Private Light Fingers

[Jacen Voidstalker]

Jacen was normally more conversational. Or at least he had been back before the collapse. The last few years minding an almost empty shop on Dusty Mos Espa streets had been quite a local experience.

It was the situation more than that. He wasn't exactly sure where to find common ground. Or what subjects he could just blunder through already.

The pause lasted as long as it took the waiter to come to their table. Jacen simply ordered some caf and a slice of cake.

"I can come along if you'd rather though," he said.

 

[Serya Talith]

Serya mimicked his order.

"That's ok," she murmured, pulling back skin on her thumb. Beads of blood bubbled up, a fact she tried to rub away with her forefinger as she glanced at him. She hesitated for a moment, then added. "You don't have to worry about me, you know? You don't have talk... Or-" her voice squeaked in exertion. "Do things, for me. ... I'm use to taking care of myself. I'll be fine."

Aka, don't you dare start pitying me now. There was steel behind the gaze that bore into him. Despite her circumstances, there was a person behind them that demanded to be more.

 

[Jacen Voidstalker]

"Of course," he said plainly, gaze falling.

Jacen liked the think he was a good listener, but it wasn't always true. This time he did read between the lines.

Right, foot out of mouth and try not to put it back there...

"Do you want a plaster for that though?" he asked, nodding at her hands. He could hear the steam of his caf being brewed. They didn't have the good stuff on tatooine, just a slow brew that tasted a little bit like mud.

 

[Serya Talith]

She frown, saying rather sharply. "It's just a hang nail."

 

[Jacen Voidstalker]

"I suppose," he said.

He was going to get her clippers and antiseptic ointment for that. Jacen imagined her immune system was as resilient as a duracrete bunker.

A cup of caf was laid out in front of him, along with a big slice of cake.

"So...this is...weird. Just gonna make that one clear. I don't make a habit of chasing after people who steal my datapad to offer them lessons. But I am glad you agreed to listen to me this morning."

 

[Serya Talith]

Serya resumed her mindless picking, giving him a small nod.

"A lot changed pretty fast," she commented, reaching for her coffee as it was brought to her. The warmth washed over her face, waking her up to the gentle sounds of dishes being plated in another room.

She took another deep breath in, then break the silence. "So what comes next? Do we stay here? Or..." She recalled he mentioned being half out the door to visit a friend. She assumed she wouldn't be going. I mean, why would she? He had just met her.

"Is there a day I'll see you again?"

 

[Jacen Voidstalker]

"Well I'm here tomorrow and then I've got to go off world. We can train again this evening, maybe just at the hotel."

That would require thinking of a way to do some training there without her drawing attention.

"If you want to come with me tomorrow you can, that's up to you. Otherwise I won't be able to come back this way for a little while."

This time he decided not to plead the case. He'd said enough already. The offer was there for her to think about.

 

[Serya Talith]

Oh. A while. "How long is a while?" She echoed, her fingers tightening on the cup. The cake sat untouched besides her, her appetite not returning.

 

[Jacen Voidstalker]

"Probably weeks," he replied. There was no point trying to sugar coat that one.

"Which means I'd have to try and find you again when I got back."

He fell silent, sipping at his caf. It was a touch tok hot. He looked away, watching the street out of the window idly, giving her time to think.

 

[Serya Talith]

Her eyes widened in alarm, her thoughts unexpressed. Weeks. But they only had six months, how was she to learn if he was gone for one of those? "We've just barely started," she stated, her silence once again filling in the blanks.

It wasn't as if there was any true pressing need for her to learn from him, but in her head there was all the need in the world. The string that drew her to him was still very much present, and her anxieties over being found and strung out for what she could do were not subdued. She was very used to being used.

She didn't understand these innate drives inside of her, but she had no problem listening to them.

"If I come, you'll find time to ... keep showing me?" She asked, her words chosen carefully.

 

[Jacen Voidstalker]

"I will," he said plainly. Coren was hardly the type to mind a stray coming along.

"I'll make time for your training. There's only so much that can be done at a time anyway."

That much was abundantly clear. What he was more concerned about what Sreya spending more time working on her new found abilities and passing out without him.

