Coming Down

[Keira Priest]

Spoiler

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BVXTmav24Wk[/youtube]

Voss​

Somewhere on the Temple grounds​

​

Her life lately had been a whirlwind, and Keira wasn't entirely sure where she had been left once it was all said and done. All she really knew was that it certainly wasn't somewhere good. While her mental state wasn't half as scattered as it had been in the past - she was all there, and able to think rationally - something was missing. Not something as intrinsic as those pieces lost in her earlier years, but enough for her to feel the oddity in her day-to-day life. She knew it was only a matter of time before something would snap inside of her, and for once that was something she wanted to prevent. Not through nonviolent means, mind, but at the very least methods that wouldn't get people killed.

And so she had come to Voss. It had been a few weeks since she had the chance to return to the planet now regarded commonly as home in her eyes, and just setting foot on the grounds was almost enough to calm her completely, and a catharsis by itself. But not the kind she had come seeking out. And besides, she knew full well he had felt it already. The minute her ship broke the atmosphere, he had detected the change in her aura that once again spoke of the taint the darkness carried so readily, and she was well aware he was likely already on edge and expecting the worst. But the worst wasn't quite what she embodied. At least, not anymore.

That she had fallen again spoke volumes in and of itself. Because it took a lot to truly get under her skin now, more than it ever had. But she had broken. It had been the fault of Dredge once more, the Yuuzhan Vong whose dominion she had been held under twice in her early years, him being responsible for the first taste of the corruption that had since then only seemed to take over her life, never quite releasing her completely from its grasp. This time she knew there would be no returning from the taint. Banishment had come already twice before, and it wouldn't release her so easily this time. Somehow she was okay with that. The Dark Side was almost comforting. Almost.

However, she wasn't here for 'almost'. She was here for the kind of release that only combat could provide. That she would come to a Jedi planet for such a thing would have been considered an oddity in and of itself, but the one she sought out didn't quite fit under the moniker of peacekeeper that most would assume. No, he was like her, cracked, broken and put back together too many times to count. And still, somehow, he was standing at the end of the day just like her, though perhaps a touch better for wear, considering that he hadn't quite given in to the darkness so readily, and three times now no less. All that really mattered was that he knew she was here. And she was counting on that, as she stepped up behind him. "Connor."

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

She knew he’d have been informed of her arrival, as he was always the one who took responsibility for her actions – or her children – around the temple. She knew he would wait for her, and she knew he would know this unexpected arrival was going to be good or bad. She didn’t know he was hoping it was nothing but good.

He was looking out over the lower terrain of the temple grounds, below the waterfall where the training fields were and raging rivers. The sound of the waterfall from where he stood high above it was soothing and he had his hands behind his back, sleeves rolled up, casually waiting.

He felt her moments before she spoke, but didn’t do anything until she spoke, and her voice was…to the point. And when he heard her, he sighed a little.

”Keira.”

The Jedi turned for a quick analysis of the woman before him; still broken, and still suffering, which was a shame.

”You look well, considering.” The last time he had seen her, she was being taken to her people for life-changing surgery and care.

Was she here to take out her frustrations on him? Probably. He hoped not; just before Dredge had reared his ugly face, the two seemed to had found some peace amongst the storm together.

”Go on. What’s wrong.”

[member="Keira Ticon"]

 

[Keira Priest]

More music

What a blessing and a curse it was, to have a bond so strong with an individual that spanned across so many planes that it took nothing more than a look to determine something was intrinsically wrong and in need of fixing. It was something Keira at once despised and appreciated, and in this case she wasn't sure which was stronger. All she really knew was that being in his presence after so long was far more calming than it should have been, and that she was torn between punching him square in the jaw or hugging him. But that was a common enough occurrence that she was able to push it to the side. After all, that was more or less the foundation their close friendship had been built on.

