Private Masters Of Our Own Fates

[Vizion Trozky]

THEED SPACEPORT
CITY OF THEED ☛ NABOO

In the months following Vizion’s arrival on Jakku, those he knew in that sandy enclave had dispersed along other paths in life, while he remained, and continued to attempt to reconcile the pieces of his identity. His thoughts and beliefs about himself. Much had come to pass, not the least of which was the purported death of Master Jade and the disappearance of the infant daughter of his rosy-fleshed friend; the relative calm of the sands was a boon his talents, which he put to use in attempting to pin down any sense of that small, innocent life as far out and as deep as his hunter’s ‘vision’ could see. Doing what little he could to help (a welcome distraction), short of forcing upon Lossa company she did not wish for.

It was like looking for a particular speck in those very sands, and when it became clear that the child was either beyond his reach or beyond his current degree of strength and experience, he didn’t let it frustrate him, accepted the mild disappointment, and let go of this thing beyond his control. Vizion did what he could and the rest was up to the Zeltron, and thereafter he was left with his own company, his own thoughts.

So when the only person who might understand his state of mind - supposed pawns they both were in some grand design - implored him to join her in the place where it all began, to see the work she had started, the relief he felt was by no means small, though tempered by his reservations; they had hardly spoken since that night early in the year, though that fact was no fault of hers, or his.

What was the balance of another year of silence if fate was apparently pulling the strings? What was the life of a Jedi if not full of disparate meetings?

The transit to Naboo was passed in thought about that place that used to be home. Vizion wasn’t sure how he would feel about the chance to walk its streets again… the destruction some three years past, and the tumultuous path of his friendship with Briana might have put so much of Theed beyond recognition. Indeed, once his ship broke through the atmosphere and lazy dregs of clouds, it was some small effort to see what landmarks still stood on the approach to the city’s spaceport. Sightseeing hadn’t been a priority when he’d attended Life Day celebrations almost a year before, on account of his still-recovering injuries... maybe this was the time he’d reacquaint himself with his birthplace.

Soon enough, the Rising Star, a well-maintained J-type, settled on the deck, the engines powered down, and the ramp lowered, allowing Vizion to emerge into the atmosphere of a bustling, and scarcely familiar spaceport. He looked around, his gaze shifting between people coming and going as he walked away from his ship, slinging his pack over one shoulder while he made his way through security checkpoints and customs, and onward to seek out whoever had come to meet him in the arrivals area, be it his oldest friend, or another on her behalf if she had unexpectedly become indisposed… though what he wanted more than anything in that moment, was a decent cup of caf.

What caf he’d been able to restock his ship with on Jakku wasn’t all that palatable, but when he dimly heard his name called over the din of everyone arriving and meeting up with loved ones or associates, that quest had to be put on hold. He turned to where he thought the call had come from, and only just spotted her weaving her way around people, graceful as a dancer, or a Jedi well-versed in combat as she was.

Vizion frowned for a faint moment - it was still going to take time for that effortless awareness of her to come back, if it ever did - but a modest smile soon overtook it. It was good to see Briana in this throng of unknown persons, outside of the context of the Jedi for this sliver of time, momentarily unfettered with all that burdened them both. He could almost imagine they were in some other life. Knowing for a fact that there were innumerable parallel splits of their existence from every little decision… made such thoughts all too easy… and incredibly strange.

But the good bits didn’t hurt, now, and the worst of it did less.

“You know we could have done this over the holo,” he quipped, knowing that was bullshit - there was more to most temples than their looks - when she got close enough to hear him without shouting, “how’ve you been?” He asked, burying his hands in his pockets, “Keeping busy?”

Briana Sal-Soren​

 

[Briana Sal-Soren]

Outfit: XoXo | Equipment: Lightsaber, Echo Stone | Tag: Vizion Trozky ​

Nights were always the worst. Daylight offered mercy—training younglings at the Temple, meditation sessions, Council meetings that kept her mind from wandering down remembered paths. But when darkness settled over the Gallo Mountains, when Naboo's moons cast their glow across the peaks, the memories she fought so hard to contain came rushing back.

Moonlight spilled across the bathroom tiles of their mountain home—the one they'd chosen together, where her and Aiden had planned to build their future — heaving into the vacc tube, arm trembling as she braced herself against it, counting each breath as she waited for the lingering tremors to subside. Once, Aiden would have been there to hold her through one of these episodes, rare as they'd become while they were together; but no one was there anymore whenever she jolted awake at night.

