Moonlight Lekku

[Trextan Voidstalker]

[member="Adele Adonai"]

It would have made Jacen feel more human to understand his problems. He seemed frustratingly aloof at times to Trextan. He didn't understand that Jacen was trying hard to give his son space and time to settle, not to offload his problems onto a younger soul.

The young man shrugged. "Sometimes I do wish he'd explain more. Sorry, that's probably why I got a bit frustrated. That and being hit by an explosion that levelled half a city has frayed my nerves a touch."

He managed a weak smile and closed his eyes. So much if him still hurt a great deal. The ribs down his right side had been in a bad way when they'd found him.

"I asked him about you," he said, opening his eyes a fraction. "He just said: 'she's far more strong than she looks and if she has advice try and listen.' I didn't really the second piece of advice would end up being a logic test."

[member="Adele Adonai"]

 

[Adele Adonai]

[member="Trextan Voidstalker"]

That revelation would prompt a slight pause from the Iridonian Jedi healer. If Trextan took care, he would notice the slight blanching of Adele's skin tone. How much that meant to her, well, the young Voidstalker would never know.

"A Jedi's strength flows from the Force. Clear a mind must be to find the truth in matters." she replied quietly, perhaps, more to herself than for Trextan.

"There is no logic test young Voidstalker." the woman quietly brought her hands over to focus on a particularly sensitive area over his chest. Here he had suffered the brunt of the damage before.

"Just quiet contemplation. Patience. Tranquility. Focus." she added, lashes lowering.

 

[Trextan Voidstalker]

[member="Adele Adonai"]

He winced again. Hearing those words made him think of a simple breathing technique. Trextan tried to take deep breaths to steady his mind and push away the pain. He failed, but at least the sharp little flares faded to dull throbs.

"I'd take a clear head right about now," he admitted. "Just to try and get a handle on everything." He let out a slow breath. His hands had been gripping the sheets tightly, but now they released the sheets and came to cross on his lap.

"Meditation is really boring though."

 

[Adele Adonai]

[member="Trextan Voidstalker"]

"Then let go." Adele would advise the young Voidstalker in that seemingly tranquil manner of hers. A simple word of advice. If he desired a clear head, he had to let go.

"Your mind is clouded," ice blue eyes gave a slow blink. "Anger, confusion, fear." each quiet addition almost as if she were peeling back a layer.

"Like the water of a river turns murky and black amidst a storm, so does your mind." The Jedi healer would add simply.

"If you wish for a clear head, one must learn to let go. Do not fight the current, but learn to drift in it. Calm your struggles, let the silt settle. Clarity will come to you then."

 

[Trextan Voidstalker]

[member="Adele Adonai"]

The young man watched her carefully for a few seconds. He breathed out through his nose, his eyebrows coming together over his eyes as he looked down and to the side. Trextan looked somewhere between ashamed and in deep thought.

For a moment it had felt like there was a truth to her words that he could comprehend, but now it seemed out of his grasp. One thing was obvious: rather than lashing out he seemed to be taking her advice more seriously.

Those who tended to lash out were often the most vulnerable. When he looked back up at the iridonian it was clear that he fell into that category. There was fear in his eyes. He was afraid he would never have clarity, would never really feel as if he belonged.

"Feels more like trying to keep my head above water no matter what I try," he mumbled.

 

[Adele Adonai]

[member="Trextan Voidstalker"]

A couple more seconds and then the Jedi Healer withdrew her hands, allowing her young patient to settle comfortably against his bed. It was getting late now, the time for him to rest for the night circling near. The Iridonian quietly studied Trextan with an unreadable expression, her hands coming to rest gingerly just over her belly, right over left.

"Then, perhaps, Trextan Voidstalker, you must first learn to float before you can swim."

Another pity reply, but it followed with,"If you are interested in learning how to clear your mind, you may find me at the meditation chamber at the third deck."

Adele was offering to help him, but it was ultimately his choice. Teachers open the door, it is up to the student to step through it.

 

[Trextan Voidstalker]

Trextan considered this. On one hand he liked the sound of what she offered. Some extra control over his own thoughts and feelings would be welcome. He didn't want to be devoid of emotion, but right now they just seemed to hurt. On the other hand he felt he was being drawn further into jacen's world. Was that what he'd wanted? To know more about where his father had been all this time?

Then another thought struck him.

