I'm Not Okay

[Felicity Mason]

The girl went silent, squeezing Owains hand. Too much. It hurt too much already. First she lost her mentor, now her brother was telling her that she was about to lose him too.

"You came to say goodbye," she observed, "Forever. That's it, isn't it?"

Her eyes welled up, threatening to overflow any second. She glanced at Owain again when he asked about him. Nodded.

"Y-yes. He is. He's been helping me."

[member="Cyril Grayson"] [member="Owain"]

 

[Owain]

...what the hell was going on?! So Felicity's brother was going to up and vanish? WHY? None of this made any sense. Her praise of him made him raise his hand to his mouth and politely cough. Thank you, please don't lookatme. Owain hadn't really done anything. He'd just been around. If any member of Songbird's family had been around, they would have just as easily dealt with it. Just by being here. Then again...Felicity had never really spent a lot of time with her family, had she? He wouldn't say she was neglected,

Urgh. Being a military kid had kept such things simple for him. Maybe he should contact her father and have him drop by? Did he even know what was going on with his daughter?

[member="Felicity Mason"] [member="Cyril Grayson"]

 

[Placeholder 04]

"Goodbye? Perhaps. I only want to be sure of things before I go. As for the lad, so long as he treats you well, I approve." He lifted his shoulders in a slgiht shrug. He didn't know the boy. He had seen him wandering around the palace once or twice in the past, but they had not spoken.

He'd known of Felicity's feelings for him though. It was why he'd decided not to continue her training.

"How long are you two staying here? This is Sith territory, and it isn't safe. It's going to be torn apart in a few months."

@Owain @Felicity Mason

 

[Felicity Mason]

So... maybe goodbye? He didn't seem sure himself. Did he want to die? Did he have to die? Who actually ever wanted to die? It was just stupid. He was being stupid, and it made her upset.

"Torn apart?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "Well, that's all the more reason to stay. Remember me on Naboo? I can handle it, Cyril."

She squeezed Owains hand. Would he stay with her? Even if this world went to hell? Would he wait with her while fire consumed everything? Would he die with her?
Probably not. He wasn't stupid.

[member="Cyril Grayson"] [member="Owain"]

 

[Placeholder 04]

He shook his head.

"Different situation. Naboo wasn't at war." He explained. "The Magraths are Sith - or at least closely tied to them. They'll become enemies of the state." He continued, settling down on the floor. Chairs were for the weak.

"There going to be political change. An uprising of sorts, and I highly doubt these people are going to be considered friendly afterword. It won't be a small disaster, they'll be hunted down." He reached into his cloak, and pulled free a small data chip.

Without a second thought, he tossed it toward the blond, and shifted his gaze over toward Owain. The boy would have to do.

"I have an apartment on Onderon near Iziz. You'll be safe there. That chip is the key - and it has access to enough funds for you to survive. Get a job, an education, get away from the family politics and this damned war."

[member="Owain"], [member="Felicity Mason"]

 

[Owain]

War? Here?

Great.

Always the same old story. Well, if worse came to worse, they could retreat to Immeria. Owain somehow doubted that any of the major factions in the galaxy even knew the planet existed these days. Maybe Keter Mason had something to do with that?

...nah.

Felicity squeezed his hand, and he squeezed back as her brother continued talking. Enemies of the state? What?! WHAT STATE? Since when was the galaxy under one rule? It was time's like this Owain knew that they were all living in the worst possible version of the galaxy - a galaxy that was actively warring against itself and killing millions each week. Maybe Keter was onto something with Stage Zero philosophy...

Bah. It was all above his head. He was just a man. A man in love with a young woman who was going to stick her nose in where it wasn't wanted, and drag him into all sorts of trouble. And it would be worth it.

[member="Felicity Mason"] [member="Cyril Grayson"]

 

[Felicity Mason]

The blonde took the chip from him and stared at it. It made sense. She could run away, start over, live as a normal girl, maybe get married, have a life. She glanced sideways at Owain. She could marry him, actually, if he wanted to. No politics to get in the way, no disapproving mother. It would be complete freedom. They could be happy.
But she'd be a coward, running away from the problems of the Galaxy. And some day, maybe way down the line, maybe in a week, war would find them too. She'd never escape it.

"They... made me part of their family already. They call me sister. They call me Magrath. I understand now why you came here. It's not to say goodbye. It's to save me, because if your side wins, they'll kill me too, won't they? Just for being involved."

She shook her head sadly. Had they all fallen so far? She didn't want to pick a side, but she didn't want these people who had been so kind to her to get hurt either. Since when was execution Republic policy?

"Why not send me back to Naboo though? Or Immeria? Why send me away to live like the average citizen? Surely moms hold on Naboo would keep me safe? Keep me out of the war? Unless you had plans to bring war there any way? Or Immeria? Nobody goes there. Nobody wants to. But you don't trust my father, right? And you don't want me to have access to the credits or he equipment to fight back. You want me to run away from it all because I am a complication."

[member="Owain"] [member="Cyril Grayson"]

 

[Placeholder 04]

Cyril's computer ate his nine paragraph response, so his writer said kark it and wrote the dialogue.