Without a word she stepped forward, pulling him into a tight embrace, seeming to at once break down and gain strength from that single gesture, not letting him go for a few moments. When finally she did she only stepped back far enough to give him some semblance of personal space, though her proximity to him was still a line most others never got the chance to cross with her. "A lot." But wasn't that always the case? Whenever the two convened there was always something missing or out of place. The day that wasn't normal was the day both of them would know something was seriously wrong. Fortunately, or perhaps not so, that day wouldn't be coming anytime soon. Not with the lives they led.

"Dredge happened. Again. Shouldn't have, but he did. I was with the Knights when it happened. Everyone got out fine, don't worry. Compared to what happened the first three times, this one was a breeze." She managed a slight crooked smile. "I mean, I kept all my limbs." In all honesty, it wasn't that encounter which had gotten under her skin. Her turn to the darkness had come as a natural metamorphosis at this point, really. "As for the rest of it, well. Let's just say I learned more about my past than I would have liked to in such a short amount of time, and I'm still trying to put all the pieces together so the puzzle makes sense." That was the best way to explain things, at least.

And that was the only true conversation she would grant him for the moment. The both of them realized by this point that the time for words was over. Now was when they let their actions do the talking instead. Besides, she knew he had missed this just as much as she had. He might not have known it yet, or admitted to himself for that matter, but he did. Because no one else matched up to them quite as well as each other. Each was the other's equal and opposite in most every way, and that was what made them so dangerous. "I need to hit something." Unstoppable force, meet immovable object. Only one question remained: who was who?

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

He held her as she needed to be held, that’s all he could do. That’s all he needed to do.

Dredge was proving to be an unwanted pest more than anything now, and Connor for one would relish the chance to crush him under his boot one day; more so for hurting Keira than the dozens he had slaughtered.

She was touching upon things as usual and not going beyond the main detail of what she had found, or experienced, to bring her here to him, for Connor knew he was the reason she was here in all honesty.

She expressed her desire to hit something. And to hit something, she meant him. But was that the best she could do – really? He knew she could get this out another way.

”That’s what old Keira would do.”

He pulled away and looked at her, holding her shoulders so he could see her “new” body and way she held herself.

”Why do you need to hit something when a hug seemed to be just fine. At least to me,” he said coyly. ”Besides, can’t you hit that man of yours? He deserves a smack or two.”

Jealousy, Connor?

”Tell me what happened.”

[member="Keira Ticon"]

 

[Keira Priest]

Even more music

That was always the difficult part, talking about it. Because that meant owning up to the fact that everything that had happened was real, and for her that was the hardest part. Surviving was no problem, and it was something Keira had been doing for over a decade, somehow making the odds work for her. What she suffered as consequence was commonly viewed as a non-issue, because to her it didn't matter. The psychological damage, the trauma, none of it. But then she had realized that there were people who actually cared, and things became a touch more complicated. She had started talking about things, opening up to what was really wrong. It was a decision she was still conflicted with having made, some days.

Something she was just at odds with was the seeming requirement that she delve back into her past in order to move on towards the present. And she hated that. The past was the past for a reason, and she refused to look back on the majority of hers. What had transpired recently hadn't been any help in that realm. Within the span of a few weeks she had been all but forced to analyze one memory she at once wanted to forget and still hold somewhere within her subconscious: the death of her parents. While painful to recall for rather obvious reasons, it was also one of the last times she had ever resided on Corellia before the planet had been broken.

Even after their embrace broke he still put his hands on her shoulders, that physical touch helping to keep her grounded in reality, where she needed to be in the moment. Right now it wouldn't be the best of ideas to allow her to get lost in her own thoughts, given that those were the times when she tended to be the most dangerous. One only had to look at the outcomes of their other meetings to see the truth behind that. But this one would be different, it seemed, or at least according to Connor. And for the both of their sake's she would do her best to exercise some kind of restraint for once in her life. As a rare a virtue that was for her to have in the first place.

Taking in a breath she exhaled slowly between her teeth, clenching and relaxing her muscles slowly from head to toe in an effort to dissuade herself from lashing out in any manner. She had to remember to breathe, and mentally count backwards from ten, two mundane coping methods that often were the most helpful. He was right, violence was something her younger self would have reverted to. But she was better now, wasn't she? That was the idea, at least figuratively, right? No, stop, she couldn't go down this path. Not here, and not now. Besides, he had asked her a question, one to which she still hadn't responded. "I don't want to talk about it." Ever the conversationalist.

