Private Lost & Found

[Mahsa]

Jakku Enclave
Jakku, Inner Rim

---

She’d done her best to swallow down the rising distress as her eyes took in the landscape of Jakku, the desert planet evoking memories of another that Mahsa would prefer to forget. There was no reason to believe she’d be unsafe here among the Jedi, and the padawan held onto this singular and logical thought as she’d turned to see Drifter off with the best smile she could offer.

It had taken some thought and awkward calculations into her device, but if the Kazelrrian’s math wasn’t failing her she was certain Master Jigora would reach the enclave in about five or so standard hours. She had reassured the Jedi that her own master was on her way, unwilling to saddle them with additional responsibilities when Mahsa was certain they undoubtedly had better things to do than watch over a single padawan for that time.

The stuff she’d received from Drifter had fit into a small enough bag that she could lug around with little issue, and her steps had allowed the girl to wander around the institution for the first two or so hours. While she was curious about its origin and history the girl just wanted to keep her mind busy for as long as she could, and every now and then her hand found itself hidden away inside a pocket—fingers gently tracing the shape of the angraal crystal Mahsa had been gifted as she sought its comfort.

Eventually she’d found a quiet enough spot with a good view towards the main landing area, careful to keep herself away from highly trafficked spots as she crouched down and patiently waited. Golden eyes continued to scan the skies and every ship that appeared since then, but none so far had been the familiar vessel of her master…

---

Aris Noble | Ayhan ​

 

[Ayhan]

Somewhere in Galactic Alliance Space...

The vessel Ayhan had 'commandeered' hurtled through hyperspace, crossing light years in moments. And even that was far too slow for the frankly irate Ayhan, who sat in the pilot's seat with a snarl plastered across his face, impatiently tapping his foot as he had for the last...how long had it been? The console read that they still had three and a half hours until they reached Jakku. At least.

Ayhan growled at the screen, baring his teeth at the damn thing.

---​

The time had passed. Eventually. Of course, it wasn't fast enough for Ayhan, who, as soon as they'd dropped out of hyperspace, had done Aris the courtesy of saying over the intercom: "Prepare for landing," before throttling towards the desert planet's surface at a wholly unsafe speed.

What Ayhan did would've been less considered 'proper landing protocol' and more 'doing just enough to not completely wreck the ship' as he completely ignored all flight controller hails, and almost literally dropped the vessel in the first open landing bay he could find.

There'd been protests, of course, but Ayhan had told any who tried reprimand them that they were on 'Jedi business', and the interlocutors would hush and scurry away. Never before had Ayhan been so glad to be a Jedi.

"Okay, where the feth is she?" Ayhan said to no one in particular before looking over at Aris, who he hoped would have a better idea of where anything on this blasted planet was. It was a Jedi Enclave, no?

Aris Noble | Mahsa

 

[Aris Noble]

"We'll find her."

Aris stepped down the ramp with Ayhan, his gaze focused on those that wanted an explanation. Jedi, huh. It was a decent word, sure, but it felt odd to use it so.. Aggressively. Well everything about the aggression Ayhan had felt odd. When it came to Mahsa, it was almost as if he had no other mode. The only other time he'd seen it was when Ayhan was in pain.

Their relationship was weird.

"We'll stop by the enclave first. Should be easy from there."

Mahsa | Ayhan

 

[Mahsa]

Jakku Enclave
Jakku, Inner Rim

---

Mahsa had spent the last hour wondering what she would say when her master finally arrived, though most of her nervousness was due to the Firronthix she’d discovered would be accompanying Master Jigora today. He was gonna chew her a new one, that much Mahsa was certain of, but despite the gruffness in his voice she hadn’t missed the faint concern that lingered at the edges.

She had worried him again despite her best efforts, and the Kazelrrian couldn’t help wrap her arms around her legs as a familiar voice whispered in the back of her mind. Burden. Her own unease colored strands various strands in rich ambers and lighter ocher shades, before her forehead pressed against muddled knees as the girl quietly exhaled into her little cocoon.

