Back Where It All Began

[Connor Harrison]

Connor rolled his eyes a little as Jamie got overly-excited about something he didn't think twice about. Maybe he should have re-thought his tactics, but then again he wasn't a man to mince his words.

He couldn't help give a wide smile at her playful little whisper, like two spies meeting in a crowded public place. But, with a sharp exhale, his smile faded.

”Jamie, I'm here on a mission of utmost secrecy. What I tell you must stay between us.”

Sitting back, he tapped his fingers on the table, and then laced them again, sitting forward to match the inquisitive mood.

”Yes. I am a Jedi. A Master, with the Silver Jedi - you know them more now as the Silver Sanctum Coalition.” He was missing the term 'Silver Jedi' - his true calling. ”From the threat of the One Sith in the Deep Core to the rising First Order in the Outer Rim, I've come here alone to Naboo for one thing and one thing only.”

Pausing, he glanced around, up, and then back to the wide-eyed girl.

”To finally relax a little, center myself and feel human again. And eat popcorn.”

The smile came back, a little wink following, as he sat back.

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

 

[Jamie Pyne]

Jamie listened to every word, every syllable as he whispered to her the secrets he held up in that blackish gray colored head of his. I knew it! He is a Jedi! There was a small celebration in her head that she had uncovered his secret, and even more so that he was about to reveal some dark treacherous plot that the Sith or one of their allies were scheming. The true reason Connor had come to Naboo, a Jedi Master! The thought of it was almost too exciting to process.

And finally, as he drew ever closer to unfolding this top secret secret she leaned in so very close, almost to where his lips touched her ear, he unveiled the truth. HE'S HERE TO----------....what?

Jamie's facial expression fell immediately from giddy childish joy to perturbed confusion. "You're...." She looked around, perhaps someone had passed by so he had to withhold the information for a moment. There was nobody. "This is just a vacation?" Her voice was almost indignant, one brow raised curiously. She was waiting that whole time for some juicy tale, but instead it was just...Vacation.

"I see. Well, you've spilled your popcorn." She said sharply, before the blonde turned back to the performers, her lips pushed out like a fowl.

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Sucking in his bottom lip to stop the smile, he couldn't help be amused. Certainly the daughter of well-off dignitaries - sulking when things didn't go her way. Looking back to the entertainers, who were still going now with some high-wire fire act, he sighed.

”You're right. So I have.”

With a little tap on the table, he stood up. This was why he never found it easy to be social; he always seemed to annoy everyone. That, or hurt them. And that was something he DIDN'T want.

”Miss Pyne, thank you for a lovely chat. I must say it's been...different.” He flashed a smile. ”I'm going back for my popcorn and have a wander. I bid you a good-day, and I wish you well in your future - wherever that may take you.”

Spinning the chair back, he pushed his sleeve up a little more and started back the way they came; the Theed street just as electric as it was before. The sights, sounds and smells. Shaking his head at the character he'd just left at the table, Connor couldn't deny those he met were ever boring.

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

 

[Jamie Pyne]

"Wait, what? No, you can't just up and go!" Jamie said, scrambling to get up from the bench.

With the grace and dignity of a nerf the blonde haired girl stood, tripped over her own foot, then caught the edge of the seat with her leg, and finally managed to fall head over heels to the ground on the opposite side just as she tried to balance herself and right her footing. The duracrete surface below was hardly a forgiving host, and with quite a cringe-worthy thud the female smashed her forehead against it, as if attempting to have some kind of brawl with the surface. While her hands had extended outwards to break the fall, she was simply not quick enough to rescue herself from her own demise.

With a yelp and a heap of curse words the girl rolled over onto her back, hands held tightly against her face as she struggled to hold back the stinging desire to cry. Instead some incoherent groans and moans came. The crowd a row or two in front of them turned to look on, before quickly losing interest and turning back to the show. Jamie on the other hand could feel the warm red trickle beginning to form a little river along her forehead towards the ground.

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Connor turned quickly at the sound of the accident – a yelp, a crash, a collective gasp. He saw a wide berth in the crowd around a over-turned table and Jamie on the ground, the ornament vase smashed and the popcorn bag finally discarded.

”Excuse me, EXCUSE ME.”

He immediately hurried back through, shouldering past the on-lookers. He crouched beside her.

”Move your hand,” he said, pretty much taking it away from her face.