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

To distract himself for the irritation and stubbornness that seeped from Keira’s mouth in her refusal to talk, Connor brushed his nose, and then looked up and wiped his neck with his fingers as if trying to count to ten.

”You never do, do you.”

He looked back and gave her one of those ‘looks’.

”You want to hit something? I don’t need to ask what – or who – because you wouldn’t be here would you if you didn’t know.”

It was like teacher mode – or lecturing big brother mode – had turned on inside Connor’s head. He sucked in his lips a little in thought and looked around, as if looking for the right thing to say.

”You do want to talk about it, I know you do. You just want me to beat it out of you, don’t you. Well I’m not doing that.”

Part of him expected her to lash-out, and he was ready, but he had to gauge just what was going on inside the delicate, dark mind of hers behind the placid expression on her face.

[member="Keira Ticon"]

 

[Keira Priest]

Around and around in circles it went. It was no wonder to her why their encounters always bred conflict. Neither of them exactly knew what it meant to hold an entirely civil conversation, and it seemed nothing had changed even as time passed. Already his tone had turned to the lecturing sort she was all too familiar with coming from him, though to her own credit she hadn't quite gotten to the point of thinly veiled insults and threats, which was very much a step up. That didn't, however, mean her mindset had changed. As always she was teetering on the precipice, and as always it was all too tempting to take that leap once again and give herself over to combat for a time.

By all Nine Hells, she wanted this to end in a fight. It always ended in a fight, why should this be any different? Something akin to adrenaline was already humming through her veins just beneath the surface, and she could already all but hear the snapping and hissing of their sabers as they clashed, broke away and clashed again. Combat was a natural problem solver for her. She had been molded into a weapon to suit the needs of far too many agendas over the years, and nothing had quite broken her from that path, including the man standing before her. He might have torn it from her for a time, but it always returned, just as she herself did.

"Yes, because I'm absolutely positive everyone wants to relive the two worst memories of their life. You're exactly right, as always, Connor." A comment with a bit more edge to it than was called for, but that was just who she was. Maybe that was just her pushing him, seeing how far this could go on before one of them inevitably cracked and gave in to the pressure. It was why she had come with all of her weaponry, though the majority of it was concealed somewhere beneath the leather jacket she nearly always wore outside of combat, the saber displayed on her hip to match his the only one immediately visible. It was enough.

Her right hand flexed in a movement that would seem almost entirely innocent to the untrained observer, but a warrior would detect something off nearly immediately. As her hand shifted she drew on the Force, gathering a concentrated measure of power around her limb. Instead of releasing it all at once in a violent manner she slowly let it bleed away back into their surroundings, now discernible thanks to the volatility of her own presence that tainted it. After a few seconds had passed she stepped a few paces back. "If I promise not to lose control will you let this happen? We'll call it a sparring match. I just need to work out all of this before I talk about it." If she did.

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Connor glanced down to her hand and her pull on the Force, a gentle tug that he felt, as if it were a rope feeding from them both and she was pulling it from him. So, his eyes then rose to meet hers. She wasn’t going to give.

One of the most memorable times he’d spent with Keira was with her dozing on his arm as he held her on his bunk. Nothing sexual; totally intimate. That bubble of understanding and acceptance of each other had been nice, a blot on their love-hate-love relationship that showed him how much she meant, further fuelled by the Dredge incident.

Now, he knew he had to submit – or at least control her idea of being in control – to get past the bravado and find that Keira Ticon again beneath this pent up anger at the situation and herself.

Stepping forward with a defeated sigh, he placed a hand on her shoulder, teasing the scar down her neck with his fingers that he had caused by a wild saber blade.

”Sorry for that, again.”

His hand curled on her lapel into a strong grip, and he brought the other hand to match it before turning and throwing her violently away from him, down the incline leading to the bottom of the waterfall in the outer grounds. It was a dirty move, but one that probably would take her right of her feet as she was launched down the uneven terrain.

