stamped her foot, then turned to Jamie. "Why can't we just take the elevator?"

Aela pointed to the silvery door at the other end of the dam.

The thing had been there the entire time of course, but neither of the girls had noticed it. Perhaps it was only seen now because Aela had sobered up enough, or maybe it was more due to the fact that she was at her wits end. The Alcohol was having an unsettling sleepy affect on her, and she was afraid the next time she sat down would be the last for a few hours.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

"Oh." She said, almost despairingly. Jamie of course had never seen Aela's Drexyl, but she wished it was there on that damn in that moment. It would have made life so much easier than walking even to the bus terminal. "Oh!" She exclaimed in a complete turn of attitude as Aela pointed out the turbolift. "Where did that come from!?" Did the Force just create that? "Did you make that appear?" Her eyes widened, as if she had just discovered Aela had another incredible Force power.

The girl didn't even wait for her response. Jamie simply grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her towards it. Laughing like a child she ran towards the door, her fingers pressing the button for down. "You're amazing I love you right now!"

It was like she had just hit the galactic lottery or something.

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

"I don't think Force Elevator is a thing." Aela said with another yawn at the end, wondering for a second if she really had made the elevator appear. Eventually she decided no, it had been there all along, but at least she got a slight ego boost for a few seconds.

After a moment of waiting there was a loud ding and the elevator doors slid open in front of them. Aela gave a pleased smile to find the thing empty, if only because she was pretty confident that Jamie and she were ready to full on embarrass themselves in the presence of another human being. She stepped inside first, her head bobbing somewhat as she grasped onto the railing at the far end of the small elevator, still feelings somewhat too dizzy to walk.

"I'm sleeeeeeepy." She complained to Jamie. "Really sleepy."

Her eyes closed a little.

The next thing she knew Jamie and her were standing outside of the elevator, the younger girl looking around for the bus sign she had seen earlier. Aela looked around mesmerized for a moment, having completely forgotten how she even got back down to the bottom of the dam.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

"Oh." Half disappointed Jamie stepped into the elevator. "It should be." She determined.

The younger blonde nudged Aela in the side, just beneath the ribs. "Come on, you can't fall asleep here! We need to get back to the hotel!" Jamie took Aela by the hand, pulling her towards the terminal sign she had seen before they had arrived at the dam earlier. "This way." Never letting go she dragged Aela down the street, much to the older woman's despair at having to walk any kind of distance by this point. "There." Pointing to the end of the street, despite it looking a mile away, she gestured towards the terminal sign, though they were still too far away to see the arrival times.

"We can sit and rest there--BUT NO SLEEPING!"

She knew Aela was about to pass out, and truthfully she was still seeing the world in an awkward spinning haze, but they had to make it back.

[member="Aela Talith"]