The memories played like broken holorecordings—the siege of Coruscant, the sickening crack of her bones, the feeling of Lossa's pain when she went into labor and the terror Briana felt knowing there was nothing she could do to help, Romi's final breath, the call that came when Zeriana was taken, the moment in the med bay when Aiden looked at her with blank eyes and asked who she was.

She focused more on her breathing — in through her nose, out through her mouth. Over and over.

When it seemed like she was done heaving, Briana eased herself from the vacc tube, though not far. Instead, she moved to the adjacent wall, near the window she left perpetually cracked, where she could see the three moons in the night sky, where the breeze could caress her sticky face. After several beats of sitting there, Briana forced herself to center and find that quiet place within herself, that place of calm.

Vizion would be arriving tomorrow morning, and the last thing she wanted was for him to see her like this — haunted, hollowed out, a shadow of herself. He'd ask questions she wasn't ready to answer, see wounds that she wasn't ready to acknowledge. Pushing herself shakily to her feet, legs hardly any steadier, Briana went to the sink and splashed cool water on her face. In the mirror, she practiced the smile she'd wear for tomorrow — not too bright, but enough to pass as normal. The dark circles under her eyes could be hidden with a touch of concealer, the ashen pallor of her skin covered with foundation. The same routine she'd practiced for weeks. Tomorrow, she would be Briana Sal-Soren again — composed, controlled, the leader people expected her to be. The broken pieces of her heart swept beneath the rug.

For now, Briana dragged her feet back to bed and focused on the sound of night birds calling in the distance, on the rustle of leaves in the garden below, on anything but the empty space where Aiden used to sleep.

------------------------------------------------------------------------​

The spaceport gleamed in the mornings, more so than any other time of day it seemed, its polished surfaces reflecting light that felt too bright, too harsh after another sleepless night.

Briana stood perfectly still as she waited patiently on the landing platform, bearing composed, the carefully practiced smile in place.

Around her, the spaceport bustled, filled with the steady stream of arrivals and departures that marked Theed's return to prominence after the Cataclysm and the attack that'd been instigated by The New Way. To most, the spaceport and most of Naboo, for that matter, spoke only of her homeworld's timeless beauty, but it only took a trained eye to catch the subtle tells of reconstruction—a section of marble slightly newer than its surroundings, support beams that didn't quite match the original aesthetic, blast marks in shadowed corners that restoration crews hadn't quite managed to erase. Briefly, she wondered what Vizion might think of it all. He hadn't really been to Naboo, not in any sort of permanent capacity, since the Cataclysm. What must it be like to see this again for the first time?

Through the crowd, Briana spotted as Vizion navigated the security checkpoints. The years had left their mark on both of them, but she swore that she saw a glimpse of that same boy who'd once helped her sneak sweetcakes during state functions as he came closer—it was there in the way he tilted his head as he talked to the checkpoint officials, in the slight shift of his shoulders as he moved through the crowd.

When their eyes met across the crowded arrival area, Briana moved toward him with practiced grace, each step measured. "You know we could have done this over the holo," he quipped, and something in his familiar tone nearly cracked her careful facade. Nearly.

"Right, because that's totally the same as having my friend actually here." She cocked her head to the side. "As for keeping busy...I guess you could say that. there's always plenty of work to do around the Temple. Everything's been coming along beautifully, but the east wing is still being upgraded and repurposed. There are a few younglings running around, some of which are finally starting to sit during morning meditation. A feat in and of itself."

She gestured to his bags, "Need any help with those?" before thumbing towards the exit where she had a cab waiting for them. It would take them part of the way to the temple, to the small village situated just outside it. "I had the droids prepare some quarters for you near the cliffs—I thought you'd enjoy watching the sunrise over the falls in the morning, if you're good with that."

​

 

[Vizion Trozky]

THEED SPACEPORT
CITY OF THEED ☛ NABOO

"Right, because that's totally the same as having my friend actually here."

That little phrase turned his modest smile into a sliver showing teeth - the start of a grin - but inwardly he was making comparisons with the girl he used to know: the one that would more than likely have rolled her eyes and planted her hands on her hips with such a statement, but if she crossed her arms, canted her hips and head to one side, and her gaze settled squarely on him? He was being sassed.

There was none of that here, and the grin was but a flash, settling as she kept talking, as he kept his attention on her face, listened to her words, and had a little think about why she responded a little differently. Maybe it was the stress of everything she was trying to build, or reservation born of how much they'd become strangers to one another, or maybe... just maybe... she had changed just that much.

"Sounds like you've had your hands full," Viz replied, though as he did so, he started to notice how much makeup Briana was wearing, thick enough to conceal features he'd refreshed himself on during their talk at the start of the year, more makeup than she'd ever worn just for him; his eyes narrowed just slightly, "seems you could use a couple more hands." He adjusted the pack he had hanging off of just one shoulder. Something was off... but what?