The unexpected roar of an engine, followed by the surprised and concerned voices of those near the landing bay, had finally pulled Mahsa out of her own musings—her head lifted just in time to catch the erratic flight pattern of one ship as it pretty much dropped into the first empty space it had found. It wasn’t Ioti’s vessel, or even Hera’s from what Mahsa could tell, but she could feel the gentle tug of the Force as it seemingly tried to guide her towards it.

Curiosity finally got the best of her as the Kazelrrian stood, her steps quick as she sought a better vantage point of view, before loud gasp escaped. Despite the distance her sharp eyes had little trouble picking out the onyx and silvery hues of Ayhan’s hair, his face and figure one Mahsa would always recognize regardless of how crowded a place might be.

The usual scowl was present as he’d stepped down the ramp, before the Firronthix turned to speak to someone else—a familiar Epicanthix that Mahsa hadn’t been expecting. "O-Oh…!" She hadn’t expected Aris to be here too, and her surprise became visible through the vibrant citrine highlights that colored her hair.

She should probably get down there soon…

---

Aris Noble | Ayhan ​

 

[Ayhan]

"We'll find her."
Ayhan practically bristled at the assurances. Words were worth little, but Ayhan refrained from sniping or growling at Aris. The Epicanthix meant well.

A crowd had begun to form around the somehow still-in-one-piece ship after Ayhan's 'landing', and so when Aris gave some direction as to where the pair were going to be heading, Ayhan was all but elated to get away from all these eyes on him, and to start hunting down Mahsa at last.

It'd been a long two weeks. With more freeze dried food than Ayhan had ever wanted to eat. Little preparation and an impulse were to blame for that one. But finally, it seemed the two silver-haired boys' odyssey would come to an end.

Especially as Ayhan caught a familiar scent. He whirled around towards its source and point into the crowd. "You!" he pointed with a finger. The crowd pointed around a rodian. It responded in some language Ayhan didn't understand, but pointed at himself, confused. "No, not you, the girl behind you, mudskiffer." The rodian stepped aside, where a snow-haired, pointed ear, cat-fanged girl stood.

"Where in the feth did you run off to!?" Ayhan swore, as he started to march towards Mahsa, pulling her saber from his belt and quite literally throwing it at her head as the crowd around her ducked with a gasp.

Mahsa | Aris Noble

 

[Aris Noble]

Ayhan was angry. Aris wasn't certain what sort of emotion there should be with finding someone who was lost. Thought harmed. Anger, relief, a mix? Probably something along those lines. What he hadn't expected was violence. For a moment he thought Ayhan was going to just give Mahsa back her saber. For a moment he focused on her, trying to offer a smile of his own relief that they'd finally found her, that she was safe and alive after everything that happened.

But then he felt a shift as Ayhan whipped his hand back, ready to throw. And Aris moved. He caught the saber before it could hit Mahsa, standing in front of her protectively. An emotion welled in his chest. Showed even in his eyes as he unconsciously tightened his grip on the saber, causing the metal to creak with the pressure. "She's been through war and you think to throw shit at her? What the fuck are you doing, Ayhan?"

Ayhan | Mahsa

 

[Mahsa]

Jakku Enclave
Jakku, Inner Rim

---

Various twists and wrong turns later had finally landed the young girl on the same platform as Ayhan and Aris, the rapid inhales and exhales showing she’d run as fast as she could to reach them. "S-Sorry… Excuse m-me…!" There was still a considerable crowd there too, curious about the recent arrivals and their erratic landing, that the smallKazlerrian had been weaving around when Ayhan’s voice barked out loudly.

"You!"

It had been enough to freeze Mahsa in her tracks as her eyes, wide as saucers, looked for the source—currently blocked by the back of a confused Rodian that stood in front of her. He finally noticed the snow-haired girl behind him, sensible enough to move out of their way… though he lingered by the sidelines as curiosity got the best of him and many others.

