Private A Funny Thing Happened On the Way Back to Korriban

[Starlin Rand]

Starlin’s family lived in an apartment complex in a bad neighborhood. Most of the buildings were old and in need of repairs; some just plain needed to be torn down. The streets were full of kids running around unsupervised, wielding water guns, glowsticks, and pop detonators as they played games of cops and robbers, imperials and rebels, Jedi and Sith. Somewhere in the distance a speaker was eternally blasting music in a genre that only appealed to certain people, muffled and yet loud enough to be a constant irritant to anyone trying to sleep—and there was always somebody trying to sleep, even during the daytime. Perhaps the nicest thing you could say about the place was that it didn’t smell bad, except during the summer heat wave.

Leading the way up to the door of his parents’ apartment, Starlin tried the keycard. It didn’t work. He tried again, then beat his fist on the door.

“Come back with a warrant!” his stepfather yelled. His mother shushed him.

“I can’t get the door open, the lock’s not working!” Starlin yelled back, then muttered, “As usual...”

A few moments later, the door slid open—though only because Starlin’s mother forced it open by pressing her back against the frame and pushing against the automatic door’s edge her booted feet. “Hi baby!” she greeted. “Look at you, all dressed up in your armor. You’re gonna have to step over my legs here, the door won’t stay open anymore. I’m getting it fixed soon.”

Starlin did as she said, climbing over her jeans-clad legs, then glanced back at Thesh, expecting him to do the same. It was then that Jen Rand noticed her son’s companion. Blue eyes wreathed in smoky kohl settled on Thesh.

“Who’s your friend?”

“This is Thesh. He’s a stray puppy I found in my travels and lured with promises of real food and a place to stay.” Starlin’s tone was humorous, but there was a slight edge of uncertainty to it as well. He had forgotten to tell his mother ahead of time that he was bringing someone over, especially a stranger who would potentially be staying for an extended period of time.

Thankfully, Jen laughed. “Hi, I’m Jen,” she introduced herself to Thesh, extending a hand. “Where are you from, Thesh?” No comment from her on his name. She was used to street kids calling themselves any number of nicknames from Ace to Chalk to Solo. A letter of the aurebesh alphabet was nothing new.

Arcturus Dinn​

 

[Arcturus Dinn]

Though he had never been here before, the sights and sounds felt oddly familiar to him; he couldn't place his finger on the why of it, there was no real memory attached, just a feeling in the pit of his stomach, an echo in his mind. He could have hazarded a guess as to why it was, but he didn't want to dwell on it. So he took their surroundings for what they were, and followed along behind Starlin as they reached the apartment in question.​

​

Warrants were mentioned, which alluded to crime in the area, and the door was stuck. It was painting quite the picture of Starlin's upbringing but there was no judgement which seemed to emanate from Thesh, no pity either. Just the same curiosity he always exhibited when somewhere new and unknown.​

​

It was easy to see why he'd longed to be a Jedi. To make a difference in the Galaxy.​

​

When both Starlin and his mother set their gaze upon him he seemed to momentarily shrink in on himself in surprise. Under her gaze especially he was thrust back to childhood, wide-eyed as he'd always been in those earlier years at Maliphant's side. But it was a momentary blip, soon his name was given and hers was too, along with a hand presumably to shake.​

​

"Hello," he said, reaching out to shake the extended hand, and thinking it best to probably haul ass inside so that she wasn't holding up the weight of the door for much longer. He stepped over her leg, careful to avoid touching her, and slid just a little further in to stand beside Starlin. Her question gave him pause, for in truth there were a great many answers to that question. ​

​

Korriban would be the most accurate in recent years, though he didn't exactly wish to start them off in such a way. Bastion was another choice, after all Harper's Retreat was the home he'd been raised in. But that didn't feel right either.​

​

"Ession," he finally settled on, the world he'd been born on, been stolen away from. He barely remembered it, save for the twisted recollections he'd been presented with in the Netherworld. A curious tale of what-ifs he'd been forced to set aside. "But I uh, I'm more of a traveler." Hopefully that would help make sense of his inability to really recall much about it if she asked further about his homeworld.​

​

Because really he didn't know the first thing about it.​

​

Starlin Rand ​

 

[Starlin Rand]

Starlin already knew about Ession, so Thesh’s answer didn’t come as a surprise. Jen didn’t really react either. She’d never been to Ession, and the planet didn’t ring any bells or dredge up memories. What she did notice was his hesitation, and the odd look he gave her when their eyes met. Oh yeah, this one was a stray puppy.

“I’m gonna go change,” Starlin said, thumping his armor. “This stuff is heavy.”