" But you will have to suffer my bad flying. "

 

[Serya Talith]

A small, unexplained grin cracked along her lips. "Deal."

If only he knew.

With one problem solved, a bit of weight left her shoulders. Her homelessness was of course an issue she did not like, but it was a standard she had grown use to. The resolution of it was a byproduct of his help, not a driving factor in her decision.

Serya would sleep out in the rain every night if it meant she stayed safe.

The fact that she didn't have to was... a relief.

She exhaled, some tension dropping from her shoulder as she looked to his cake. An idea crossed her, her lips twerking again as a single finger waggled... and the desert twirled upwards in a gentle slope.

 

[Jacen Voidstalker]

Jacen sighed. He probably should have been more stern, set more limits. He was glad she was agreeing to come along.

It was a long time since he had taken on an apprentice - of sorts. A long time since he had felt useful.

Instead he simple sighed and raised an eyebrow.

"If you fling cake over everyone here then someone is definitely going to be annoyed."

 

[Serya Talith]

The grin widened. "I haven't exploded it." He would have barely a moment's warning, the idea twinkling through a set of eyes that almost seemed to glow.

Splat. Went the desert, the force surging as it obeyed her barely thought-out whim. She stiffened, frosting sliding down her face as she started in shock.

Oh. Her expression seemed to say.

Oh, that's actually possible.

 

[Jacen Voidstalker]

Jacen had not actually expected her to explode the slice of cake. He knew now that saying it had put the thought into her mind, which had led to the mess. He hadn't prepared and so he had cake across his chest too. In a way then, it was his fault.

He didn't look so amused this time as he reached very slowly for a napkin to try and brush the crumbs from himself. The small splat of frosting wasn't going to fall off.

"Could you...perhaps refrain just a little longer. And I promise we can do some more practise later."

 

[Serya Talith]

Doh.

She ducked into a napkin of her own, the grin returning behind the cloth as she rub ineffectively at her face. It had been a while since she felt the urge to laugh, but the forgotten splat of purple stuck on his brow was enough to send a small thrill of amusement through her. "Sor-"

"What in the-" Came the shocked gasp of the server, stumbling upon the splattering of cake across the table, floor, and walls. The accusations were unsaid, her anger growing with each degree further her jaw dropped.

Someone was in trouble~

Serya froze... then pointed at Jacen.

 

[Jacen Voidstalker]

"Would you believe, it went all over the place from being dropped from just above the table?" Jacen asked.

"But why was it over the table?"

"I was passing it to my friend and dropped it. I'm so sorry, I'll clear it up..."

He was determined not to set a terrible example by pulling a mind trick on front of her again.

"No. You can get out. Pay first. Then leave."

"Any chance of a take away cup for this?" Jacen asked hopefully. He was treated with a scowl.

---

"Well, I didn't expect her to get me a cup," Jacen said, lifting the disposable cup.

They had, however, been shown the door very quickly.

 

[Serya Talith]

“I’m sorry!” She repeated, properly abashed now as she went out cafe in hand.

“I didn’t think it would do that! It NEVER worked so easily when I tried it in the past! It’s not suppose to be real!”

Now he needed new clothing two. And a bath.Whoops.

 

[Jacen Voidstalker]

Jacen was remarkably unbothered at walking away with his clothes marked by chocolate. He had been in far worse states than this.

"Right...now I'm going back to the hotel," he said, sipping at his caf. It was getting cold quickly.

"You might want to come and clean up before you go shopping. We'll do some training later that doesn't involve picking things up...and in the morning we'll get the train to the space port."

It all seemed so simple laid out like that.

 

[Serya Talith]

Serya liked simple.

She also liked the new set of clothing, not that she was comfortable admitting it. She was wary of getting too comfortable with him. The mistrust on his character had melted away, but she knew all too well that it wasn't always intent that turned things to shit. Sometimes outside forces just turned on you. Sometimes, you have no choice.

If this was going to fall through at any point, she wouldn't be caught off guard.

A stolen butter knife was tucked into her boot. The train was in a few hours, before they left he promised he a lesson. She left him to pack, slowly poking around his room.

A silver ornament on the besides table disappeared too, its weight heavy in her pocket.