She was bleeding, shaken and upset.

”Can someone please get a cup of water, please?”

Without looking up, he hoped at least someone would provide aid as he pressed his fingers gently over the thick wound. He looked through his palm to the cut flesh, and he brought together her cells for a quick heal through Force amplification – the speeding up of the cell repair would clot quicker, stem the bleed and form a thin scab.

He stood, and looped his arm under her armpit to raise her up.

”Come on, away from here.”

She sort of made sense with her moan, trying to smile through the pain. Connor led her away, being followed by a teenage boy with a cup of water and a paper napkin. He moved away from the crowd and the entertainment, and took her to another table by the side of the street, this time simply there for passers-by to take five and watch with a little more breathing room. Ticker tape began to flutter down in bursts from a passing float.

He sat Jamie down, and noticed the boy. Taking the water and napkin, he nodded. ”You’re a good man, thank you.”

The boy was happy to be of help, before turning to leave. Connor sat beside her, and began the process of cleaning her blood streaked head, some matted the wisps of blonde hair on her brow.

”If you wanted my attention you could have just shouted me.”

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

 

[Jamie Pyne]

Laying on the ground she heard Connor rush back over and yell a few words before feeling his hands pull hers from her covered, bleeding face. Not more than a moment or two later there was a sudden feeling of soothing warmth, something she'd never experienced before in her life. It was an odd, almost alien feeling to say the least. Still, Jamie felt the slow stream of blood cease, and the radiant glow from Connor's hands disperse as she was helped to her feet by the man. As she was led away towards a slightly quieter spot to sit her hand rose from her side to her forehead. The bleeding had gone, along with most of the injury, save for a bit of new skin that had rapidly replaced the old. The dull ache of the impact was still present, a small reminder of her clumsiness, but it seemed each time she met someone new who had a grasp of the Force taught her something she hadn't thought possible.

"You did that?" She said, almost rhetorically, rubbing her forehead still. "That's incredible!"

The blonde's face blushed, realizing how absolutely idiotic she'd just made herself look. Here he was closing wounds with the Force, and Jamie couldn't manage to even stand on her own two feet long enough to walk. Sheepishly she tried to force a smile through. "Sorry. I didn't mean to offend you. Sometimes I say things without thinking. I didn't want for you to go. And thank you." She gestured, pointing to her face. "For the help. That was very nice. If you'll have me still I'd like to show you everything else."

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

The napkin was crimson and sodden, but it had done the job, and now the cup was full of pink water.

”Please. That was nothing. I’ve managed to heal broken bone before. Once. I’ve seen worse.”

Wiping his hand on his trouser, he shook his head, patting her arm, ignoring her amusing choice of words.

”I was only going to get some more popcorn anyway. This was more exciting than those fire-eaters, right. And you didn’t offend me. I’m sorry for toying around – old habit. I fail to think about others, but don’t expect them to fall over tables for me.”

He discarded the cup over to his right in a small compactor and returned back to check the wound on her head. Connor tilted her head gently away and eyed the gash – it wasn’t deep enough for stitches, but it certainly was close.

”You’re going to have a sore head for a while, I’d rather you take the weight off for a while, don’t want you collapsing or anything, and get you a drink and some sugar for the shock. I’m not going anywhere, don’t worry.”

Glancing around the street, as busy as ever, he suddenly felt he had a duty again to make sure Jamie stayed safe and well.

”I’d love to see more when you’re up for it, thank you.”

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

 

[Jamie Pyne]

The blonde's face reddened with mild embarrassment. "Yea...My nickname at home has been Tripsy since I was a kid."

Jamie smiled, her hand reaching up to gently rub the surface of her forehead, again feeling the small scab that had formed. The ability to heal a person so quickly was something the girl decided was of utmost importance to her. If what Connor said was true about being able to heal much more serious injuries then that was a talent worth her time.

"Well, thank you again. Some water would be good I think."

Luckily food and drinks were in over abundance, with all of the vendor stations not more than fifty steps away from one another, all serving a variety of treats, though all provided water free of charge. It wouldn't do well to have guests passing out from exhaustion or dehydration under the warm Naboo sun.

"I'd like to learn that. Is that something you can teach me?" Jamie had no idea how involved it was to learn how to do what Connor had done, but it couldn't hurt to ask. She was willing to put in the work, but hardly expected someone she just met to be open to training a strange and clumsy girl how to mend wounds with the Force. It wasn't like she was any kind of skilled manipulator of whatever talent she did have anyway. But it was worth a shot.

