Let's Do Some Catching Up! ( Kira )

[Ben Watts]

Ord Mantell
Dusty Old Cantina

He had made a little bit of a name for himself on Ord Mantell, Heart of the Bright Jewel, his old war stories were quite the rage at the local cantina. A place for him to do what he did best, captivate a group of people, though not quite at the level he once had in his life. To them he was an older man in his late sixties, a veteran of the Republic, now a trader who had bought himself a nice little shack on a backworld planet and had nothing better to do than to entertain the drunks who would hear him out. Most of the stories he told were true, but, he told them from a different perspective. Declan Cole had been a footsoldier who had fought alongside many Jedi and most of the tales were about Ben Watts, just not from his point of view.

Some called him whacky, others just thought he had lost his mind, but most found him generally interesting. Those few that listened always made him feel a bit better, they would praise his bravery, ask questions that normally would not be asked, and seemed to genuinely care about the old man he was portraying himself as. Now days this was all he did, little sidework for a couple of elderly people who needed it, but for the most part he kept to himself and did not bother people. He kept the drunks in line and that was all the owners could ask for.

Some days he missed the Jedi more than other days, heck, it had been weighing on his mind heavily since his tournament appearance. He would have been lying if he said he did not miss the companionship of other people, equals, those among the Jedi Order. At this point he even missed the never ending politics, a thing he had once hated more than anything, but he would gladly sit in on a Senate meeting if it meant he could call himself a Jedi again. But those days were gone, he was just an old man on a backworld planet, or maybe the force had a little bit more in store for him?

@[member="Kira Liadain"]

 

[Kira Talith]

@[member="Ben Watts"]

Kira often caught herself staring absentmindedly at her saber from time to time. Her thumb would gently stroke the electrum hilt, following each familiar ridge and curve across the grip. More often than not, that usual cheerful smile would break across her face in remembrance. But there were rare times, when she was alone in a deep undercover mission or in her bed that the smile would fade and instead an expression of melancholy would bathe her face.

Memories would come waterfalling then. Of another time. Another place. A different life.

Of Ben.

~~~~~​

I have one more surprise for you. ​

I made that for you after the attacks on Naboo. ​

I knew how much you wanted one and I figured why not go ahead and let you have one. ​

If you do not like it you can just use it for show instead of your actual lightsaber.​

It’s…it’s beautiful ​

Thank you... No no…. I'll use it. I'll use it proudly. ​

​

~~~~~​

Ben Watts. A friend. Confidante. And yeah, childhood crush. But all girls were allowed to have a kathpup love.

It just so happened that hers mysteriously disappeared after a long term mission for the Order. Without a single word.

To be frank, considering that Kira came from an orphanage and at the time had only a handful of people she considered family, it was a hard hit to take. The drive to find him was a strong desire, one that ended up changing her course in life in regards to her role in the Jedi Order as an investigator. Anything she could learn to perhaps find a remnant of information or clue to Ben's whereabouts was perhaps, a bit too obsessive for a Jedi. But the Council would not divulge any information, and Kira was not one to believe he was dead. Perhaps, someway, deep in her psyche, she figured that if he was... she would somehow just know.

Many years passed, and she was a fully fledge Jedi Knight as an investigator, a seasoned one at that. Now a days, the council also kept her busy with her own missions --- and while her free time had dwindled, her search did not lose it's ferver.

She couldn't give up on Ben --- he wouldn't with her if the roles were reversed.

At least, she told herself that.

This was why she was now on the dustball that was Ord Mantel. Clues were clues, and while it was likely this was just another wild nuna chase, she had to try.

Wearing a traveling cloak whose heavy hood flicked over her blonde hair, Kira's hand lightly pushed upon the cantina door, the hinges creaking slowly as she did so. After a day of trying to get some measure of information on her objective, she was tired, and bone weary.

Luck would have it that this particular cantina was open this late at night, one full of revelly and cheer as it happened, for out in the corner an old man was busy surrounded by a group as he told his spacer tales.

At first, one wouldn't pay any heed. Why would they?

It would certainly be a question to ask later. Perhaps it was the will of the Force.