“Are you hungry?” Jen asked.

“Oh yeah. Real food, please.” Starlin was already disappearing down the hallway to his old room, but he called out what was clearly an inside joke between them. “You knew I was coming, you should’ve baked a cake.”

“You’re funny.” After a moment she asked, “What do you want?”

“I dunno.”

Jen rolled her eyes. “You know I’m not cooking. It’s takeout or takeout.”

Starlin's voice was muffled behind his bedroom door. “What about takeout, takeout, or takeout?”

Turning to Thesh, she asked, “Do you have any preferences? We have everything around here. Burgers, Atrisian, pizza, the funky stuff.” After a moment, she remembered to ask, “You don’t have any food allergies, do you?”

The door to the ‘fresher opened, and Starlin’s stepfather, Silo-Hur, stepped out. A Zabrak with a mechanical right arm, he paused in the hallway, sighing, then looked down and realized the arm was still clutching an air freshener. He turned and put it away, then coughed. “Nobody go in there for the next forty-five minutes,” he warned, walking down the hallway. He stopped when he spotted Thesh, scratched his head, then shrugged and went to the fridge, rummaging around for a drink.

"So, Thesh," Jen asked, hoping to coax the ginger boy into conversation. "How did you meet Starlin?"

Starlin emerged from his room soon after, dragging a guitar case with him. Jen saw him and said, “Don’t tell me you’re leaving already.”

“I’m gonna eat first,” Starlin replied. Internally, he winced. She probably had a million questions for him, and he wanted to answer them all, but at the same time he really didn't want to talk about what was happening in his life. About war, or Ossus, or Syd, or Nimdok. Right now he just wanted his music and the solitude of Moondog's street corner. “Then I’m gonna take Thesh with me to see Moondog after."

Jen just stared at him.

"You get me for the next few days, weeks, maybe even a month, Mom. I promise I’ll come back.”

She sighed. “Okay.”

“My pants are too short,” Starlin said suddenly, trying to lighten the mood.

Her eyes slid down, and she covered her mouth with her hand. “Yes. Yes, they are.”

He grinned. “I growed up real good.”

There was a crashing noise from outside, followed by the sound of a speeder alarm going off. Silo-Hur, who had wandered onto the living room couch, glanced up from his datapad at the sound, shook his head, then saw Starlin. “Damn, boy. At least pull your socks up.”

Arcturus Dinn​

 

[Arcturus Dinn]

Thesh felt like a fly on the wall as their family dynamic played out before him.​

​

Nay, more than that... Like a cragmoloid in the room. Out of place, taking up way too much space, awkwardly trying to fit in despite all of that. His gaze flicked between the two of them as they spoke, and deep down part of him was grateful that he wasn't being brought into the conversation too.​

​

Until he was.​

​

"No, no allergies," he assured her - that he knew of at least - before he bit the inside of his lip and tried to consider the options presented. If he was totally honest, he didn't really know the majority of what she'd suggested, he'd never really had the opportunity to try takeout. Everything had always been homecooked or rations, or whatever the feth he could muster up himself.​

​

No doubt his inexperience with it all was apparent upon his expression.​

​

"I uh... I don't mind. Whichever is your favourite, Mrs Rand."​

​

That was one way to sidestep not knowing, surely? He'd never really been fussy when it came to food anyway, simply ate what was put in front of him.​

​

His gaze shifted to the Zabrak as he exited the refresher, only to be drawn back to Jen as she addressed him once more. This time he really was lost for words. He didn't want to make the woman worry, or have her throw him out the door, or tell her anything Starlin would have rather she not know. His mouth open and closed a couple of times as he fumbled with an answer that never came.​

​

He was immensely grateful when Starlin returned and took the attention away. That was a question best left for the other boy to answer, he decided.​

​

Starlin Rand ​

 

[Starlin Rand]

Starlin’s mother had smirked at him calling her Mrs. Rand, though it was a friendly little smile. “You can call me Jen, kiddo.” She waited for him to answer her other question, the smile becoming one of pursed amusement as he gaped and floundered like a goldfish.

Starlin got down on one knee to yank each of his socks up. It still didn’t really look right, but at least he wasn’t showing his ankles. A little bit of pasty calves, but his socks weren’t long enough to meet the hem of his too-short jeans. It was crazy to think he could’ve grown this much in just… how long had it been since he’d come home, anyway? Too long, clearly.

“I asked Thesh what he wanted to eat, and he said ‘whichever is your favorite’,” Jen said, shrugging. “I guess that means you get to pick.”