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

He brushed his hands down and laughed out.

”Tripsy, or tipsy? Very apt. One second.”

Pushing up, he walked to the water station and took a cup, nearly losing it as a couple of excited children ran past with model yellow toy fighters. The innocence of child-hood; one day they could be piloting those things for Naboo. He came to the table and placed the ice cold drink down for Jamie.

”Here, Tipsy.”

Connor sat.

”I can teach you healing, of course. But for that you will have to come with me to Voss and the heart of the Silver Sanctum. There I will train you, teach you and mould you into a fighter, a healer and warrior to defend all you hold dear. We will leave straight away.”

Then, he shrugged.

”Or…if we can go somewhere out of the way of the street, I can give you a…” he tried to think of the words, ”…a first-hand experience at healing if you wish, show you and teach you what it requires.”

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

 

[Jamie Pyne]

The girl let out a much needed laugh. "I suppose tipsy works just as well as tripsy. Though the former does imply a certain level of subtle inebriation that I do not commonly possess." Perhaps that was why her parents had thrown in that rogue 'R' to stave off any potential for misunderstanding. Jamie took the cup from Connor with a nod and mouthed the words Thank you, before taking a few small sips. The coolness of the water was at first sharp, but subsided rapidly and felt wonderful. With cup to face she turned and listened to Connor like a child whose attention was pulling at both directions. Half wanting to drink, the other half wanting to listen. She looked somewhat like a duck, the cup resembling a beak of sorts.

Finally she set down the container and folded her hands on her lap. "I like both ideas. I'd love to see Voss. But I couldn't stay there, not for the length of time it would take to train me in all those things." She tapped her index finger against her cheek while pondering the second suggestion. "Though I also don't think it wise to practice the Force nearby so many people. If nothing else we'll become a spectacle and I need all the focus I can muster to be of any use."

A hand ran back through golden locks of hair, brushing the stray strands away from her eyes. "Maybe something in between? Find a quiet spot in the forest outside the city? If all goes well maybe after the celebration I'll come back with you for some time and study a bit and see what the Silver Order is all about?"

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

A nod settled it, but he lolled his head slightly.

”Forgive me, my blunt sense of humour isn't for everyone. I wouldn't dream of taking you away and turn you into something you don't want, especially taking you away from your home. Silly.”

He looked out down the street.

”But, of course, the invite is always there if you ever wanted a visit, no question.”

Then, back to the eager girl.

”A quiet forest sounds nice. I'd actually like a glimpse of the plains, I noticed some magnificent waterfalls on the way in, even bigger than the ones surrounding our temple on Voss, so please, when you're ready, lead the way. We'll have you healing before the celebration ends and you can enjoy the rest of your day.”

Hopefully, if she didn't hate him afterwards...

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

 

[Jamie Pyne]

"Oh, I understood what you meant. I'm just accustomed to offering middle grounds and compromise." Likely a factor of her upbringing. Despite popular belief there were in fact nobility that didn't always have their heads in the clouds and their noses raised above the rest. Jamie was more often than not pretty well grounded, more curious about the galaxy than anything else. "I'd definitely love to visit, if it wouldn't be imposing. I wouldn't want to burden anyone by my presence. I don't quite know about Jedi protocol. My own teacher is not one herself."

For a moment she wondered whether disclosing that she had a teacher or not was wise, though it was likely assumed regardless, given that Connor knew she was at the very least a Force sensitive.

"Forest it is then for now!" Her voice was chipper and eager. "There's so much to see, we can stop at a few spots along the way. There's a hidden waterfall tucked behind the face of a mountain. It's a pretty well kept secret. You'll have to promise not to share!" She smiled, nudging Connor with an elbow. "There's also some caves that are tall enough to walk through without much effort, if you're interested."

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Connor answered with a smile, and a wave forward of the hand.

"Sounds delightfully lush. Lead the way, Tipsy.”

He would talk and walk, following where Jamie would lead on the way to the forests and away from the might Theed spectacle. Prying eyes weren’t always the best to focus with gawping at you, but Connor seemed to find no matter which direction they went, he could still hear the music and cheers echoing out from the city, funnelled through all the streets and flowing into the open plains.