"Need any help with those?"

"That's alright." He glanced at the orange hardshell suitcase that he'd pulled along beside him, and the bag held on top of it by its straps around the telescoping handle, then he returned to her face, and gave his head a little shake, "I can manage. Thanks, though."

Briana thumbed behind her, and Viz gestured ahead to the exit, a wordless indication for Briana to lead on. He followed along, suitcase rolling smoothly. Watching her from behind as they walked, weaving around people. Peering at her as if reacquainting himself with the lines of her form... or a surreptitious investigation. Watching for any visible tension in her neck and shoulders, the way she swung her arms, any clench in her hands....

[ Hmm. ]

"I had the droids prepare some quarters for you near the cliffs—I thought you'd enjoy watching the sunrise over the falls in the morning."

His gaze went to the back of her head as the wheels turned in his. She had been wearing that ring every time he had seen her, from the night they'd started to talk again, to every day on Jakku before she left for Naboo. He'd become accustomed to the sight of it and what it meant, but its absence could mean anything. Maybe it was being cleaned. Force forbid, she might have lost it. But neither of these seemed the right answer.

"Sounds great," Vizion approved; it would be different from the greater silence of the desert, but he would be lying to say he wasn't glad to be somewhere with more humidity, "thank you for the consideration."

Sincere words. He had taken to meditation more than in previous years, and she was privy to a good measure of why that was, but he didn't expect any sort of preferential treatment. Learning to make the most of any circumstance, learning he could adapt his rituals and practices to any space, had been an early lesson, but a serene environment was ideal.

Yet was part and parcel of his calling to be among the people. "It will be good while I settle into being here again, at any rate," he tacked on after a moment. The decision to relocate was a simple one; he could operate from anywhere, but for a few reasons, Naboo was preferential to 'the centre of the Galaxy'. They emerged from the terminal and out into the morning air, and Vizion breathed deep as they manoeuvred to the waiting cab. Very different from the dry air of Jakku's deserts, or the climate-controlled atmosphere of Coruscant. "Ahh, that's nice."

Briana Sal-Soren​

 

[Briana Sal-Soren]

Outfit: XoXo | Equipment: Lightsaber, Echo Stone | Tag: Vizion Trozky
​

"It does keep me busy," Briana said with a casual shrug, the corner of her lips curling faintly. "I prefer it that way, honestly." Busy was safe. Busy meant she didn't have to dwell on the jagged shards of memories that'd been carved into her mind. It kept her from lingering too long on the faces she'd lost, on everything she'd had to sacrifice over the last few years. Not that she was about to tell him any of that, not while she was still trying to sort herself out.

Besides, what would she have said to him, anyways? That she spent her nights fighting phantoms? That sometimes, in the quiet moments between council meetings and training sessions, she could still feel the moment when her parents lives flickered out, when Romi's steadfast presence left? That every time she went to her own house, even with Blaire and the joyous chaos of her children being there, she felt trapped? Suffocating in memories she wished she could forget, too?

No, Vizion didn't deserve that.

There was a beat of silence, then a deep inhale, acutely aware of Vizion's gaze boring into her from behind. It was time to redirect the conversation. "But since you're offering..." She continued, the corner of her mouth quirking into something a little more genuinely playful, a bit of the old Briana peeking through. "Feel free to run the next council meeting for me. I'm sure you'll have a blast sifting through budget proposals and listening to the endless tales of misbehaving Padawans, even more than me."

​

Pushing the cab door open, Briana waited to make sure Viz didn't need help before climbing inside, watching as he adjusted his pack and suitcase into the narrow confines of the transport, before taking her seat. The hum of the engine vibrated softly beneath her, and the noise of the bustling spaceport faded into the distance as the cab pulled away. Briana folded her hands neatly in her lap, posture as straight as a dancer balancing on a thin wire.

It was an effort to ignore how sharply his attention had lingered on her earlier, not prying or lustful, it was simply him. The hunter, the analyst. The person who could never leave a puzzle unsolved. To her surprise, he seemed content to stay silent on the matter, but Briana knew better than to trust that silence. Viz was never one to let a thread dangle for long. Sooner or later— and probably sooner still—he'd find the one loose stitch and pull until the whole thing unraveled.

For now, she could turn her attention to the horizon and ignore that disquieting sense of being seen, focusing on the rolling hills and soft curves of Naboo's countryside passing them by in a blur—regal spires, rebuilt walkways, the swaths of blossoms that Naboo was famous for—all drifting past like half-remembered dreams.