It felt good to let his frustration out on her, as he knew it would for her doing the same.

[member="Keira Ticon"]

 

[Keira Priest]

His touch across her throat was regarded with a nonchalance most couldn't afford, given that Keira rarely let anyone get so close. That he was allowed to lay a hand on her spoke volumes of the bond they shared by itself, without mentioning the moments they had shared previously, namely the one Connor himself recalled. It was a peace very few could achieve, a balance that didn't come easy with her inherent volatility. But she was relaxed around him, able to talk about nearly anything without fear of repercussion. Or, well, unwarranted repercussion. Because they fought. They always did. Nine times out of ten, however, such violence was mutual.

This throwing her from the edge of the incline was at once wanted and a nuisance. But she had asked for this, and quite literally so. Now it was time to make things work for her, as she always did. Twisting in the air she encased herself in a bubble of the Force, punching into the depths of the water below and quickly surfacing, dark hair plastered to her face. Swimming to the shore she shed her leather jacket, brushing her hair back out of her eyes with a hand and craning her neck to watch him above. This uneven terrain wouldn't stand, especially not after what he had pulled. Tossing her from a cliff was a non-issue, but the water was uncalled for.

Again she called on the Force, this time with more purpose than before. Her focus was the rock beneath his feet, assuming he had moved closer to the edge in order to determine just where she had ended up. Once that ethereal grip was sound she simply closed the invisible hand into a fist, the portion of the ground that was hopefully supporting his weight crumbling into rubble and falling into the pool below just as she had moments earlier, taking him with it if her strategy was sound. The moment he was on equal footing things would ignite in an instant, spark turning to inferno in the time it took the average sentient to bat an eye.

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Connor didn’t check the waterfall or if the rock pool was full of natural spring water. For one, he could hear it from above, and he doubted it would ever be drained for any reason. If it had, then he would be guilty of manslaughter.

Still, the splash that followed was satisfying, and he couldn’t help grin and chuckle to himself as he craned over the edge to see her dragging herself out and shedding her wet jacket. What did she expect? Something amicable? No. This was Connor. She would be offended were it something expected.

”Thought you could cool off a little,” he shouted down.

Feeling the ground underneath his feet falter and give way, he hopped back, still smirking, and shaking his head. So, with that as the soil fell away down to the pool, Connor shook his head and started sauntering down the spiral incline to the bottom of the waterfall where the Padawans and Knights carried out sparring sessions with the waterfall as a picture perfect frame behind them.

”Sneaky. You wouldn’t want me to hurt myself in a fall would you? You only need to ask and I’ll come down next time, ok?”

Standing and limbering up his neck, he smiled and looked coyly at her, fingers flexing as if this was a stand-off, waiting for the signal to draw weapons and clash. He’d let her have a chance, now she was waterlogged and dripping wet.

”Come on then, get on with it. I’m busy.”

[member="Keira Ticon"]

 

[Keira Priest]

A genuine, truly amused laugh escaped her at the sheer absurdity of the situation. Out of all the clashes and confrontations they had had in the past, this had to be one of the most ridiculous. The tone of deadly intent that usually overshadowed most every meeting had dissipated instantly once he threw her into the water. While Keira certainly still wanted nothing more than the fight, at the very least her attitude approaching it wasn't so tainted and toxic. There was no doubt that this was still a cathartic release for the both of them, but it was one they would have fun with. That didn't, of course, mean any injuries received or dealt out would be any less severe than those suffered in the past at each other's hand.

"I think a fall like that would be the least I've ever hurt you in any of our fights. Gravity is the last thing you have to worry about." The both of them were more than capable of ending the other's life if it came down to it, and each knew that just as well as the other. That was exactly why the two of them holding back in each other's company was such a significant gesture. It meant the both of them cared enough that restraint was still in the cards, and for people like them that was a rarity. Even if holding back looked like just the opposite most times, there had only been one time when the two were genuinely doing their best to kill or injure the other.