 

[Ben Watts]

The night was dragging on as it always did but on this particular night something that left him feeling uneasy entered into his mind. A presence he had not felt in quite some time and why she was there he was unsure, but all of the sudden, he did not feel safe within the cantina. Looking up he casually peaked at Kira, a woman he had not seen in some time, and the urge to approach her was great. He wondered how she was doing and why she had come here, no doubt to look for him, he had heard of her decision to become an Investigator and her presence here meant she was right on his coat tails. He looked back down and continued his stories before wrapping up.

He needed to escape but he did not want to seem to eager to get away. He acted as if he did not see her there and continued on, he wondered if she knew it was him or if she was just trying to discover his location, either way it meant that she was close. Not many people could see through his illusions, he had been distant to most people he had met in his life but she was one of the few who he had grown close to. The illusions would not work on her, she would be familiar with his force signature, and she would be able to see right through them if she was trying to. The goal had now turned into not showing up on her radar what so ever.

After a few more minutes he excused himself and he made his way to the exit. If he could get himself back to his little shack he could be safe. Exiting the building he walked slowly and tried not to give himself away. He wanted to speak to her, see how she was doing, but he could not risk letting anyone know he was alive. Not now, not after what he had started, if he was found out his plans would be ruined and the Jedi would know he was alive. Things were easier when they thought him to be dead.

@[member="Kira Liadain"]

 

[Kira Talith]

Maybe it was the way the tiny hairs at the name of her neck rose in growing awareness. Maybe it was the will of the Force. Or maybe... just maybe, it was the brush of a Force signature she hadn't felt in a long long while. Either way, the young blonde Jedi Master's head was quick to perk up, her baby blue eyes darting up to pan her gaze to the various patrons within the smoky din of the cantina.

Was it all in my head? she mused, searching. No... there was something -- no someone there. Just then, from the corner of her peripheral, she caught the old timer that had been entertaining with spacer stories make his way out the door. It was only a fleeting second that she had a good look at him, but it was enough to give her pause, for his profile seemed to waver a bit like a reflection over water. Instead of silver white hair, it was dark. In place of a weathered visage there was a younger profile, a square jaw.

Her heart immediately began to pound, fast and loud enough for her to wonder if thunder lit her ears. That awareness grew stronger, as did her suspicions. The door swung behind the spacer as he left, but it would not be long before Kira would follow.

Flicking her hood back over her head, she too stood to make her way to the exit. Using every bit of training as an investigation, the young Jedi Master began to track the man.

Let's see where you are going....

@[member="Ben Watts"]

 

[Ben Watts]

Despite not being in action for some years now, he was still great at knowing his surroundings, and when she started to follow him he caught on very quickly. He turned down an alley way and he quickly jumped high into the air and onto the roof of a building and backtracked. She was going to find him, that much he knew, but where she found him he could at least control. He wanted it to be in a secure area where they would not be found, he did not want a scene, the locals around here were a curious bunch and they would come running if he was not careful.

As she snooped around looking for him, he waited for her to turn down the alley, and when she did he jumped down quietly behind her. The dust from the ground had still not settled before he spoke. "How did you find me?" It was a simple question, straight to the point, he wanted to know why she was here and how she had found him. He was convinced he had covered his tracks very well.

@[member="Kira Liadain"]

 

[Kira Talith]

@[member="Ben Watts"]

Truth be told, it was all Kira could do not to have her knees go weak. She couldn't have said whether her heart was pounding with terror or excitement. She only knew she hadn't felt this alive in years.

When the illusion had faded, when she could see straight past the charade, she felt her heart stop. But it had started beating again the moment when he had suddenly stopped and turned, his body taut with tensile grace she'd remembered so well.

Then he spoke. After all this time searching for him. Looking through records, logs, tracking every lead --- that was the first thing he said to her.

Somewhere, deep inside, something shattered.

Her lips thinned to a straight line, her shoulders rising as she took a deep breath. She blinked once, as if clearing her vision, before she finally spoke, her voice for once, lacking the normal cheer one would affiliate with the Jedi master.

"I guess I just have a knack at finding things," she said, her voice low and rich. Her chin rose, "Only that this is like the longest game of hide and seek," she began, but there was no humor in her eyes.

Without further ado, her hand rose, and she gave a slight push against his chest; feeling the warmth of his body before she drew away. Yeah, he was real, beyond the clothes that made him appear like an old spacer. It was Ben.

"Tag. You're it."