"So," she began, gently breaking the hush as the cab glided past the broad boulevards leading out of the capital, "how was your trip from Jakku? It's not the shortest flight."

​

 

[Vizion Trozky]

IN A CAB
ENROUTE TO SHIRAYA'S SANCTUARY ☛ NABOO

Briana’s wry humour regarding paperwork and padawans only brought forth an amused look and a shake of his head while Vizion went to stow his suitcase and duffel into the trunk of the cab, leaving his pack to be fitted into the snug cabin of the vehicle with him. What he brought with him now wasn't the full extent of his possessions: some items and clothing had remained stored at his parents’ home on Brentaal IV, while others weren't all that necessary to bring in from the Rising Star until there was space to stow them. A thing he had to sort out, some other day.

Vizion watched Naboo pass them by, same as she did, for a time trying to reconcile the changes in the face of Naboo as they sped past while he considered this day’s predicament and how, when, where to tease out its answers; a walk through the capital would better serve him in reacquainting himself with the realm that housed his childhood and sparser memories since, he knew. But when Briana broke the silence, doing so in this most casual, small-talk way, she unwittingly gave him the opening he needed.

She connected his dots. “I spent a lot of it,” he started, shuffling a little to face her, and groaning a sigh as he settled underneath his pack, “deep in thought, wondering why I was being asked to come all the way to Naboo for a tour,” his brows went up just a little, above his steady gaze, feeling he shouldn’t need to repeat that statement; he kept his voice low, “did you think I wouldn’t notice?”

He, for whom observing people in detail was part of the job description? Had she forgotten? Viz gave Briana a rueful smile that underwrit the concerned look he sent her way, reached out, and placed a lightly calloused hand on the fullest part of her forearm, near the elbow. A light pressure.

“Listen, I don’t know what you’re holding onto, and I don’t want to pry, but I’d rather not come to my own conclusions. I hope we can stay on the same foot we started this year on,” a very gentle squeeze, “I hope we can remain honest with each other.”

Hiding things had already caused too many problems, problems that had pushed change for the better, but nonetheless.

“I’m not asking you to say anything here,” he continued, just as quietly, showing a half of that same, rueful smile, “or now, but I have two good ears and a lot of undivided attention to give. Hugs? I could scrounge up a few, or… you can always tell me to fuck off.” Vizion shrugged softly, but his thumb was rubbing her arm, now, all a poor substitute for a warm embrace. “Just tell me what you need.”

Briana Sal-Soren​

 

[Briana Sal-Soren]

Outfit: XoXo | Equipment: Lightsaber, Echo Stone | Tag: Vizion Trozky ​

Briana's lips parted as if to reply to his question, but the excuse she tried to conjure stalled somewhere in her throat, his words settling in her like a stone sinking to the bottom of a pool.

There'd been a time when Briana was blithe and girlish—a time where she would have gallivanted with her friends and loved ones with all of the starry-eyed recklessness of youth, laughing like a wild and pure thing, untouched by the pain of loss. Those days had died out long ago, shrouded by time and experience, snuffed out by war and death.

The weight of life would have undoubtedly crushed her long ago, if not for Aiden, who'd somehow made all of the harrowing moments bearable. Unconsciously, her thumb brushed over the vacant band of skin where her ring once sat, silently trying to figure out what she wanted to say to him.

She could tell him to fuck off, as he'd suggested, and there was part of her that had half a mind to do just that — Whether it was habit, pride, or her own special brand of Sal-Soren obstinance, the words to tell him off the same as she'd told off the others who'd tried to press, began to form on her lips.

But then, she felt his strong hand against her arm, felt a warmth seep through her that momentarily filled the emptiness, that seemed to banish the anxious, stubborn thoughts far into void.

Her shoulders slumped and Briana swallowed softly, resting her own hand against his. "Maybe I did ask you to come here for other reasons besides just a tour... I don't know." she admitted quietly to him, and maybe just a little bit to herself as well. Perhaps a small part of herself had been counting on him to see through the prickly shell she adopted whenever she was hurting. "The Temple and what I'm building here is important. That.. I wasn't lying about that, but..." her brows furrowed as she searched for the right words.

She didn't want to spill everything here, now. The cab ride wasn't that long. "Right now, all I want to do... all I need... is to get through the rest of this day without falling apart. But if you want to come over tonight, Blaire and the kids are visiting Brandyn and Cybelle for the weekend and we can talk as much as you like... I promise I won't hide."