"You say you have a teacher? Forgive me, may I ask whom? Usually the idea of a teacher is to take someone to learn as part of a group, or an Order. But then, I don’t always abide by rules so it doesn’t bother me, don’t worry.”

He looked at her hands for a second, building a picture in his mind without her seeing. The way she held them, the fingers.

"The faces I see around Voss are either out to cull me or lecture me, so right now new blood will be welcome, for when I’m not there on my own I’m travelling the Sanctum worlds and visiting places such as Naboo to simply see what is out there.”

Connor looked out over the green world – it certainly was more alive than Voss seemed, and it partly made him jealous it wasn’t like Naboo – so much nature and richness to the place.

"Caves and waterfalls, hm? We have some waterfalls on Voss, magnificent things that seem to cascade through the Temple and plunge right into the planet’s core, it’s amazing. I often stand at the bottom, looking up, feeling dwarfed but just taking in the force of nature that feeds the Force, and thus feeds me.”

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

 

[Jamie Pyne]

"That's an interesting take on plummeting water over a cliff." She said sarcastically with a grin. "But I understand. It's marvelous how incredibly powerful they are. The rapids that lead up to it form a sort of misty foam as it pours over the edge. Even at the top you can feel the spray as it pours over violently." The blonde made a waterfall cascade with her fingers as she spoke. "And at the bottom, just after it splashes down, the calm sort of lagoon it makes as it finally comes to rest." She gave a quick nod of the head. "I've always found them soothing."

Continuing on their trek through the grasslands just outside of Theed Jamie elaborated more on the landscape. "There's also a lot of mountains. Some small, some massive. Some people make a sport out of climbing the dangerously high peaks." A small frown. "Some die trying." That was the reality of scaling peaks at heights man was not meant to breathe at.

Reaching up to adjust her hair so that it was out of her eyesight Jamie pushed the rogue strands behind her ears. "My teacher's name is Keira. She actually found me at the same time I discovered my own sensitivity to the Force. It was really all entirely an accidental coincidence. A bit of a funny story if you'd like to hear it." Again her hands returned to the front, clasped in front as the two headed up a small hill towards the denser forest away from the city.

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

He'd never met someone as visually stimulating as Jamie, dictating with her hands and body as much as her words; painting pictures and full of enthusiasm. It would be pointless not to grin at her way. Her descriptions painted a much more vivid and exciting world than he thought of Naboo; he thought it was just rolling fields, rivers and waterfalls and decadent cities - a planet fit for royals.

On the way he had to counter her, linking hands behind his back at the gentle pace they were making.

"You sound like you enjoy travelling and discovering nature? I do to. I've been to some majestic worlds - Jakku, where there are miles wide graveyards in the deserts full of skeletons of downed fighters and starships. Rhen Var, with mountains that put these of Naboo to shame. Korriban, where tombs entice you in but the Dark Side traps you forever.”

Following a few steps behind, her emotion could be felt, about loss, and pain.

"Thank you for taking me around, I appreciate it. I love seeing what else lies beyond that only your eyes can see. I'd love to return the favour one time, and show you a world you've not yet seen before. It will open up your mind, and your view on everything."

A little way on, as they started up the small hill, Connor let his hands trail on the grass, before a certain name drew his attention right back to the bubbly blond.

"Keira. Keira Ticon?"

It couldn't be here again, could it? Not Jamie, not Naboo? Not another link in the great chain of her being a wonderful frustration in Connor's metaphorical side?

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

 

[Jamie Pyne]

"Well, I haven't really done much traveling. At least, not outside Naboo that is." She gave a nod. "My family traveled frequently, though it was always on behalf of Naboo as ambassadors or relief aide responders. I was never permitted to go. Until recently Naboo was all I've ever known." As a child that was what frustrated her more than anything. Her whole world had been sheltered on this world that she never experienced what life was like in the rest of the galaxy. The sights, the people, the turmoil and darker sides of things. All of this was alien to her growing up in the world of luxury and wealth that so many others were chasing that she missed out on much more.

"I like to explore though. I've been to a few planets now, but there's so much more to see!" The girl knelt down for a moment, careful to hold her dress against the knees so that the wind didn't carry it away and make a spectacle of herself as she plucked a small yellow flower from the grass before continuing upwards. "All of those places sound incredible! That's part of the reason I like to show people around Naboo. There's so much to see, but nobody ever looks for it. We don't get many tourists really. At least, not outside of the palace."