“At this point, we should just spin a wheel to decide where we’re gonna eat.” The Padawan rubbed his hands together. “Ding, ding, ding… pizza?”

“Which pizza place?” Silo-Hur muttered. “There’s five of ‘em in this part of town alone.”

“Whichever one is closest? I don’t like cold pizza. That’s, uh, um...”

Silo-Hur supplied the name of the pizza place. Jen found a menu for Thesh and handed it to him while everyone else decided what they wanted. A little sheepishly, Starlin found that he could no longer recall the exact contents of the menu himself, and pulled up alongside the redhead to look over his shoulder. He didn’t say anything, but he sensed Thesh was becoming overwhelmed, or at the very least felt out of place. The acolyte sure had gotten real quiet. Not that that was out of character, but…

Their food was ordered and the pizza delivered. In the interim, Jen cleared off the dining table, which was currently littered with mechanical parts and projects she’d brought home from work. Starlin was wrangled into helping her, leaving Thesh to his own devices for the time being—unless he happened to remember the dreaded shoe and jumped in to help as well.

Arcturus Dinn​

 

[Arcturus Dinn]

"Jen, sorry," he corrected with a sheepish smile; in truth he was just grateful when the topic of how they met was allowed to fall by the wayside, and Starlin returned to help redirect the attention away from him. Once more he was happy to simply stand and observe as they discussed potential pizza joints, and their orders.​

​

Ultimately Thesh just wound up picking the same thing as Starlin. He didn't really know what most of the options were, how they'd taste, so he hoped to kriff that the Jedi had good taste when it came to such things. Despite his ultimate decision he did spend a little time scouring the page, familiarizing himself with it. This was a chance for him to experience new things, and while daunting it was something he hoped to take in his stride.​

​

For all the things Thesh had studied and come to know, there was so much he was woefully oblivious to.​

​

"She wants to know how we met," he whispered to Starlin as they both glanced over the menu together; Force did he hope her hearing wasn't insanely good, or else things might turn ugly. For now though it seemed as though things would continue on in the same way they had since arriving.​

​

Though he was lost in his own thoughts when the table was initially being cleared, he was quick to pull himself from them and stepped up to help out. It wasn't even the threat of the shoe, in truth. It was instinct for him. He'd spent so long doing this sort of thing, housekeeping, and making sure everything was just right. It was hardwired into his brain really. He never really felt at ease unless a space was clean.​

​

Useful clutter was fine, but if there was something that needed taking care of he felt compelled to do so.​

​

Starlin Rand ​

 

[Starlin Rand]

It was always funny when two different people told you virtually the same thing, one after the other. First Thesh whispered to him, she wants to know how we met. Starlin’s response had been an “uhhhh” seconds before his mother pulled him aside and quietly asked him, “How come he won’t tell me how you two met?”

“Uhhhh…” Starlin fumbled, still trying to think of a reply.

At her son’s hesitation, Jen laughed. “Why all the secrecy? Are you two dating or something?”

He looked at her as if she were crazy. “No. He’s, uh… it’s complicated.” With that, he ducked his head and walked briskly into his parents’ room, where he had been dumping the junk from the dining table.

“Ah.” Jen waited until Thesh was further away from them before asking, “Is he on the run from something?” With Starlin staying silent, she added, “I have a right to know if I’m taking a fugitive into my home, baby.”

Starlin sighed… and paused. In the chaos of battle and the snowstorm on Ossus, it seemed really unlikely that any Sith would be able to identify him in connection to Thesh… but he supposed it was actually possible they could be traced back here. Was he putting his family in danger? If he was, it wouldn’t matter that Thesh was here. If they knew who Starlin was and had seen him leave with Thesh, as soon as the acolyte failed to return to Korriban, Starlin and everyone he loved was toast. Assuming the Sith cared enough to bother chasing him down.

“He’s… in trouble for helping me,” he replied at last. “He wasn’t supposed to, but he did it anyway.”

“Figures. Well, the least you can do is make him feel more at home. He doesn’t know me as well as he knows you, clearly. I can’t even get him to carry on a conversation. I’m not saying you should be pushy, but be more considerate of that.”

“I’m the most considerate person I know!”

They broke off as their paths crossed with Thesh again, resuming only when he was out of earshot. It was probably obvious that they were discussing something they didn’t want him to hear, but that couldn’t be helped.

“Thesh is a big boy,” Starlin continued. “He can handle himself.”

“I’m not so sure about that, Star. Far as I’m concerned, a person who can’t even decide for himself what he wants to eat is more like a child than an adult.”

“What are you talking about? He ordered his own food.”