​

 

[Vizion Trozky]

IN A CAB
ENROUTE TO SHIRAYA'S SANCTUARY ☛ NABOO

Her hand on his made the motion of his thumb stop in very mild surprise, but then, it was trapped anyway, as he was surprised by her admission of other reasons. It was one thing to suspect there was something behind the invitation, but another to actually hear it, and it made him curious - beyond the obvious of getting to the pain that was behind her practised smiles - that there was more than one something.

That could mean anything, but it was nothing he could dwell on when his undivided attention was given, any more than he could ruminate on the given location he’d have to go to this evening if he wanted answers… but that she left off any mention of her fiancé pulled Vizion’s eyes to the fore, and steered his thoughts in a direction that stole his smile and knit his brows faintly together. With the other evidence, there might only be one of two reasons for all the little details he'd picked up from a scant minute's observation on the way out of the spaceport terminal. The thought of either made his heart sink out of concern. However...

...he wouldn’t be jumping to conclusions, not when all he had to do was wait, and trust her promise to not run away. Even when that promise brought up the very memories that necessitated it, and caught his voice in his throat while the cab came to a stop near the Temple. Then after a moment or two, he found his words, and willed himself to not move his hand yet, despite how self-conscious he was suddenly feeling.

"Thank you for that," Viz said, finally, quietly, returning his golden-brown eyes to her, "I'll... see you tonight, then."

But already he wished he could do more, knowing she might struggle through the day, even if he sorely needed a shower, clean clothes, and a nap. With another, fainter smile, he stole back his hand, exited the cab, and went about retrieving his luggage to head into the Temple.

How unexpected this all was.

---

EMERALD HEIGHTS
GALLO MOUNTAINS ☛ NABOO​

That evening...

After a good, long stay in the shower, drifting off into a nap had been easy; no matter the swirling thoughts he had after their short conversation earlier in the day, the time difference between Jakku and Naboo was going to take a little adjusting to and the weariness of his body from not getting a single wink during the transit between worlds won out. After, he spent a little time unpacking and picking out what he would wear for the rest of the day, then once dressed, he went to seek out something small to eat, and otherwise passed the time wandering Shiraya's Sanctuary.

Then evening approached and after a proper meal, he was soon at the front entrance to a place he'd only ever seen the outside of at night, one other time, some few weeks before the longest talk that had happened between him and Briana in years. There was no telling how long this talk would go, but he wouldn't be keeping track. He'd give her as long as it would take... his sleep was going to be at weird hours for a little while, anyway.

But when Vizion rang the buzzer, that was all the notice of his arrival she got, and then he waited. Despite her promise, he didn't want to provoke her into losing her nerve by calling ahead or broadcasting his presence; he'd become that cautious. Perhaps unnecessarily so.

"Come on, Briana," he grumbled to himself, "please be here."

And he didn't want to have to hunt her down, but he'd bloody well do it, if it came to that. He wasn't making that mistake twice.

Briana Sal-Soren​

 

[Briana Sal-Soren]

Outfit: XoXo | Equipment: Lightsaber, Echo Stone | Tag: Vizion Trozky
​

The moon shone brightly, so brightly that the mountains, rivers, and valley were illuminated enough that even the leaves on the trees far below were visible.

Briana could remember the first time she’d stood in this very spot, seen this very view, the first night her and Aiden spent in this house together. It felt like they’d discovered some kind of secret, slumbering land that’d been forgotten by time. It stirred something in her, a sense of insignificance that was oddly comforting, as though she were unmoored from all expectations.

Out here, she wasn’t the daughter of a terrorist, overly scrutinized by watchful eyes. She wasn’t a piece on the dejarik board of some prophecy, the leader of any Enclaves, or the failed sister, cousin, daughter. Out here, they could simply be Briana and Aiden.

For a while, there’d been such peace in that.

But then Aiden left, and with his absence, the galaxy seemed to shrink again. The spring birds no longer sang, the sighing breeze fell silent. It was then she realized: the sense of freedom, the serenity she’d found, hadn’t come from this house or the view—it had come from him.

Maybe it explained why she'd invited Vizion here, against every rational thought. Perhaps it was some desperate, misguided attempt to recapture the feeling of freedom with someone who knew her, to find that piece of herself that’d vanished when Aiden packed his bags and left. It’d been what she told herself in the cab, even though the explanation felt unsatisfying, like trying to catch smoke with her bare hands.

Her thoughts kept circling back to that earlier encounter, when she'd been ready to push Vizion away, armed with the same sharp retorts she used with everyone else. Then he'd touched her, and some unseen axis shifted— like the first tremor before an earthquake. She'd always known Vizion would eventually slip beneath her defenses, but why had it only taken that one simple gesture? And why, despite her determination to keep him at arm's length, had she let it?