Jamie's head turned, it seemed like Connor knew her teacher. What an odd coincidence! "You two know each other?" Her voice peaked with curiosity. "What a small galaxy!" She flashed a warm smile. "Yea! She came to my aide during my fencing championship match when this other guy decided he wanted to use me as a punching bag instead of playing by the rules after I tagged him a couple of times."

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Falling behind a couple of steps, he stood open mouthed a little as she explained. It seems Keira had developed that more affectionate side after all in helping someone being beaten up.

"Well that does surprise me."

Connor trudged on an caught up with Jamie, copying what she had done before and scooping down in one fluid motion to pick a yellow flower.

"I wouldn't have thought you the type Kiera Ticon would give time of day to, let alone teach." He turned, a little apologetically. "No offence."

Spinning the flower between his fingers, he laughed and looked up, shaking his head. The Jedi reached up and slipped the flower between Jamie's ear and hair.

"Keira has broken more of my bones and given me more bruising than any Sith I've faced. She's stubborn, selfish and out-spoken, but if there's anything I've learnt is that she's nothing but honest. Loyal. Brave. Strong-minded and she'd die for those she cares for. Except me." He jogged a few steps up the hill and turned, extending his hand to pull her up the remaining incline. "You'll be in good hands with her. She's one of the only people in the galaxy I'd trust and want by my side in a fight. And when you see her, you tell her Connor sends his regards."

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

 

[Jamie Pyne]

Connor's words surprised Jamie to say the very least. Keira had always been incredibly warm and pleasant to her. The only observations she could find herself agreeing with was the bit of loyalty, bravery, and honesty. Keira certainly was all of those things. For every question Jamie had ever asked of the older girl she had given a blunt, exact answer. That went hand in hand with her loyalty. From the moment she had offered to teach Jamie she had done right by her, guiding her, and shielding her from potential harm. They'd become a sort of pseudo-family as of late.

"She's like an older sister to me." She was certainly curious as to why and how Connor and Keira wound up pitted against one another. "What happened between you two?" For a second she wondered if...No...Couldn't be. "Were you two, together?" She asked, her voice full of suspicion. Keira hadn't spoke of him if that were the case, but perhaps that aspect of her life she wished to keep hidden from Jamie for one reason or another.

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

He couldn't help look at her, with amusement, and then shock.

"Did she tell you that?"

Maybe through some strange, stupid reason Keira and Connor may have found solace together for all of one day, but that was it. And it wasn't even sexual. It was more...it was....it was hard to understand. Maybe it was just that; understanding. Two broken souls who understood each other.

"No. Not together. Just good friends. Well, we started out as pretty much enemies for a while; I had...some issues, and she was lost and wandering and we sort of rubbed each other up the wrong way. And over the months and years our paths crossed more and more, both on the same side but with various methods of doing the right thing. Whatever that is."

A little shrug, followed by a little sigh, as he looked out and remembered all the good times.

"I'll always be here to help her if she needs it, and I know she'll certainly guide you on the right path. And that means I KNOW our paths will cross over time. You know that scar on her throat? I gave her that. A lightsaber to the neck. Ask her about it one time. It's a funny story."

He smiled, not looking at Jamie's face because he know he'd find it amusing.

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

 

[Jamie Pyne]

Jamie shook her head, "No, she didn't tell me that. I just inferred based on what you'd said." There was a surprisingly confused look on the girl's face. Good friends who regularly beat the life out of one another to near-death states? "That is an odd style of friendship to have, I have to say. I've never really found a friend in someone that beat me half to death, though luckily I only have had one of those encounters." She cringed. "I much rather not have another."

The blonde locked away that tidbit of information Connor offered her, reminding herself to ask Keira about it when she returned to Cartao.

As the two neared the top of the hill Jamie pointed down into a thickly covered forest, yet it was just beyond that where the sky appeared to open up, the ground disappearing into a foggy void that caught Jamie's eye. "There." She pointed. "That is where the falls are. It looks like fog, but it's actually heavy mist rising from the waterfall. It's massive." Without speaking another word the girl tucked the flower Connor had given her further into her hair and began to run down the opposite side of the hill towards the treeline, shouting for the Jedi to follow her. "Come! Come! This way!"

[member="Connor Harrison"]