“He ordered the same thing you ordered, Starlin,” she said, one hand on her hip. “And he’s lucky I saw it and changed it for him before we put it in. Unless he’s hiding antennapalps under that red hair of his.”

Starlin blinked, his brow furrowing as he slowly figured it out. Being half Balosar, Starlin had inherited his father’s high tolerance to various toxins. He could even eat certain foods that were considered poisonous to humans—in fact, there was one particular type of mushroom he liked which tasted pretty damned good on pizza, but could cause convulsions and seizures in regular humans.

“... Holy chit. I didn’t even notice,” he murmured.

“Yeah,” was all Jen said, her tone rather pointed and her eyebrows raised.

The doorbell rang. Pizza time. “Okay, I get it,” Starlin hissed. “I’ll make sure he doesn’t eat fethin’ poisonous mushrooms on accident for as long as I’m here.”

Heading down the hall toward the dining room, he spotted Thesh and almost died on the spot. Don’t say anything, don’t say anything… He squelched a howl of laughter, grabbed his pizza, and sat down to eat.

Arcturus Dinn​

 

[Arcturus Dinn]

He knew, of course, that they were discussing something out of earshot. He knew, of course, that it was out of earshot for a reason. Yet despite all of this, he didn't inherently presume that they were talking about him.​

​

After all, why should he? There was probably plenty of things that mother and son needed to discuss, personal things that didn't need to be overheard. This knowledge was all that kept his ears from burning; instead of worrying about it, he focused on the table and once it was cleared off he took to cleaning it down. It wasn't even particularly dirty, but he did it anyway.​

​

It kept him busy if nothing else.​

​

What few little things were knocked to the floor in doing so, crumbs and the like, he quickly swept up. He didn't even think about it, in that moment he might well have been little more than a droid for the way in which instinct took over. Some weird little robot vacuum or whatever.​

​

They were still talking among themselves, so he took a little initiative and searched for a couple of glasses which he set upon the table. He didn't really know what they'd want to drink, or he might have sorted that too. Pizza... Was a hands on food, right? So no silverware. His brain whirred a little. Plates?​

​

When Starlin brought the food in from the door, he was pondering on whether or not to grab some of those too. The boxes though made it seem as though they were self contained. No plates then... Starlin was laughing about something, but he didn't really have the context to know what. In fact, it almost felt like he was avoiding Thesh.​

​

Had he done something wrong? Said something he shouldn't have? Oh feth...​

​

Starlin Rand ​

 

[Starlin Rand]

Thesh was trying not to stare, but it was clear he had seen the corners of Starlin’s mouth twitch as he struggled not to laugh. Now the acolyte was getting all squirrely. Starlin felt bad, although that didn’t necessarily make the situation any less funny. Besides, didn’t Thesh deserve to know what had happened, even if it was embarrassing?

“Thesh,” he began, struggling to find the words. He was opening the pizza boxes, checking their contents and passing them around as he spoke. “Thesh… my dude… my homie.” He sighed, forcing himself to be serious. “Remember these?” He let his antennapalps stick up a little. “I get these from my dad. He was a full-blooded Balosar. Not only did I get these things coming out my head from him, I also got the ability to eat literal poison, yet suffer no ill effects.” He happened to open his box at right that moment, and reached in to point out the mushrooms in question. “For future reference, this stuff will not kill me, but it can kill you. I’m sorry for not saying something earlier, but I was distracted and didn’t realize that’s what you ordered...”

Smiling awkwardly, he didn’t really know what else to say. Thesh was probably even more embarrassed now that he understood his mistake—not to mention that it exposed the fact that he had copied Starlin.

A moment later Jen swooped to the rescue with plates and an extra chair for the table. “Don’t worry about it now, Thesh—I noticed and had them take it out of the order. You’ll be fine,” she said, briefly laying a hand on his shoulder.

Only Silo-Hur was still left chuckling, as the mistake was news to him. “Damn, kid. I’ve heard of ‘when on Coruscant, do as the Coruscanti do’, but that’s some crazy chit. You’re lucky you’re not the only human here!”

Hopefully everything resolved itself from there, with nobody needing to talk while they were eating.