"Y-You shouldn’t call people that—!"
"Where in the feth did you run off to!?"

She’d only gotten a couple of words in before the Firronthix’s attention was finally on her full force, the heaviness of his steps and the growl in his voice enough for Mahsa to take a few steps back as he moved in her direction. "I d-din’t run off—eek!" Stammered words quickly gave way to a high pitched squeal when she saw his arm throw the damaged hilt of the lightsaber towards her.

Hands raised instinctively to protect her head, the audible grasp of the lingering crowd echoing in her ears, as the Kazelrrian flinched as she prepared to bear the brunt of his anger. It takes a moment before the Kazelrrian realizes the pain never came, an eye hesitantly opening to stare in confusion as its greeted by Aris’back.

"She's been through war and you think to throw shit at her?" His words are accentuated by a loud crack as metal bends to the boy’s forceful grip, realization finally downing on Mahsa as she sees the familiar hilt tightly held in his hand."What the fuck are you doing, Ayhan?"

The light yellows in her hair had long since shifted into deep ambers and vibrant citrines, the calming effect of the crystals in her pocket or the dagger in her belt overridden by the growing panic in her chest. "I-It’s ok-kay Aris…!" The pitch of her voice and the expression on her face hardly match the words that struggle to pour out from her lips, shaky hands quietly reaching for the one holding the damaged lightsaber.

"H-He’s just w-worried, r-right?" She’s never heard the boy curse in the time they’ve known one another, quickly spilling out whatever words Mahsa thought would help defuse the growing tension. "It w-was my f-fault, I s-should’ve been more c-careful…!"

---

Aris Noble | Ayhan ​

 

[Ayhan]

In moments like this, where emotions were high and tension was so thick you could cut through it with a knife, things could happen quickly, or in slow motion. Sometimes, it just so happened to be both. The saber sailed through the air, turning end over end as it flew towards Mahsa, metal glinting beneath the hot Jakku sun. Every revolution seemed to catch that sweltering sun, and splayed its rays across the docking bay.

Then suddenly it stopped, halfway between Ayhan and its intended target. One moment, Aris had been at his side, and the next, he stood between himself and Mahsa. "She's been through war and you think to throw shit at her? What the fuck are you doing, Ayhan?" Aris said, his voice even despite the creaking of metal in his palm.
"I-It's ok-kay Aris…! H-He's just w-worried, r-right?" Mahsa began, immediately trying to come up with some excuse or another, even as every muscle in Ayhan's body began to tense and coil. "It w-was my f-fault, I s-should've been more c-careful…!" Always acting holier-than-thou, self-martyring like a good little Jedi.

Ayhan closed the distance between himself and Aris with blinding speed, a hand grasping the arm holding the saber, the other slamming into his chest as Aris found his leg's swept out from under him and onto his back. Ayhan's claws had extended, piercing through the thick fabric of Aris' garment, pricking at the skin beneath. The fangs, usually kept well in-check, protruded from between Ayhan's lips as he gave Aris a warning snarl. "We have lived a war every day of our lives, Aris. Don't patronize me." Ayhan growled, feral rage in his eyes. A rage that did not distinguish friend from foe. A rage that did not notice the faint smell of burning flesh, or the pain spreading across his palms where he'd pinned Aris to the ground. "Stay out of my damned way, or I'll rip your throat out."

Pushing himself off of Aris, he kicked Mahsa's saber from the boy's hand, sparks flying from the broken circuitry. "We're going home, Mahsa," Ayhan began to say before he felt a hand wrench his shoulder back and fist fly into his face, making his eyes water and warm blood begin to run from his nose, pain radiating from it.

Aris.

Blind anger, blind rage, had Ayhan pulling his saber from his belt, and with a golden arc, swiped at Aris with the fatal blade.

Aris Noble | Mahsa

 

[Aris Noble]

Aris was angry. Furious even.

