Hidden Among Refugees

[Xander Blackmoore]

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wearing: xxx | tag: [member="Chiara Viren"]​

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Words were spoken, and things were said which could never be taken back. Even the truth was not always something people were ready to here. When words were attached with feelings, they had become devastating. Xander had thought they had been ready for the truth, he had thought that once the feelings which had been under the surface of their relationship for so long had been spoken they could move on as adults. Xander had been wrong. Her note had said everything that needed to be said on the matter. It had been written by hand on her own stationary and left in a place she knew it he would find it well after she was gone. Xander still carried the note, three tear drop stains soaked into the paper were the only evidence she had been correct. She had to leave because the truth was too real. The truth was something which would not free them, but rather force them to live a lie that they both now knew was a lie.

Xander was never one to follow instructions. Even though she had explicitly said they needed to stay apart, and that he should not look for her, Xander always kept his eyes open and his ears to the ground with any news that concerned her. The thought she could not bear to be near him burned inside him. He blamed himself for the fact she had left, after all he had been the one to push her to admit she loved him. Xander had seen it as necessary because how else were they supposed to live with the fact her cousin had been in the picture. Xander had refused to live a lie, a lie that would deny that his feelings remained unchanged and that she could not return them.

He had ruined everything with that one demand. His desire to have the truth in the open had not only seen him lose his friend, but it had seen his entire world unravel. Xander was no closer to sitting on the throne of Indupar again. Chandaar was nowhere closer to being rebuilt in the way he had promised it would be if they allied their houses. Everything Xander had promised seemed to be the opposite in this galaxy, and yet he found that was not what bothered him. She had always been a constant. She had always been there to keep him from becoming the monster that lay deep within. Xander knew the evil he was capable of. Kazrah had pulled it out of him. Dangereuse encouraged the killer which lay under his skin. Even Zarah had wanted him to give into the darkness. Despite all of it, she had always kept him from falling to the point of no return. She was his guiding light, and Xander felt lost without her.

His lost soul had found someone connected to him, a reflection of who he could have been. His silver tongue spoke the words he wanted to hear. Xander had been given an heir, he had a son. Kerstan was dark, evil, the exact person Xander would be if the darkness had been allowed to consume him. He wanted to free Xander, wanted him to see he did not need this guiding light, that she had only been holding him back. If he could just kill her, then Xander would have everything he had ever wanted.

Xander was conflicted. Yet still he searched. Inching closer to the darkness he knew he had to see her. While things had been said he could not take back, there had been other things which they had left unsaid. They had never talked about why those feelings existed, nor had any voice been given to what they had been to each other in all the years. Many timed they had met on opposite sides of a battle and avoided each other despite the draw he felt every time she was near. It was that truth which told him how he could draw her out.

The planet was a desert world, filled with refugees of various wars the galaxy had seen. These were the forgotten, the unwanted, and cast aside, and they would be of good use to Xander. She would go back to what she had always known, the Jedi. She had always wanted to help those who could not help themselves, so when the water supply started to go bad as a result of Xander's work, he knew Jedi relief teams would be sent. Every crisis was manufactured, corrected, and repeated, and would be, until she came. Everything Xander did, dark and manipulative as it was, had been done because he needed to find her, and draw her out of the place she was hiding.

Xander needed to see Chiara Viren one more time.

 

[Amz]

Reports, upon reports. They kept pouring in, and Chiara had taken it upon herself to further investigate. Merrick had stayed behind, per her insistence. They didn’t know what was causing the strange illness that had struck a settlement on an Outerrim refugee planet, and the potential for Merrick to contract it, was high. The risk was much the same for herself, but, as a healer, she had the knowledge and know-how to treat her own symptoms; enabling her to continue the good work.

The wind swept up the sand on the desert world, sticking in her hair and to her sweat-drenched face. She’d been on this world for a week, traveling in short burst-distances to reach the settlement of refugees. The journey took all the energy she could muster. The spooked locals had refused to offer her any help in reaching the encampment, the commonly shared thought being, that it was better to let those die in the wilderness, than catch whatever plagued them.

Chiara could hardly hold it against them. Many had their own families to worry and fret over, children to protect. Her stomach felt a bit queasy when she thought of the children whose candles may have possibly been already snuffed out from this. She wished she would have arrived sooner. Within her capacity as a healer, it was her responsibility to preserve life, quell fears, and sooth worries.

That was all she ever strived for, to help those who needed it most. Her and Merrick had been doing just that, since she had left Sabarene.

In some ways, this world reminded her of the place she had left, but the calming presence of Manu and the gentleness of Erryn, was not present here. A pang of loneliness stirred through her heart and she quickly tapped it down. Her family was far away, she had chosen this path for herself. She'd thought it was the best thing to do, after all of her failures and what they had cost. The destruction of civilian homes, the death of Manu's Granddaughter, her betrayal with Xander.