Arcturus Dinn​

 

[Arcturus Dinn]

At first his face dropped.​

​

He stared at Starlin as he called him dude and homie and tried to ease him into the revelation, and then his eyes seemed to momentarily bulge as he realized how close he had come to his own demise. If the mistake had not been picked up on, would he really have died? From the sounds of it, it was a possibility. Chit.​

​

Worse than that was the fact that everyone knew he'd simply copied the other boy's order. Jen tried to make him feel better, but his cheeks were already ruddy by that point. He could tell that nobody really wanted to dwell on it, not right now at least, but he couldn't help but feel the need to explain himself all the same. He slipped into a seat at the table as he did so.​

​

"Oh, uh... Thank you, for realizing. I'm sorry, I uh... I'm not familiar with this whole takeout thing... There was a lot, and..."​

​

And yeah, he'd almost eaten poisonous food.​

​

Real smooth there Thesh.​

​

Thankfully what he said did not require further conversation. He watched for a moment as everyone tucked in, and then mimicked the way in which they ate their food. He had been correct, thankfully, no silverware, no plates, this was hand-food, eaten right from the box. There was something strangely freeing about that.​

​

He took his first bite and practically melted into the chair. Chit was it good stuff. Real good!​

​

Starlin Rand ​

 

[Starlin Rand]

There were no further incidents during their meal. Focused on eating, Starlin let his awareness of Thesh slip into the background. Unless the acolyte started choking or something, then he’d, y’know. Save his ass.

The weirdness of the situation was finally dawning on Starlin. He had been fighting this motherfether yesterday, or vowing to duel him at least, and now he was sitting down eating lunch with his family like he was any other friend of Starlin’s. Tom Kovack had sat in that chair, and Jacen, and Xian Xiao probably too. Now Thesh. What the feth.

Downing the rest of his soda (forgot to mention: they have soda too) Starlin peered over at Thesh… and noticed that his pizza was gone. Obliterated like Alderaan after the Death Star blew it up. Damn. Must be that skinny kid metabolism, Starlin presumed, eyeing his own annihilated pizza. “Pretty good for a rookie.”

He shot finger guns at either of his parents. “And now, we go to music practice.”

“You going to see that homeless guy who dresses like he’s Thurion Heavenshield ?” Silo-Hur remarked. “Moonbeam, or whatever?”

“Moondog,” Starlin corrected excitedly, practically leaping from his seat. Carrying his guitar over to the broken front door, he set about wedging it open with a chair. “Thesh—”

“Wait,” Jen said. Starlin turned to her just in time to catch the credits she tossed him. “Payment for your lessons.”

Moondog didn’t ask for money, but he accepted what was given to him without protest. Starlin grinned at her, then pushed his guitar into the complex’s hallway, waiting for Thesh to follow.

Arcturus Dinn​

 

[Arcturus Dinn]

His first taste of junkfood.​

​

Deep down Thesh hoped it would be his last, he felt sure it'd be the death of him if not. He ate and he ate even when he knew he should have stopped. It wasn't just the great flavour either, Thesh was supposed to be on a rather strict, high-calorie diet. One he'd been lax in following through as of late. He'd returned to Korriban, after Force knew how long lost on some backwater planet, pretty emaciated. He'd built up much of his strength in the time since, but he could never fully shake away the hunger.​

​

He'd adjusted to the high-calorie life. Yesterday he hadn't eaten at all. Yeah, the pizza was obliterated. Well and truly. And when Starlin passed comment about it the look Thesh gave was one of surprise. Clearly he hadn't intended on eating the whole thing, hadn't even noticed he had. Whoops. Thankfully Starlin had too.​

​

"Thank you for your hospitality," he said to the two grownups, as Starlin made for the door with his guitar case. He slipped out of his seat, and grabbed the empty pizza boxes as he went. Only the empty ones, of course, not those which might still have things in them. He could dispose of them on the way out, leave Jen with one less thing to do.​

​

And then he dipped out of the doorway alongside the Jedi, off to visit this Moondog fella. Barely an afternoon spent on Coruscant, and already so many new experiences. He wondered what strange events would unravel next.​

​

Starlin Rand ​

 

[Starlin Rand]

Carrying his guitar at his side, Starlin led Thesh to the Uscru Entertainment District. It hadn’t changed much in eight centuries—it was still a wild mesh of the highbrow and the lowbrow, the clean and the vulgar, color and monochrome. Starlin chased away a slythmonger with a lewd gesture and a flick of his Padawan braid, bobbed along to the music blaring from the inside of a club, and got a little lost rubbernecking at a trio of college-aged girls walking in the other direction, each one with skin a different shade of neon.

“Moondog hangs out on a street corner down thataway,” he told Thesh, pointing to the left. His antennapalps sorted all the noise based on distance, and from the direction he had pointed, he heard… “Weird. I don’t think I’ve ever heard him play piano before…”

As they approached, the music of the instrument gradually grew to overpower all others. Something about the way he played it made the piano sound huge, more akin to a pipe organ in scale—and yet, his voice rang out clearly despite its loudness. No doubt the result of technical wizardry, microphones with set volume and whatnot.