But he didn't expect Ayhan to be so much more so. Aris glared at Ayhan in return as he was pinned, but neither of them seemed aware of the fact Aris had heated up his own body again in response. What really came as a surprise though was the fact that when Aris did realize it, Ayhan still hadn't. He knew Ayhan could still feel pain, but he didn't seem to react at all.

To see Ayhan kick and shatter Mahsa's saber really set it in stone. There was no hesitation as he threw a punch to clip Ayhan on the nose. His rage had simmered off as he steadied his stance instead, not looking away from the other boy at all. It'd all clicked together in his mind, further confirmed as he saw the saber spring to life and swipe at him. Aris reached up, catching the blade barehanded.

"Mahsa, evacuate the people here and call your master."

This wasn't anger. This was a panic attack. Ayhan was back in that cage. Or, worse, he'd never left. Aris pulled on the saber to force Ayhan in a step, swinging cross again to catch the other boy in the face once more. Anyone between him and Mahsa was in danger. Mahsa was in danger. Worst of all?

Ayhan was in danger.

"I'm not letting you near her till you calm the fuck down, Ayhan. Even if that means I have to beat calm into you!"

Ayhan | Mahsa

 

[Mahsa]

Jakku Enclave
Jakku, Inner Rim

---

Everything spiraled out of control before her eyes.

She had never felt strong emotions from Aris before, the Epicanthix being the very textbook definition of calm and balanced, so the unexpected disturbance around his usual state shocked her… but it paled compared to the unbridled wrathful waves that were rolling out of Ayhan.

A surprise squeak escaped her when the FIrronthix crossed the distance in a flash and, before she could even think of intervening, both boys found themselves on the ground. "Ayhan w-wait…!" The scent of seared flesh sent ripples of alarm through her tiny body, vividly displayed in deep ambers and bright citrines that cascaded through her hair.

The remains of her own lightsaber were next in line as Ayhan stood, one good kick releasing it from Aris’ grip as the components scattered through the floor. "We're going home, Mahsa." She could feel the anger pulsing off him, a heavy pressure that pushed against her chest and coiled around her throat, before a singular fist slammed right into Ayhan’s face.

"N-No, s-sto-stop…!" Her words choked up as Mahsa tried to find her voice, a tearful plea that seemed uncertain as to who it should be directed first. Panic gripped at her heart when a familiar hiss caught in her ears, the look on her face highlighted by the golden glow of Ayhan’s lightsaber as it came crashing down towards Aris.

Fear.

It flared outwards without warning, raw and unfiltered as the safeguards she always kept in place crumbled under the weight of her emotions. The once vibrant orange hues were quickly washed out, now muted and gray stains that began to pool at the very tips of her hair.

"Ma . . . evacuate the peo . . ." His words were distant echoes until the piercing cry of a bystander jolted her mind awake, the heaviness in Aris’ voice highlighting the gravity of the situation. ". . . and call your master."

"R-Right, call master—!" Her skin paled as Mahsa realized she couldn’t sense the presence of the Echani and the Twi’lek anywhere. "W-Wait… they’re not h-here?!"

She had thought the erratic flight path of the ship and its crude landing odd and out of place, only now realizing why it had been that way as the final piece of the puzzle fell into place. There was no time to realize the amazing feat Aris had pulled off as he’d caught Ayhan’s lightsaber barehanded, hands scrambling to find the communicator lost somewhere in her pockets as the nearby spectators had enough common sense to rush in the opposite direction of the unexpected commotion.

---

Aris Noble | Ayhan ​

 

[Ayhan]

Ayhan's vision tunneled into Aris, narrowing until that boy was the only thing Ayhan was aware of. Him and Mahsa. The Epicanthix lifted his hands, and caught the golden saber, when it should've cut right through, cutting them in half. Ayhan could only growl as Mahsa's voice echoed distantly behind him.