Standing there, waiting, Briana couldn't shake the feeling that there was something there beyond her understanding. Something at the edge of her peripheral she wasn’t seeing. Whatever it was, for now, all she truly knew was that since that singular second in time, cracks had developed in the walls she’d built around herself, and Briana wasn't sure whether to patch them, or let them crumble.

When the buzzer finally ring, her heart jumped, despite expecting it. For a brief, split second, Briana considered not answering, considered letting the silence stretch until Vizion gave up and left.

But you promised him honesty this time. Promised you would not hide.

And after everything that’d happened, Briana knew she couldn't make the same mistakes that she'd made when they were younger, not without risking the loss of the tentative friendship they were trying to rebuild.

Taking a deep breath, she peeled herself from her spot by the banister and moved through to the grand foyer of the mansion.

Alongside the far right wall she pressed the entry panel, listening to the soft whoosh as it slid open. There, Vizion stood, brows slightly furrowed as if he'd been worried, but still handsome and well put-together. Although, Briana noted, there were still some traces of exhaustion lingering at the edges of his eyes.

And he still made an effort.

The rosebud of her lips pulled into a small, welcome smile, heels clicking as she moved back to let him in.

"I wasn't sure if you'd actually come," she admitted softly, leading him through the marble hallways and into the main living space where she'd already set out a bottle of Naboo's finest red wine and two glasses.

"I thought we might need this," she gave a half smile, picking up the bottle of wine before settling onto one of the plush sofas, draping one slender, bare leg over the other and pouring a sizable amount for each of them into the crystal glasses.

You don’t have to go into too many details, make it easy.

“So… I guess we can pick up where we left off? If you don’t mind my jumping into it, to address the more obvious.” Idly, Briana swirled the wine in her glass. "Unless you'd like to run me through your first impressions of the temple, or have any complaints about the accommodations." She glanced sidelong to Viz, subdued humor pulling at her cheek. She wasn't sure if she was trying to delay the inevitable, or if she was attempting to try and lighten the mood, the air having become more oppressive in the last few nanoseconds.

“I think you already noticed earlier, but I took off my ring three weeks ago. Aiden was in an accident during Coruscant and… when he came out of it, he was suffering from memory loss." Silence fell heavily in the space between them and Briana raised her glass to her lips before continuing. "The doctors said he might remember, or that the damage might be permanent. We waited it out for a few weeks, pretending everything was going to go back to normal… but when it became clear that…Aiden didn’t feel the same way that I did anymore, we decided to call things off.”

​

 

[Vizion Trozky]

EMERALD HEIGHTS
GALLO MOUNTAINS ☛ NABOO

Vizion let his eyes wander as he waited, taking in the outer facade of her home as much as he could with the mix of modest spotlights and ample shadows brought on by a darkened sky and bright moon. The last wisps of day had bled away from the horizon between when he left the temple and arrived, dregs of a sunset that accompanied his fruitless meditation ahead of the visit.

He was a little worried, but when the door slid open with a whoosh, relief worked quickly into his face as his head turned and eyes came to a rest on Briana. A modestly glad smile reinforced it, and he crossed the threshold, fully realising just what she had chosen to wear for this not-a-formal-occasion, while following her in.

Viz slipped his hands into his trouser pockets, feeling just a little off-center. What should he even do with this information? Was this how she usually dressed at home? Was she overcompensating? Was this delib– his fingers curled and uncurled in the confines of those pockets. But why would she...?

[ Shit. ]

Commenting on it didn't seem the wisest thing to do.

"I wasn't sure if you'd actually come."

He allowed himself a mild half of a smile, willing enough to give her the benefit of the doubt, rather than feeling at all insulted, “I’m a man of my word, Briana,” Vizion just about whispered. Had she forgotten? Just how much had slipped her mind these few years? Upon reaching the main living space, he allowed himself a glance around the space; it was nicely, tastefully furnished. When his eyes came back around to her, however, she was making to sit on one of the sofas, wine bottle in hand. Twisting into place. He didn't move a muscle thereafter.

"I thought we might need this."

Not when she sat and the hem of her dress crept further up her thighs, not when she draped one long, slender, bare leg...... over the other, nor when she started to pour more than enough wine into each glass. His hands remained in his pockets, and he watched, trying to not overthink just what was happening before his very eyes.

“Need?” He uttered, blowing out a somewhat loaded sigh punctuated with a one-note laugh, as he began to uproot himself from where he was stuck in place. "Funny word, that."