When they turned the corner, they could see him. Moondog was an old man with a long white beard, dressed like he had come straight from the snows of Midvinter. In fact, he was a Kiffar; he just liked the viking aesthetic. He looked a little like a wizard that had leaped from the pages of an illustrated book of myths and legends. A small crowd had gathered around him as he played and sang a sad song.

Regardless of what Thesh thought (Moondog’s music was considered something of an acquired taste) Starlin was hooked by it at once. He stood at the edge of the crowd, enraptured, until the song finished. Only when a few scattered claps sounded afterwards did he seem to snap out of it and push forward, expecting Thesh to follow.

Moondog turned on his bench and spoke first. “Starlin! Been a minute since you last came around. How have you been?” His eyes were permanently shut, scars scattered among the wrinkles around his lids. He’d been blinded by injury, a mine which had exploded in his face when he was a teenager, younger than the two boys who stood before him now. But in the Force, his presence washed over his surroundings, feeling them out, seeing without his eyes.

“I haven’t been practicing as much as I should have,” Starlin replied. The manner in which he spoke to Moondog was very different from how he spoke to his parents or his master. He seemed almost bashful, abruptly soft-spoken and shy. “What about you?”

“I’m wondering who your friend is,” Moondog said.

Starlin had already opened his guitar case and removed the instrument, having sort of forgotten Thesh was there. “Oh. This is Thesh. I brought him here because… well, I think I promised him a lesson in psychometry. I don’t know what he wants.” Starlin pursed his lips, realizing how little he had cared these past few hours about what Thesh wanted—he’d simply dragged the acolyte around.

Moondog held out his hand, and if Thesh took it, he’d find the blind old man was looking less for a handshake than to feel the boy’s palms between his. The Force surged between them, and Thesh might feel, for a moment, strangely exposed. It wasn’t as if Moondog had invaded his mind—rather, he was peering into the history of where his hands had been and all that they had done.

“You work with metal, don’t you?” he remarked, more a statement of fact than a question. He could sense much more than that—could feel the pain of past wounds and ache of muscles as calluses formed, the touch of a knife against a younger Thesh’s wrist as a brand was cut from his skin, the softness of a girl’s hair as Thesh had run his fingers through it—but he didn’t mention everything he glimpsed. It was just random images and sensations, most of it disconnected and meaningless to a stranger such as him. Thesh would know what had happened. He didn’t need to embarrass him by speaking it out loud.

Arcturus Dinn​

 

[Arcturus Dinn]

Silence had become something of a friend to Thesh over the years.​

​

He was never uncomfortable in its presence, never found the need to fill it needlessly, he could exist within it without worry and simply, well, exist. It was the closest thing to peace he truly knew, and even during moments such as these, where silence wasn't really silence at all but a whole hum of different noises that seemed to blare out then blend together in the background, it was comforting to just be. To exist within his thoughts, and let his feet do what they did best and lead him on without too much thought.​

​

It helped, of course, that Starlin knew where he was going. But even if he hadn't been there the boy might have done a similar thing. Simply wandered through the ebbs and flows of this lively part of town.​

​

The music was heard long before the man himself came into view, and though it was nothing like anything Thesh had ever heard before he found himself rather transfixed by it all the same. He closed his eyes, and allowed himself to truly feel it. The vibrations caused by the instrument traveled through the ground and up through him, and the voice did similar though it was carried on the breeze into his waiting ears.​

​

It wasn't until the song ended and the slapping of boots on pavement resounded in its place that he realized Starlin was leaving the spot they'd temporarily parked in. He hurried after the boy, but remained a little further back even when they came to a halt. He was here because Starlin had seen it fit to bring him, but the man himself hadn't invited him. Best he keep back then, let the two catch up.​

​

But as with everything lately, it wouldn't be that simple. Because the man knew he was there, and the man wanted to know why that was. Starlin's response was as good as anything he might have said himself, but it did bring about a very slight frown. Everywhere he went he could not help but feel remarkably out of place.​

​

And this was no different.​

​

Even so he stepped forward, and lightly reached out his hand toward the man. That strange symphony he was so often spellbound by rang out around him, it seemed to swirl between boy and man as the Force briefly touched him. His breath caught within his throat, the words too. It took him a moment to force them out, but by then it was more or less over. Moondog had seen some things, but how much of it did he truly comprehend?​

​

Whatever the answer he did not bring any of it up.​

​

"I do, Sir," he replied instead. Metal and a great many other things, but metal in and of itself was a remarkable find for a blind man who had met him mere moments prior. "Your music, it's unlike anything I've heard before," he expressed with full sincerity, hoping deep down that the subject of Thesh would be tossed to the wayside in favour of more melodic topics.​

​

Not that Thesh knew much to do with melodies.​

​

Starlin Rand ​

 

[Starlin Rand]

Moondog smirked faintly at Thesh’s use of the word “sir”. He wasn’t used to it.