Ayhan had warned him, don't get in his way, don't get in between him and Mahsa. But the boy, always the righteous one, always playing his part without question, always needing to protect people did not listen. Hadn't this been what they wanted. What he and Zaiya had been pushing Ayhan towards since they'd all begun to live together. To get closer to Mahsa again. Funny how quickly Aris had changed his mind, once he saw what Ayhan had always known, and why he'd kept his distance thus far. Ayhan was a threat. He was a threat to Mahsa.

Aris might've been able to stop Ayhan's saber, but it kept his hands occupied while Ayhan drove the point of the blade into the dirt, burning sand and rock into glass as he drove the saber into the ground, pulling Aris down with it, leaving him unguarded for the swift headbutt Ayhan drove into Aris' nose, before kicking him away to free his weapon with an enraged shout.

Aris Noble Mahsa

 

[Aris Noble]

A crack, and a flash of white. Ayhan was one of the few just as fast as Aris was, and he hadn't expected Ayhan to keep going so violently. He should've, but he hadn't. It was half a step back, the blade released. And him kicked back that much farther. The boy gritted his teeth as his vision refocused, and his eyes narrowed on Ayhan himself.

"No! Ayhan wanted to come alone. It's good he didn't."

He was devolving further. Aris couldn't feel the Force, but he could absolutely feel the lethal intent. He didn't charge in, didn't start swinging. "You need to calm down, Ayhan. She's safe, she's okay. You don't need to fight. You need to stop."

Ayhan | Mahsa

 

[Ayhan]

The words fell on deaf ears. Ayhan could hear Aris, what he was saying but they meant little or nothing to him now. Just more noise in the background of whatever chaotic battlefield had filled his mind. Static. It was all buzzing static. And Aris, a faceless shadow. An obstacle at best. Enemy at worst. Ayhan dealt with both in the same way.

The saber swung again, wide arcs of golden light, sparking and hissing as it hit the ground and left black, shining crystal behind. Aris had sparred Ayhan many times. With fist, with saber, standing, on the ground. If there was one person in the galaxy that would recognize Ayhan's fighting style, it would've been Aris. And if he looked carefully, that style was there, somewhere, lost in the relentless, wild flurry of attacks. Wild and uncontrolled, more animal than man.

Ayhan battered away at Aris, his defenses, a sledgehammer at a concrete wall. Something would break. Had to break, be it the wall or the hammer. The electric, burning zaps filled the docking bay, alongside grunts of effort. With two hands gripping his saber, Ayhan swung hard, a diagonal cut that carried through and set Ayhan into a spin. As the boy came around, he threw out his arm, a stunning blow as his sword-hand drew back to pierce Aris' chest.

Aris Noble

 

[Mahsa]

Jakku Enclave
Jakku, Inner Rim

---

He wanted to come alone…? It was such a puzzling thought that Mahsa couldn’t help but pause for a moment, unable to comprehend why Ayhan would’ve wanted to do such a thing. The Firronthix had been pretty clear on where he stood, willing to be civil with her in the dorms due to the company that lived there too, but all she could remember since coming to the Temple was the scowl that had permanently attached itself to his face.

The growl that escaped him as Ayhan lunged for Aris again quickly put a stop to those musings, panic rising once more as she watched the arcs of golden light created by his lightsaber as he swung towards the Epicanthix. "N-No… " The look in his eyes caused her voice to catch against her throat, dread pooling in her chest as she recognized the wild look—one usually reserved for the Firronthix’s enemies—currently being directed towards Aris.

"S-Stop…!" A pleaful whimper escaped as Aris’ attempts to reason with Ayhan yielded no results, each strike made by the Firronthix more reckless than the last as he seemed hell bent on cutting Aris down where he stood. "P-Please, you g-gotta stop…!"

It wouldn’t be long before their ruckus drew the wrong attention, but even the thought of the Jakku jedi getting involved paled against a more pressing worry. For a moment her memories overlapped against reality, the sight of kin fighting against kin replaying before her very eyes as the fight continued. She knew the destructive power both padawans held, and it was only a matter of time before an attack went too far… before someone got injured, or worse.