Chiara felt her heart constrict on itself, but pressed forward, her arm clutching the cloak that blustered out behind her. Head down and free hand over her face, she went further up the hill. A large gust caught her off guard, whipping away some of the sand, replacing it with more. She waited for it to calm, until a pathway that lead down to a small settlement on the embankment became clear. Shouldering the medical satchel, she trudged down the beaten path to discover the towns mystery, unaware of what she would find.

[member="Xander Blackmoore"]

 

[Xander Blackmoore]

She was going to come.

It was the one thing Xander kept telling himself. He knew it did not justify his actions, but Chiara knew how to stay hidden from him when she wanted to be. Drawing her out had always been difficult, and most of the time their meetings were happenstance. Xander wished he had not pushed her to tell the truth, but he had. It was ironic because he knew what she was going to say the moment it became clear he was behind the mess that was happening on this planet. Something along the lines that he knew her too well than to think that this could be seen as some grand gesture to get her attention. The truth was he did know her well enough to know that she could not say no to helping these people even if she knew Xander was the source. At least it would pull her out of the self imposed exile she seemed to have herself on.

The wind had seemed to come out of nowhere and threatened a sand storm. That simply would not do at all. A clear path, and easy access, was needed for any team that would make their way to the towns which housed the large number of refugees. Reaching out with the force, Xander focused on the wind, but found something else instead.

She had come.

Her presence was like a beacon that Xander could find anywhere. She was near enough now that it was unmistakable. His feet carried him through the village, all the way outside to the outskirts. There was only one way into the camp, and one way out. Xander had spent a week defending the village from bandits that seemed to think they were easy prey. Ironic that he would later be the cause of their current predicament, but Xander knew that she would help him. Could he do the one thing his own son said would free him? She didn't need to see the villagers anyway. The contamination was not as fatal as the reports had made it out to be. Everything was controlled by Xander to ensure she would come, and she had.

His face would be the first thing she would see when she descended into the stone walkway which led to the village. He waited for her, standing in the center of the of the sandstone arch. His eyes fixed on her cloaked form as she passed though. Would she be surprised, or would her guard be up. Xander did not know, nor did he know what to say as her form came into view. There were many things he wanted to say, several things he felt. Where was he even supposed to start? He was going to leave. Xander was going to take Zarah away so Chiara could keep Sabarene. This was not supposed to have happened, and as Xander finally let the wind die out completely, his eyes locked with hers, pleading.

"Why?"

[member="Chiara Viren"]

 

[Amz]

The surprise was evident on her face, violet eyes locking with his brown ones. As the wind died down, Chiara reached for the hood covering and pushed it back. Her shock of fiery-red hair was braided around her head in an elaborate crown, contrasting with the desert tones. She felt her heartbeat, a turbulent push in her chest to try and get the words out. After swallowing a lump in her throat, her lips finally parted to speak, "Your Majesty...what are you doing here?" she managed to sound casual, unperturbed by his appearance and ignoring his question, maintaining her stride toward the camp without a hint of hesitation. "The people here are ill and contaminated, you should leave before you catch something."

She sounded logical enough, and didn't want Xander to believe that he had a chance of changing her mind. It hadn't yet occurred to Chiara, that he might be responsible for what was happening here.

He couldn't possibly be that cruel or delusional.

She stopped when she reached his side and turned with a sigh. Chiara wanted to scrub her hands clean of everything, but knew that ignoring him would mean that he might come back to haunt her again. She could give him a reason, at least. The curve of her red lips transformed into a smile, albeit seemed saddened, and she rested a hand against the crook of his arm. "You and Zarah are strong enough to reclaim Chandaar and Indupar without me. Sabarene doesn't need me, but there is an entire Galaxy that does. My calling is out there, in places like this. I have every confidence in the both of you, together." I won't be a distraction from that.

The satchel was readjusted on her shoulder. "Please send my love to my dear cousin...now, if you'll excuse me."

[member="Xander Blackmoore"]

 

[Xander Blackmoore]

Xander chuckled at the ease with which she ignored him. This was so typical of her. Just when Xander has allowed himself to think things could have been different with them, she had gone back to exactly who she was, and he was back to where he began. His eyes met hers, then floated up toward her hair. It never ceased to amaze him how her hair could set his soul on fire. Seeing her brought back every though, feeling, and memory, they had ever shared. A sigh escaped his lips as it seemed she was going to walk right past him, but she stopped just as she came to his side and turned.

“As you say, the refugees are ill. I had imagined you would come to such a disaster.”

It was an admission if she would hear it. Perhaps she would ignore it, or maybe she would think something like this exactly the kind of thing he would do to draw her out. It was her words about Zarah and their ability to recapture Indupar and Chandaar on their own. Had she been gone so long that she did not hear?

“Zarah and I are not strong enough to do anything together. There is no us. I needed to see you.”

Xander turned and followed her. He was not going to leave her alone.

[member="Chiara Viren"]