Now, well, now it was just a game. He was toying with her, and she was offering him the same in return. This was for fun, something they had missed in the past few months. It was as if a weight had been lifted from her shoulders, and none of this had even begun in earnest yet. Instead of her right hand shifting it was her left this time, the cybernetic that was quite capable of taking life with a single strike. "You're going to let me have the first real swing? Such a gentleman. And they say chivalry is dead." Her words were capable of cutting just as sharp as any blade, and she had goaded him along unwillingly into many a fight with them alone. But not now. All of this was in good humor, mostly.

Where normally she would have drawn her saber or called on the Force, she conceded instead to the brutality of a melee fight. Rarely did she ever truly exercise her athleticism to its full extent, and besides, a part of her was curious as to just what they taught the Jedi these days. Moving towards him at a pace far too aggressive to be casual she aimed a punch directly for his jaw at the last second, and with her cybernetic no less. The repulse hand hadn't been activated just yet - a kindness - but that wasn't needed in order for a swing with her full strength behind it to be deadly. And this one most certainly was.

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

He barely had time to finish his mock bow before she was on him, and she shuffled left and right but expected a slog to the face – and he was right. She seemed faster than before, or he was slower. The punch came out of nowhere; no drawback, no exaggerated movement – just a sharp, strong punch with her cybernetic limb.

The impact was dull and painful, and it clocked his head backwards. The material of her arm, forgoing all flesh and soft muscle, was just brutal, like an iron pipe cracking his jaw. Stumbling back, automatically reaching up to check the jaw was still in one piece, which it was, he gave her a look – almost like a frown.

”Really? Cybernetics? Shame on you.”

Connor rubbed the jaw, pushing it out with his tongue in a vain attempt to stem the pain and ache. He walked towards Keira, still dripping wet, and already drawing out the darker side of him; the one where she pushed his buttons perfectly for annoyance and irritation.

He stood before her and pushed her shoulders back, a real goading move.

”Come on then, you won’t talk to me, so do something! Don’t waste my time.”

Edging around her, the waterfall a wonderfully dramatic backdrop, he pushed again harder. All the irks and hate for life came out with her; she was the most effective stress ball that he felt comfortable with.

”Come on!”

And he saw a vision in his mind – a face – and it made him lash out. He retaliated with a right hand punch to the side of her torso, under the diaphragm.

Now, normally, striking a woman would be something Connor wouldn’t do unless she were a Sith or he was possessed – but this was Keira Ticon, and she was an exception to the rules because they didn’t HAVE any rules together.

[member="Keira Ticon"]

 

[Keira Priest]

Throughout the duration of his badgering all Keira could do was smile crookedly, shaking her head. This summed up the entirety of their relationship in the worst of ways, and she wouldn't bother denying the truth of it that realization. "Shame on me for what? Using the resources at my disposal? Fair fights don't exist, you know. Or do they not teach you Jedi that this early on in your training?" Keira knew she was pushing the utmost of her limits, but at the moment she couldn't care less. If he was going to play this game she was going to win it, and through whatever means possible. He should have known her well enough by now to be more than aware that she refused to play fair, no matter the circumstance.

His retort in the form of another punch had been expected to a point, but she still doubled over from the pain, struggling to regain her breath for a few long moments. Even then she didn't attempt to push away or block out the pain as he had, instead allowing it to run its course and dull of its own accord. Pain wasn't something to be feared but rather accepted as a natural course of action, perhaps serving as a fuel for one's own strength as well. But she didn't expect him to understand that. Not with the way he had been taught, or the company he primarily kept. No, the Jedi would always shy away from those like her, which brought to mind just what he was doing here.

"I thought you were supposed to have more control over your emotions than that. Wouldn't want to end up like me." That statement was half-serious to an extent, but for the most part intended as another jab against the line he always walked. To her, that line was nonexistent. There were no borders between light and dark because those two sides of the Force didn't exist in the first place. It was all dependent on how one used their ability, not what doctrine they pledged their lives away to. "What happened to wanting to avoid violence? Practice what you preach, Harrison. You're not as unlike me as you think." They were one in the same, always had been and always would be.