"Ayhan, p-please...!" She cried out as the lightsaber swung down hard towards Aris, the sounds of their fight muffled by the erratic thumping against her ears as panic rose and fueled her desperation. "I s-said STOOOP!!!"

A loud bellow finally escaped as she unconsciously tapped into the Force around them, allowing it to amplify her voice far beyond what should’ve been possible for someone like her. Whatever remained of her old lightsaber, unfortunate as it’d been to lay on the way, had shattered into tiny fragments as her voice resounded over the docking area.

---

Aris Noble | Ayhan ​

 

[Aris Noble]

Everything was getting more and more chaotic. Aris's brow was furrowed in focus. Every strike, every deflect, he needed to make sure he was in control. How his body heated was dangerous, especially if he struck Ayhan with it like that. He could do a lot of damage, maybe even kill his friend. He didn't want either. Ayhan was having a full blown panic attack.

Then everything was suddenly upsidedown. Aris blinked. He was thrown, he didn't expect it, but he was. As he'd gone to deflect one of Ayhan's strikes, something threw him across the field. But he wasn't focused on the landing, on the fact he was even thrown in the first place. No, he was more focused on the arm that had come with him, and where Ayhan had landed instead some distance away.

Ayhan | Mahsa

 

[Ayhan]

The air was dry, devoid of moisture. It left Ayhan's mouth dry, tasting of sand. The sun beat down on Jakku, warming the air. Stifling heat, the kind that Glorii Te had conditioned his experiments to endure. They'd have to survive a myriad of environments if they were to succeed as his creations, agents of House Hakka, or some other secret buyer. It was cool in comparison to the searing heat rolling off of Aris' body, akin to that of roiling magma. The clashes of Ayhan's saber against Aris' superheated body echoed even in this singular moment. It may as well have been a whisper, compared to the small voice suddenly amplified many times over in some impossible manner.

That voice ripped through the air, moving the air, shattering the broken mass of metal and circuitry, forgotten and discarded. The metal shards glinted in the sun as the turned end over end. As Aris did. As Ayhan did.

The ground was hard. Dry, packed earth, trodden over by thousands of passerby, and now the bodies of two once-friends. Ayhan stopped rolling at some point. Or had started. He was looking into the sky now. Suddenly everything seemed clear again. It was so blue, but beyond the veil of atmosphere lay a tapestry of stars, and beyond that Smarteel. The Cage. All that Ayhan knew.

He couldn't move. Maybe he could've but the strength was gone from his body, replaced with numbness. He couldn't feel his arm. Couldn't move it. Couldn't push his fingers into the sand, dirt gathering beneath his claws. Was that his arm over there, by Aris? There was searing pain at his shoulder, and down his side. Ayhan swore he could smell burning fabric and flesh. Should he have screamed? Firronthix did not cry out. They lived and died in silent violence.

Was this how he'd die then? Retrieving the other half of his tailored existence, just as his Creator would have expected? Fighting a Jedi, like Hakka would've inevitably ordered?

What did it matter. Mahsa was alive, at least.

Mahsa Aris Noble

 

[Mahsa]

Jakku Enclave
Jakku, Inner Rim

---

Mahsa couldn’t remember the first time she’d heard it, or rather she couldn't be sure of when it had started as her consciousness had come to life long before she’d been allowed to leave the safety of her tank. A soft melody, a hum of a little tune she knew not the words for, but one that had brought her comfort in a time where a day had no beginning and no end.

Any worries she held upon exiting the vat had dissipated the moment Mahsa heard it again, delighted to discover it was still there—somewhere—even if she couldn’t always listen to it… until a deafening silence had engulfed it, and numbness had taken hold of everything.

She’d drifted through those days like a ghost, an empty shell that had become his problem—his burden—and had almost cost Ayhan his life.