"The Magrath's will stand trial for high treason and funding war crimes. They might be executed, might not, that's how democracy works." He shrugged. "I want you to go because its safer. The Republic isn't bringing the war here - the Sith are infighting. People are going to die, that's life."

"As for moving you offworld, I didn't think you would want to return to Naboo or Immeria. I don't care about what influences you, you aren't a Jedi, you're not under my jurisdiction. You complain so much about Naboo that I figured you'd want somewhere different. Stop assuming things, it makes you sound like an idiot."" His temper was starting to rise. Cyril was losing patience for his family. They all jumped to conclusions, claimed peace when they watched worlds burn, cried the victim. It was infuriating.

He pushed up to his feet, and breathed a heavy sigh. "But if you want to over complicate things and act like mom, have at it. I'm just telling you the facts. The Magraths are not going to thrive with the new change, and if you stay, you're likely going to be caught up in it."

He gave a moment's pause.

"If you choose to fight back, that's your call. If you raise a weapon against the Republic, we are no longer family. You're one of them, and I won't pull any strings to get someone who willingly assists tyrants out of prison."



[member="Felicity Mason"], [member="Owain"]

 

[Felicity Mason]

"I'm not fighting you, Jerk," she responded almost immediately, "You're my brother."

She pocketed the chip. He was right, of course. She wasn't happy on Naboo. Maybe she would be better off just running away... She glanced at Owain, wondering his opinion. She had time to decide, didn't she? They weren't going to go to war right away, right?

"Look," she sighed, running a hand through her wavy bangs, "Thanks for coming. I appreciate it. Really. Sorry I'm a stupid teenage girl and all I ever do is disappoint you. I mean it. I'm really sorry. When you get back, let's have tea and cake."

She didn't wait for a response. She let go of Owains hand and went to give him a giant hug. She didn't care if he thought she was stupid. She didn't care of he hated her. He was her big brother. Always would be.

[member="Cyril Grayson"] [member="Owain"]

 

[Owain]

So. Should he leave? Owain fought the urge to fidget as he was forced to wintess this family meeting. It felt awkward to be here, just...standing and watching. He leaned back against the wall and crossed his arms in front of his chest. War was coming, here. An ideological petty argument blown out of all proportions. Owain sighed. He was going to have to start wearing his armour and weapons again, especially if Felicity was going to continue being herself. A smile made him quirk his lips. Worth it. Forever and always.

[member="Felicity Mason"] [member="Cyril Grayson"]

 

[Placeholder 04]

To say Cyril was caught off guard would be an understatement. He blinked twice as the teenager wrapped hr arms around him; a remarkable feat for such a small girl considering the layers of steel plating beneath his cloak. Tentatively, he set a hand on her head, and returned the embrace with the other.

"You don't disappoint me shortstack, you're just difficult. Everyone has to be difficult these days - it's tiring handling that on my own." He admitted, breathing a heavy sigh.

Cyril knew he had grown callous. It seemed every time he tried to protect people, be it through a warning, an argument, or physically stopping an attacker, all he received was lip. No one ever thanked him. No one ever cared to actually listen until it was too late. Rusken was dead because of it. Likely Kaigann was too. His family was all that was left, and they were being just as difficult.

Given the war, difficulty often led to death.

"Sure, tea and whatnot...stay safe, at the very least. I'd be rather upset if you were shot, or otherwise. More than rather actually."

@Owain @Felicity Mason

 

[Felicity Mason]

He was lying. He said she didn;t disappoint him. She knew better. She disappointed everyone. Mom, dad, Uncle B, Owain... Him. If he wasn;t disappointed, then why didn't he want her around anymore? She wanted to ask. She really wanted to know. But now just wasn;t the time anymore. He'd suffered from her bratty, entitled, selfish self enough as it was. She let go of him, stepped back.

"And don't let anything happen to you either. If you die, I'll have to go on a long hard revenge mission to avenge you, kill someone, and you and I both know mom would flip out if I did that."

She laughed slightly at her own joke/non-joke, turned to her bed and snatched her favorite knife out from under her pillow case. Habit at this point.

"Here. Take this," she said, presenting the knife, handle out to him, "I don't have a lightsaber to give you like mom, but I do have this. I mean, it's not much, but neither am I. Just make sure you give it back when you're done, okay? It's kinda special to me."

[member="Cyril Grayson"] [member="Owain"]

 

[Placeholder 04]

"Aye little captain." He replied softly, carefully placing the knife within the furrows of his cloak. He gave Felicity a warm smile - the kind he'd cast her during his younger days on Naboo. For a moment, the tired, haggard Jedi Master was just that again. An optimistic young man with nothing more than a family to look after.

How things had changed.

"You take care of her boy." He ordered of Owain, fixating him with a serious stare.
"She's picked you out of all the others. Best be grateful."

He rose to his full height, turned partway, and drew his cowl over his head. Best not to draw too much attention on his exit.

"I won't be gone too long. A month, maybe two. Things are going to change. You won't have to worry about a war finding you." He took a step out the door, and looked over his shoulder. "I promise."

The door shut.