“So… I guess we can pick up where we left off? If you don’t mind my jumping into it, to address the more obvious.” Unrushed steps took him toward the sofas, and he took that pittance of time to recompose himself, within. Unexpected, this all was, and that was putting it lightly. He was here as a friend, right? Giving her the space to unfurl what troubled her? Yeah, that. Calmly, he sat and took an easy lean against the arm of the sofa, at the opposite end from her, but really? He was far from chill. "Unless you'd like to run me through your first impressions of the temple, or have any complaints about the accommodations."

Vizion leaned forward just enough to retrieve the other crystal glass from the table, "Maybe some other time," he insisted with measured concern, glancing at her while she glanced at him, while he sat back again - her makeup was different... different?! - and coming to a rest with his elbows on his knees, glass held between them, "but, then... I'm here to listen to whatever you have to say," he said gently, managing a somewhat warm smile, "you know that."

This he could do. This was what he was here for: whatever this pain was that lurked behind her practised smiles. He took a slow sip out of the glass in his hands, then skirted a glance down at the crystal full of wine as it lowered. "Mmm," he hummed, finding it pleasant. At least whatever was going on hadn't affected her taste.

"I think you already noticed earlier, but I took off my ring three weeks ago. Aiden was in an accident during Coruscant and… when he came out of it, he was suffering from memory loss." Vizion's eyes tracked back to Briana as she started to confirm his tentative guesswork, and he sat a little straighter as she continued. Despite how off-balance he had felt almost from the moment he entered her home, his heart didn't sink any less than when the thought first occurred to him, but deeper... having confirmation only made him feel more sorry. "The doctors said he might remember, or that the damage might be permanent. We waited it out for a few weeks, pretending everything was going to go back to normal… but when it became clear that…Aiden didn't feel the same way that I did anymore, we decided to call things off."

Vizion was silent for some moments, considering what he had observed in the handful of minutes he was here, with what she had just revealed. It didn't add up. It didn't mesh. But then, pain... heartbreak could explain it all. He knew all too well how he'd behaved at times when he was hurting... it might take months, many of them, for her to feel right again, too. Wordlessly, he set the mostly full crystal glass back on the table, and sat back, hands on his knees, still thinking through what he could do.

Then, perhaps a little cautiously, he inched over toward her. Maybe he was overthinking it.

"Force, Briana," he breathed, his brow knitting together in deep concern, looking at her with the same in his eyes, "and you held that all in?" He stood and reached for her glass to set it aside as well, "You don't need this," while the other hand reached for her to do the same thing as back on his ship, all that time ago, when everything had begun to go wrong between them, "come here." He would hug her for what good that might do.

And he would hope to Shiraya that history didn't bear repeating.

Briana Sal-Soren​

 

[Briana Sal-Soren]

Outfit: XoXo | Equipment: Lightsaber, Echo Stone | Tag: Vizion Trozky
​

When she'd finished speaking, Briana kept her eyes fixed on the glass in her hands, unable to meet his gaze. She wasn't sure if it was because she didn't want to see the look of pity in his eyes, or because of the sense of shame she felt creeping in and spreading like a blackened disease through her chest, or if it was that inert part of herself struggling to cling to a fragile sense of control that was slipping rapidly away by the second. Perhaps, it was a combination of all three.

"Force, Briana," he breathed, his brow knitting together in deep concern, looking at her with the same in his eyes, "and you held that all in?"

Briana gave a one-note, incredulous laugh. "What else am I supposed to do?" It wasn't like she could afford to fall apart, be vulnerable. Not when she needed to be present for her family, for the Order. Not when Nether Demons were pouring out of the fucking sky again. She was the one who always had everything together, the one that could be relied on when needed.

All she needed to do was push it further down, down, down. Until it was lost, gone, buried. Until it was fine.

Even if 'fine' was a lie.

"You don't need this,"

At last she looked up at Vizion, allowing him, for whatever reason, to take the wine from her grasp, fingers uncurling from the crystal stem as if she was relinquishing much more than just a glass.

"come here."

For a beat, Briana didn't move, resisting against the overwhelming want and need for comfort, even as her heart beat faster, harder.

But, then, the echoes of his words—you held that all in—ripped through her again, and before she knew what she was doing, Briana found herself leaning into his offered embrace, arms sliding around his waist and collapsing against him, hating the sound of her breath as it hitched, the feel of the hot tears that slipped down her cheeks as she buried her face into his shoulder.