Now came the question of just how to proceed with things, most all restraint having been discarded by this point. Wordlessly she raised her right hand, in that same instant a burst of the Force cracking outwards, aimed for the center of his chest with the strength of a fast-moving speeder, intended to throw him off his feet. And so the games began, this time for real.

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Connor had just enough time after his nonchalant shrug to see Keira launch her attack, and even with his barrier of energy he flung up to protect himself from wither a strong blow from the Force or incoming projectiles, Kiera still had enough power to push him right back.

In fact, the strength of her attack was more than he anticipated and it still manged to send him stumbling back, and forcing him to avoid the edge of the waterfall pool , hobbling across a set of stones.

The frustration at being taken by surprise was evident as he span to see her. Boy, she was attractive when she was like this, and it still annoyed him how he thought of her. Still, it wouldn’t prevent him from giving as much as he got.

”Time to practice then.”

Connor pushed off with his back right foot in a high jump and landed before her, punching into the ground to send the dirt and soil and stone kicking up around them, and he still wanted to inflict the pain personally, and so went for a rising shoulder barge from his crouching position, and to grab the girl as roughly as possible and throw her over his shoulder and onto the broken soil below.

[member="Keira Ticon"]

 

[Keira Priest]

Everything about combat was give and take, a lesson Keira had learned the hard way through the years and passed on herself as time progressed. That stood true even more so when it came to the two of them, as oftentimes the strategy utilized was taking one hit so as to deal out another far more devastating. And that was exactly the tactic she employed. She let the rush with his shoulder connect solidly with the center of her chest, fighting to retain some semblance of her breath. At least it hadn't broken bone as it had when she experienced it in years past on a live battlefield. She would take being winded over a fractured sternum any day.

Her form was uncharacteristically loose when he went to throw her, and at the last second she tensed and forcibly pulled herself downwards should he do nothing to prevent such a move, aiming to make him the victim of his own attack. Assuming he ended up flat on his back she would follow up swiftly with a punch meant for his head with her cybernetic, one fully capable of shattering duracrete. Should it connect in full the end result would most certainly be death, but she exercised her strength only because she trusted him to be capable of avoiding potentially deadly strikes such as this.

There was no pulling back this time, no quarter given and no flashy displays. This fight was about the raw brutality of humanity and combat as a whole, something often alienated by the Jedi and Sith alike in favor of what they viewed as more refined. In contrast, this was a method most all Mandalorians coveted, the ability to get up close and personal with their opponent in order to press every advantage, and she would be lying in saying that hadn't rubbed off on her. "You're going to have to do better than that."

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Connor expected the lazy throw to work - but it didn't. Keira was fast, and strong, more than he remembered, and within moments, he had thrown himself over onto his back with a groan.

He looked up, falling into a moment of relaxation as he took his breath, but the fire in Keira's eyes as her cybernetic hand came down extinguished it all, and his eyes went wide as he jerked his body right to avoid a fatal strike. Closing his eyes and turning as quick as he could, the thud of the fist impacting in the ground shook him, and bits of earth and dust blew over him.

That was a dangerous position to find himself in, and it was worrying he had.

Glancing over his shoulder, still laid out, he frowned at Keira after her taunt. She was a force to be reckoned with. Why wasn't he acting like she was? Why was he being nonchalant with his attack?

"Well. That could have been messy."

Rolling over, he knelt up and stood, brushing down his side covered in muck, a bit bothered by both her rage and his lack of awareness.

"Sorry, guess my heart isn't really...in it."

That was true - the fresh abandonment from Setzi was still raw. Still hurting. And it was annoying, but the less Keira knew for ammunition, the better.

[member="Keira Ticon"]

 

[Keira Priest]

From the second in which he barely avoided her final strike Keira knew something was wrong. The both of them had their off days, that much was certain, but even then they were never this clumsy or slow to react. It was a sign that something more was bothering him, beyond having tired of the constant fighting between them and the conflict that always arose. More than that, it meant she wouldn't press things. Her stance slowly relaxed from that of a warrior to one at rest, and she crossed the distance between them to stand at his side. In some manner there was symbolism there, as the two always wound up at each other's side - literally or figuratively - after everything that had transpired between them. This was no different.