“I know, he’s a bit of a dweeb,” Starlin joked.

“He’s seen more than you,” the old man replied. “Much more. It would seem experience makes dweebs of us all.”

“I didn’t mean…” Trailing off, Starlin took on the look of a guilty puppy, head bowed and silent.

“I hope that’s a compliment,” Moondog replied to Thesh, releasing the boy’s hand. “Sure sounded like one. I do have one more song to play, if you’ll excuse me...” His fingers felt their way back to the piano keys and resumed playing, a more mysterious song this time, one that had no words. Instead of singing, he whistled—and the sound might as well have been produced by some strange exotic bird.

As the music was winding down, and the onlookers began leaving credit tips on top of the piano as the crowds dispersed, Starlin said, “I was hoping you’d be playing guitar today. You’re a true master of that.”

“To impress your friend?” Moondog inquired with a hint of mirth. “Unfortunately, I didn’t bring my guitar today…” He paused, sensing Starlin holding the instrument in his hands, then spun around on the piano bench and held out his arms. The guitar was passed between them. Moondog took a moment to examine it. “You’re right. You haven’t been practicing enough,” he said. Then, after tuning it, he began to play.

The guitar’s six strings were each wrapped in steel wire, yet when Moondog fingerpicked them the sound turned to silver, then quicksilver. Starlin stood with feet glued to the pavement, hoping it would never end. But when it inevitably did, he opened his eyes and asked, “When are you going to teach me how to play like that?”

“When you start practicing regularly,” Moondog replied without skipping a beat. He tilted his head to the side. “Have I ever taught you how to read objects and their feel?”

“I tried,” Starlin said. “I couldn’t do it.”

“Neither can the professor.” He was referring to Professor Nimdok, their mutual friend. “That’s why he brings all his mysterious artifacts to me, so that I can help illuminate them by peering into their past.” He asked Thesh, “Do you have something, an object which you would like to see the history of?”

Arcturus Dinn​

 

[Arcturus Dinn]

A dweeb?​

​

Thesh had been called many things in his life, but a dweeb was not among them. It didn't bother him too much, though he did have a momentary spark of life wherein he feigned upset. A hand lifted, settling over his heart as though he'd been wounded. Slowly but surely he was finding his footing in this strange land, in the company of these strange beings.​

​

Slowly to be sure.​

​

"Oh, a compliment indeed!" he assured the man, who soon thereafter returned to his craft. Thesh found a nearby wall to lean against, and simply watched this time. Eyes open, transfixed upon the mans fingers which deftly played the ivories. Lightning fast, or so it seemed, it was mind boggling. Certainly it was not something Thesh himself would have been capable of.​

​

By the time that drew to an end the crowd began to disperse, and Thesh pushed away from the wall to approach the duo again. Moondog took the guitar from Starlin and began to play, truly a masterful bard in the way in which he handled this instrument too. Soon enough though talk switched from instruments to the Force.​

​

Psychometry was something Thesh had always been intrigued by, but he'd never pursued it. There were too many other things to learn and unearth, and his deep dive into Alchemy and other such crafts had left him little time for other aspects save that which had been taught at the Academy. He wondered if Moondog would even offer to teach him at all, he had glimpsed Thesh's life on his palm, he knew that the boy hailed from the other end of the spectrum from Starlin.​

​

And yet he posed the question his way all the same. Much to Thesh's disbelief.​

​

He stood there for a moment, before beginning to shake his head. "I'm sorry, Sir, I don't really own anything I didn't make myself."​

​

But then he paused. His eyes caught sight of an object glistening on the ground, and he stepped toward it and plucked it from its place therein. It was nothing special, in truth, just a bolt. Not even well polished, there was only a small section of it which reflected the light at all. But it had temporarily caught his attention, and who knew the life it had lived.​

​

He scooped it up and stepped toward the magic man. Nothing sentimental to Thesh to be sure, but even small and seemingly insignificant items had a story to tell.​

​

"How about this?" he inquired, gently extending it out toward the man. He could take it if he wished; Thesh wasn't sure how much exacting detail he could see through the Force alone, and sometimes touch was illuminating.​

​

Starlin Rand ​

 

[Starlin Rand]

“I was gonna suggest my lightsaber,” Starlin said rather pointedly. What the heck was interesting about a random bolt he picked up off the ground? “If you’ve got it on you, anyway.”