"I don't want to feel it," the heartbreak, the anguish of loneliness, the overwhelming sense of failure that'd been gnawing at her ever since Brandyn had murdered that man in front of her eyes, since Romi's death on Coruscant, since Zeriana was taken... since Aiden walked away. "I don't know how to fix this," her voice broke, "How to fix me."

​

 

[Vizion Trozky]

EMERALD HEIGHTS
GALLO MOUNTAINS ☛ NABOO

Every moment - from when he began to react to her pain, to attempting to cut her off from being drunk and grieving, to nigh-ordering her to let herself be comforted - was a moment she could close up again. So when she didn’t move at first, it made his worry spike anxiously, and the fingers of his offered hand started to curl, uncertain, as he started to think that, maybe, he had overstepped some invisible boundary of hers… thoughts that were just as soon dispelled when she rose, leaned into him, and slipped her arms around his waist.

Arms wrapped around her, hesitant to do too much as delicate as she seemed, but when her breath hitched and she began to sob, and her face buried into his shoulder, it made his concern vastly outweigh his reservations. It fixed him to the moment.

“Hey… hey--” Viz whispered softly, embracing her more snugly as one arm shifted and he placed that hand atop her mane of dark hair, “--I got you. I got you.”

He would stand there, holding her for as long as it would take.

"I don't want to feel it," her voice eked through the tears, unstable, "I don't know how to fix this," and then broke, "How to fix me."

Vizion wanted to help her, but he didn’t know if he could. He could only try. He could only rely on what he knew from lived and therapeutic experience; there was no joke or sweet words for this. He could only be honest.

“There’s nothing to fix,” he started softly, “but there’s learning to live with it, and with time it hurts less, and not as often,” time only healed wounds of the body, he knew, “until the memories are just memories, until it becomes part of what makes you, you.”

He gave a weak smile, and began to gently stroke the back of Briana’s head. He almost felt the bearer of bad news. There was unfortunately no way to make it all disappear.

“I’d like to help you chase away the hurt in whatever ways I can, if you let me, Bri,” he admitted, giving her a good squeeze, “otherwise, I know a good therapist.”

Viz looked down at her, how small she felt against him as he held her for not the first time in his life. How different it felt this time; she was a friend who was hurting, and nothing more.

“Alright? Just let me know what you need.”

Briana Sal-Soren​

 

[Briana Sal-Soren]

Outfit: XoXo | Equipment: Lightsaber, Echo Stone | Tag: Vizion Trozky ​

“There’s nothing to fix,”

Did he not see her? The mess she’d become? Body trembling so hard that if he wasn’t holding her, she might very well break apart, leaving whatever was left of her soul to drift away on the mountain winds outside.

“but there’s learning to live with it, and with time it hurts less, and not as often, until the memories are just memories, until it becomes part of what makes you, you.”

And what if I can’t bear it? What if it never becomes part of me, but just consumes me, instead? She wanted to ask him these questions, tell him he was wrong, but the words wouldn’t push themselves out of her, choking somewhere between her lips and her throat as his hand continued to stroke her hair in a slow, comforting rhythm. Words weren’t necessary, Briana realized, the tangle of her thoughts unraveling. All she needed was to continue existing in the sanctuary he provided, clinging to the fleeting moments where she could feel warm and safe, where she didn’t have to hide. Slowly, her sobs begun to ebb into quiet, deep breaths, as if her body was exhaling all of the ache that'd been lodged in her bones for weeks.

“I’d like to help you chase away the hurt in whatever ways I can, if you let me, Bri, otherwise, I know a good therapist.”

On some level, Briana knew that he was only offering comfort — no differently than any other time. That was who he’d been since they were children. Defender, comforter. — but between his words, the deep lull of his voice, and being coaxed a little tighter into him, an involuntary heat travel down her body and into every nerve ending — becoming uncomfortably more aware of him. Of the fact that he smelled of soap and clean linen, of the sensation of her curves and how they fit against the harder planes of his body.

A dangerous and foolish thought, burned into her exhausted, grief-addled mind.

“Alright? Just let me know what you need.”

Briana dislodged herself from his shoulder, enough to look up at Vizion through the wave of her thick lashes, blue eyes still red-rimmed from crying.

“I need…” she started to say, words trailing off as her gaze fell from his eyes to glance down to the shape of his lips. She sucked in a breath, an involuntary shiver shooting down her spine. Caution and better sense screamed at her from the furthest corner of her mind, but that disciplined voice of rationality was drowned out by the overwhelming need to feel anything other than the despair and guilt that’d been eating her alive.

“I need oblivion...to not think anymore.” And before anything else could be said, Briana rose onto the tip of her toes and pressed her lips against his in one desperate, impulsive moment.

​