The same discordant note that snapped her back into reality then had echoed again in her ears today. Her inexperienced self instinctively drew from a well that had always existed within her—the nature of its contents finally revealed when the Jedi had taken them in—as it had responded to her pleas once again.

"N-No… n-no no nono no…!" He had only wanted them to stop, to keep them from fighting one another before it was too late…but she had only made it worse. "A-Ayhan!!!"

A wave of deep ambers forward through her hair as she rushed towards his side, inky tendrils of the darkest hue slowly pooling at the tips. "I d-didn’t—you w-weren’t—I just w-wanted—!" Her voice tripped over the words, fighting the knot forming in her throat and the sobs threatening to come out.

Each ragged breath flooded her nostrils with the metallic scent of iron and singed flesh, her vision blurred by the tears she rapidly tried to blink away as Mahsa surveyed over the damage she had caused. Scattered burns littered his left side, evidence of the tumble both boys had taken together until they’d finally separated, trailing a path to the place where his left arm had once been.

---

Aris Noble | Ayhan ​

 

[Aris Noble]

For better or worse, it was Aris's lack of emotions that made what came next easier. Aris slowly sat up, glancing first to Ayhan. His arm was gone. The pain from it had shut off his mind, hadn't it? Numbed him. No, adrenaline, right? His gaze shifted to Mahsa. She was panicking. It was to be expected, it's what he expected he'd be like. But he wasn't. A cold calm had taken over.

He pushed himself up, taking a breath. Calm was what was needed.

"Mahsa. Call your master."

That's what mattered right now. He moved to their side, reaching down to lift Ayhan up. They couldn't stay here, not with Ayhan injured. They could take the shuttle Ayhan had brought them here on.

"Now."

Ayhan | Mahsa

 

[Mahsa]

Jakku Enclave
Jakku, Inner Rim

---

"Mahsa." His words, even and steady, managed to pierce through the cacophony of thoughts spiraling in her mind. "Call your master."

"Y-Yes." A nod was given as the Kazelrrian stepped back when Aris reached for the Firronthix, shaky hands finally finding the communicator in her pocket before attempting to connect with her master.

"I was wondering when you’d call, have you finally met up with the boys?" The familiar voice of Master Jigora brought her an initial sense of comfort, though it wasn’t long before the feeling was displaced by a tightness in her chest upon catching the amused chuckle from the Echani—wholly unaware of the events that had just transpired.

"M-Master I—T-They…!" It was hard to figure out where to start, the words caught in her throat amidst the sobs the Kazelrrian was struggling to hold back. It was the opposite of what the Echani had expected when she picked up the call.

"Let’s take a deep breath first Mahsa," The voice on the other end held a serious gentleness as Ioti helped her padawan calm down first. "Everything’s going to be alright, so tell me what’s going on."

If Master Jigora had been surprised or upset by what she learned she certainly didn’t let it show, the Echani already on the move to find Hera as she guided the pair on what to do to ensure Ayhan was stabilized and prepare them for the trip back home…

---

Aris Noble | Ayhan ​

 

[Ayhan]

Some time later...

Ayhan growled as he struggled with the newest prosthetic that the doctors had asked him to try out. Like all the others, none felt right. Not that anything ever could feel as right as his old arm, as he'd come to think of it, but these were paled in comparison. 'There's never been a Firronthix before,' they kept telling him. That though his species shared a humanoid physiology, they struggled to determine how to accurately replicate their surprising strength without tearing his shoulder off. 'Have patience.'

Patience was something running out of. The new prosthetic popped out of the socket for the third time this morning, clattering on the floor. "They could be bothered to design an easier way of attaching the blasted thing," Ayhan complained to himself as he leaned back into the dorm's couch, defeated by the arm for the moment.

No, he wouldn't let something as stupid as a prosthetic defeat him.

With a sigh, he looked over the back of the couch towards Aris and pointed at the arm on the floor. "Hey, Aris. Give me a hand with this."

Mahsa Aris Noble