Private Erase Myself

[Lief]

Eliphas didn't seem to notice the physical side effects of the spell, certainly he still hobbled around like a frail young lad as opposed to some 'roided out beast. Thankfully Starlin seemed more than willing to assist him through the hangar, and even up the ramp. "Thanks" he said a little breathlessly.​

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Multiple rooms, huh? "Whichever you had planned is fine for me" he muttered sincerely, as he crossed the threshold and peered around at the interior. Talks of clothes further distracted him, and soon he was thoroughly being led on only by virtue of Starlin. "Do you.. have any of my clothes here?" He'd said that they were going to send over what few things remained of Eliphas' in the medical bay, but his Master had seemed rather intent on him changing then and there.​

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Or at least as soon as they found him a room.​

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Much like Starlin, Eliphas did find himself with some level of apprehension insofar as early discharge was concerned. Doubly so now that he knew that the spell wouldn't be an instant-fix. "Hey, erm... Any chance we can find one of those hover chairs first?" he asked.​

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Starlin Rand ​

 

[Starlin Rand]

Starlin led the way to a private room that could be voice-locked. It was clean and neat, though obviously because it hadn’t been lived in.

“My dude, you shredded your pajamas the moment you uttered that spell.” Eliphas was lucky that what remained of the hospital gown and bathrobe still preserved his modesty. “Sorry I didn’t warn ya. But yeah, some of your stuff is in… here.” He pressed his palm against a panel, opening up a closet with clothes hanging up. “I brought it from your quarters at the Temple.”

Speaking of which… “Are you ready to head back to Coruscant? Or would you prefer we went somewhere else, killed a little time?”

A beat. “Oh, chit, right. Stay right here.” He left the room to go retrieve a hoverchair, assuming Eli didn’t stubbornly follow him out of curiosity to see the medbay.

Lief​

 

[Lief]

Eliphas had absolutely zero intentions of following Starlin to the medical bay. He'd seen enough of all that noisy equipment to last a lifetime. The mere thought of it made him shudder. No, instead he reached out a hand to support himself on the panels and peered through the clothes on offer. They were his, so it was nothing new, but it still felt a little weird looking at them.​

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He could feel the spell beginning to wear off. "Erm..." What did he want? "I honestly didn't think we'd get this far" he confessed with a cheeky grin. "I'd rather not rush to Coruscant, they'll have me back in a medical wing in no time." That... Might be for the best. But Eliphas was rather enjoying this newfound freedom. He wasn't ready to squander it just yet.​

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With Starlin heading off to fetch him a chair, Eliphas grabbed the first set of things that remotely looked as though it went together and then slumped onto the bed. He'd managed to pull out a simple sweater and some training trousers which were loose fitting. By the time that Starlin returned he had changed into the new clothes, though he seemed particularly beat for having done so.​

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Laying back on the bed, he awaited his return.​

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Starlin Rand ​

 

[Starlin Rand]

“Then where are we going?” Starlin asked, pushing the hoverchair into the room and leaving it in a spot where Eliphas would have easy access to it. “Do you wanna just free float in space for a while? Or go someplace nice?”

He looked at Eli laying on the bed. Maybe it was best not to bother him with these questions right now. He seemed pretty beat. “If you wanna sleep, I can leave you alone,” he said, standing halfway in and halfway out of the doorway.

Lief​

 

[Lief]

Where were they going?​

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"You're letting me pick?" he asked, turning his head to where Starlin stood awkwardly in the doorway. While he pondered his options, Starlin spoke about leaving him alone and the lad abruptly sat up in bed, wincing in discomfort as he did so, and shook his head.​

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"Please don't" he begged almost frantically before he caught himself. There was a genuine panic in his eyes for a moment there, and then he swallowed and schooled his expression. "I mean, uh... You... You don't have to do that." He chewed on the inside of his lip, then turned in place to set his feet toward the floor. He didn't stand up though, just sat there facing Starlin.​

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"I don't want to sleep." came his whispered explanation. "I've missed you." The latter seemed to be more of an addendum, perhaps a cover up, though it was said with sincerity. He really had missed him.​

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Starlin Rand ​

 

[Starlin Rand]

“If you can’t think of a destination, I’m just gonna plot a course for Coruscant and not tell anyone you’re back until you say so.” That seemed a decent enough compromise.

Starlin stood frozen at Eli’s earnest plea. There it was, that neediness, rearing its head. He remembered it with a mix of consternation and fondness. At least here it was excusable. Starlin would’ve felt much the same if he had been in his Padawan’s position, with his family presumed dead and a year of his life vanished due to a medically-induced coma. Only he wouldn’t have been as open about it to Master Syd Celsius , wouldn’t have worn his heart on his sleeve. He would’ve felt a need to at least act tough, keep his pain and sadness and fear to himself.

Eli simply wasn’t like that. And that was okay, but it so frequently disarmed Starlin, his master was left not knowing what to do. His instincts told him to harden the boy, put some distance between them so he would learn not to be too reliant on others. But it was difficult to see that look on his face, to sense loneliness through their bond.

“I missed you too,” Starlin replied. “And I’m not going anywhere, okay? We’re on a ship in space, baby. I’d have to jump out the airlock to get away from you.” He chuckled, then grew sober. “But you really do need to rest. You’re all weak and wobbly.” He heard a rattling sound ascending the ramp. “I do believe your stuff has arrived.”

Lief​

 

[Lief]

"That's... probably for the best" he agreed. Coruscant was safe, there was no way to ensure that any other place they wound up would be. And while usually that sense of adventure might have been fun, right now he was as useless as they came. Getting into danger when you couldn't even stand was foolish. So, Coruscant... "Okay, yeah. Coruscant." At least it was somewhere familiar.​

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His plea caught Starlin off guard, and truth be told from the looks of it it had also caught Eliphas off guard. In the wake of his little outburst he seemed sheepish, and his schooled expression hardened to try and offset his frantic words.​

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"Okay" he echoed, swallowing down a knot which had fast formed in his throat. The idea of falling back to sleep filled him with utter dread, but he didn't know how to explain that. Didn't know if he should. It was foolish, wasn't it? A silly fear that he wouldn't wake again. At least it wasn't a medical ward which surrounded him, at least those reminders of death weren't present and beeping.​

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Eliphas shifted and settled back down on the bed, facing Starlin and the doorway. He didn't close his eyes, but at least he was lying down now.​

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"Thanks" he mumbled, "For coming to get me."​

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Starlin Rand ​

 

[Starlin Rand]

Eli agreed to go to Coruscant, but he was less agreeable when it came to sleeping. Starlin couldn’t blame him.

“I’ll bring your stuff in,” he said. “Don’t worry about that.”

"Thanks" he mumbled, "For coming to get me."

There was that nagging little doubt again. Starlin didn’t bother to point out the absurdity this time. Eli was his apprentice, it was his job to look after him. Instead, he just said, “You’re welcome.”

He left the room to retrieve Eli’s belongings, setting them just inside the bedroom, and then went to the cockpit to pilot them out of there. He still felt bad. Maybe Eli needed a dog or some other pet, something to keep him company. Or maybe he needed the companionship of his peers sooner than expected. Starlin could tap a few of his friends, ask them over to visit him. Make him feel less alone.

Lief​