"Don't worry about it. Force knows there'll be plenty more opportunities for us to kick each other's teeth in." There always had been, from the day they met forward. Reaching up a hand she gently rested it on his shoulder in a gesture meant to cement every facet of their bond and remind him that she was there for him and always would be. Of course, there were certain things she would tease him about and collectively never let him live down, but when it came to those close to the heart even she was aware of the limits. "Come and sit with me so we can talk." Nodding towards the boulders nearer the water's edge she gave his shoulder a final squeeze before moving forward to sit atop the stone, legs crossed.

At this point she was nearly completely dry from her impromptu swim, running a hand through her hair in order to separate it from the larger strands it had formed into. Assuming he joined her she would pat the open area next to her, not speaking for a few moments as he situated himself, and remaining silent for seconds longer as she looked out over the scenery. She didn't bother to so much as look at him when she finally spoke, though her gaze did stray to his face for a brief lapse, "Alright, what's wrong." So like the not quite inquiry he had posed earlier.

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Standing, Connor sighed and shook his head, looking down to the floor for a moment of self-pity and self-reflection. The waterfall drowned everything out, and there wasn’t even a sense of malice of threat coming from Kiera in some under-handed attack.

His eyes drifted up from the ground to the rockpool, watching the water and almost starting right through it as she asked the question. He knew the answer straight away, and so better to talk it out rather than sit and dwell on it; he wasn’t ashamed or worried about the turnout, but it was strange that the only voice of support he’d had was from Keira.

No surprise really, when he thought about it.

"You know when you feel like the biggest fool out there," he said, turning to take a seat, "well I’m feeling that recently."

He sat and leant forward on his knees and started to play with his fingers and thumbs, making small steeples.

"Put it this way, if I could turn off my heart, I would. If I could cut it out, it’d be easier. It’s bringing me nothing but time-wasting distraction. Twice now I’ve tried to let people in under their good intension, and what happens."

He didn’t finish; she probably already knew, judging by his steeled jaw and shake of the head.

"That, and this Sanctum is falling apart around us day by day. I need to do something to help it or it’ll be lost to those who want it for themselves. I won’t let that happen, mark my words."

Connor was staring away again; partly talking to Keira and also himself. Nobody got him like Keira did, and nobody ever would at this rate no matter how many lies they told him about being there or understanding.

[member="Keira Ticon"]

 

[Keira Priest]

For a few moments all Keira did was look out across the water, not responding for a handful of seconds that seemed to drag on longer than in reality. "You don't want that." She shook her head, glancing to him with a look of simple knowing that communicated more than words ever could. "Believe me, it's not as great as it sounds. I've been there. Don't get me wrong, feeling nothing is great at first. It's easier, like you said, and less of a problem when you don't have to worry about the extra baggage. You forget what was so great about life before altogether." As always she spoke from experience. In these instances she was grateful that she was around for Connor, to prevent him from making the same mistakes she had.

"But, you see, after awhile of feeling nothing it starts to get old. Sure, dealing with trauma and the like might not be worth it in the moment, but it's better than being numb to everything. You don't want to forget how to feel, Connor. When that happens you become what I used to be. And it never really goes away. Don't say things like that." It wasn't often she gave long-winded advice to anyone, but he had a way of bringing it out in her. There were some mistakes she refused to let others make, and following down the same path as her was one of them. If he was going to tread off the beaten path in any respect, he was going to do it the right way or not at all.

There wasn't much she could offer in regards to the Sanctum, but she put a hand on his shoulder regardless. "You need to stop talking like the fate of the galaxy itself depends on you. I hate to break it to you, but it doesn't. You're not the only stake in this. Like you always tell me, open your eyes and stop looking at things like the entire galaxy's out to get you."

[member="Connor Harrison"]