Instead, Thesh was going with the bolt. Riveting. Literally.

“Not particularly trying, a thing like that. Good for a beginner. Weapons are the worst—you’ll see everyone it’s ever hurt.” Moondog briefly extended a hand to touch the bolt, but for the most part left it to Thesh. “Now that you have it in your hand, close your eyes and focus on how it feels,” he said. “The shape of it, any marks or engravings, signs of wear and tear or injury. These details you would notice only if you gave it a second, more thorough glance.

“Then, simply trace the origin of one of these elements, but see it with the Force, not your eyes or your fingers. As soon as you’ve done that, you’ll be able to see the origins of all its idiosyncrasies...”

The bolt was manufactured in a factory; the metal melted down and stamped into a mold. It was tossed around, jangled with the other bolts of its line, packaged, sent off. It didn’t see the light of day again until it was taken out to be used. A droid laborer plucked it from the pile, fitted it in place, was about to drill it in—

Something happened. The droid was distracted. The earth shook. The bolt rattled and fell out of place… and plummeted.

It fell through several dozen levels of Coruscant, bouncing off structures. At one point it landed in a bird’s nest. The bird in question snatched it up in its beak, flew away, then dropped it. It resumed its drop, rolling down a storm drain, emerging at last in an alleyway. From there, much of its movement had been through the kicks of various passerby, including, most recently, a group of children playing ball which had inadvertently dislodged the battered bolt all the way to the corner.

“And that’s all she wrote,” Moondog said with a shrug. Starlin was squinting at Thesh, wondering if the acolyte would get it... slightly jealous if he did succeed where Starlin himself had failed.

Arcturus Dinn​

 

[Arcturus Dinn]

Thesh shrugged as Starlin found his choice to be a little bland. And perhaps it was bland, but it was something he knew nothing about. "It's on my ship," he told the boy, in his own pointed way, "I wanted to keep it safe."​

​

No lightsaber, just the bolt. While Moondog stated it was a simple, beginners choice, Thesh found that he didn't really mind the complexity. Everything had a story, no matter how small, and what better to practice on than something that wasn't too full of history. A passing glance into an existence he'd never noticed before.​

​

The man didn't take the bolt, just hovered a hand near it and touched it with deft yet callous hands that had seen a great many years. The Force was a beast that the boy was ever hoping to grasp at, with it he had done great wonders, and it was the Force to which he had dedicated most of his time. Some out there could flourish a lightsaber with poise and grace, others could fire a shot that most couldn't even see with the naked eye. Thesh... Well, Thesh had a solid grasp of the Force.​

​

But it hadn't come so naturally to him. He'd had to fight for it, work at it, study long agonizing hours. With a soft intake of breath he focused upon it now, and it came to him as though he was in fact natural. Washed over him. And in turn he brought it over the bolt, even as he began to gently inspect it under the touch of his hand.​

​

There was a particular groove that seemed more prominent than the rest, and it was into this minute notch that the Force flowed and with it his consciousness. It took him a little while, felt like an eternity in truth, though he did not wait with bated breath for the past to present itself. He scoured for it, searched deep inside.​

​

And in the end he caught little more than brief snapshots. Not so in-depth as the older man was able to sight, but it was something. A production line, which brought jarring memories to the surface that were quickly washed away but left him spooked, snippets of his own past mixing with that of the inanimate object. Then a cross-section of Coruscant as it tumbled. A brief sighting of a nest, and flight. Then a ball in the street.​

​

They came as quickly as they went, and that made it rather dizzying. It was hard to recall any details at all. But it was something.​

​

He let out a gust of a sigh and slowly began to pull his hand back away from the man. He tossed the bolt rather absentmindedly up into the air then caught it again, though he couldn't quite fully shake the initial image he'd seen. In truth as the seconds passed by it was the only part of the bolts past he could even recall at all.​

​

It took him a few moments longer to realize that Starlin was staring at him. He coughed a little awkwardly, and turned his gaze toward the boy.​

​

"You were right. Just a bolt. Nothing there to see." He played it off as though he'd seen nothing at all, as though the Force had forsaken him in this endeavor, but that slightly haunted look lingered in his gaze if one knew where to look for it. He knocked it away with a smile, and tossed the bolt toward Starlin. "Thanks all the same, Moondog," he added, though he had a feeling that the old man would be even harder to fool than the boy who could outright see him.​

​

With any luck he'd let him have his seemingly unceremonious moment.​

​

Starlin Rand ​