“Does this mean I'm free to leave the ward now?” he asked, trying to shield his enthusiasm. He'd been confined to his bed and then the ward recently. After the hazy days floating in a bacta tank it would be good to get some freedom again. Someone had told the staff about Polis Massa though and he felt watchful eyes upon him.

 

[Adele Adonai]

[member="Trextan Voidstalker"]

The Iridonian gave a pause in her departure, slowing to turn her upper torso to face the young Voidstalker anew. Listless eyes quietly swept over him from head to toe, absorbing the sight of the teenager still upon the medical trolley. He had cuts and bruises that were still on the mend. The bacta could be a wondrous liquid, able to heal any wound with enough time, but in this case they also had to allow for Trextan's body to heal naturally.

"You have physical therapy and further scans in the morning." the Jedi Master would inform the young teenager. "I would not recommend leaving the ward." she admitted.

"You'll need your rest."

 

[Trextan Voidstalker]

“Yeah…” Trextan had been specifically told that he wasn't allowed to leave the ward. He'd hoped the healer would have had the authority to countermand the order. He assumed she hadn't heard about Polis Massa. In hindsight it had been a little underhand to try and get an exemption from the iridonian.

“I'm sorry again,” he called after her. “I was rude.”

Trextan gave a sullen shrug and kept his eyes low. With the goal of leaving the ward seemingly out of reach for now his thoughts returned to checking on the wounded pilot.

Adele had her first encounter with another troubled Voidstalker. At least this time there was no singing to catch her attention as she left.

 

[Adele Adonai]

[member="Trextan Voidstalker"]

There was no indication that would prompt any to believe that the Jedi Healer may have been insulted by Trextan's words. In truth, she understood his frustration and confusion. Not to the degree one who had experienced the same circumstances; no she would never understand that, but more to the effect of feeling lost.

A'dele could remember with crystal clarity how that emotion could claw the senses to overwhelm. Perhaps, because in part, she still struggled with it daily.

"Rest easy, young Voidstalker." A'dele would say to Trextan, giving a small dip of her head, the white cowl brushing the lavender of her tattoos over her cheeks.

"For the Force is with you."

 

[Trextan Voidstalker]

A few days later and Trextan hadn't taken Adele up on her offer, though he had promised to find time to. Some measure of determination had come just from seeing a possible path ahead. Choli had come out of her tank and moved into another room on the ward. They'd talked a few times to alleviate the boredom.

His own condition had taken a few steps backwards after a nasty fall during physio. It was the head injuries that worried them most and he'd taken another knock. It was all very frustrating. Which was why he was checking the door to see if anyone was right outside the room.

There was a soft hiss from the windows. The curtains faintly shifted in the night air. He could have gone to close them, but the fresh air was a reprieve from the clinical scent of the medical ward. Trextan couldn’t sleep. He had his own room here. Daily therapy from Jedi healers and medical staff to get him back on his feet again and being closely monitored for any ongoing signs of trauma.

There was one way to try and calm his thoughts and get to sleep. He slid his datapad from his bedside unit and flicked to a popular page. Moonlight Entertainment. The top vid of the day would do. His face was bathed in its light as he watched the twi'lek flirt with the pizza man on the door step.

[member="Choli Vyn"]

 

[Choli Vyn]

[member="Trextan Voidstalker"]

He didn’t hear the door as the Rogue slipped into the room and padded over. He’d come to see Choli almost as soon as she’d been out of the tank to explain events as they had transpired before she’d lost consciousness. He’d glossed over some of the more unbelievable aspects.

Choli came in rather quietly, barely seeing the Justicar in training’s face illuminated by his datapad. Was he watching a holofilm? He’d often do that, seeing as they weren’t able to really leave the ward anyways.
“Hey I can’t sleep, I'm bored, budge up,” called the Rogue as she boldly parked herself on the edge of his bed.

 

[Trextan Voidstalker]

Trextan started. The datapad was dropped face down by his side opposite where choli had appeared from. He snatched at the pillow beside him and yanked it over his lap. Face flushed, he offered her an awkward smile and edged away. Anything to put a little room between them.

 

[Choli Vyn]

[SIZE=9pt]The way he was acting would prompt an arch of Choli’s brow. [/SIZE][SIZE=9pt]Now he was acting rather funny.[/SIZE][SIZE=9pt] Wide eyes and startled, Trextan began shifting on the bed as if he’d been caught red handed. Panic illuminated his expression, and Choli merely rolled her eyes. Making herself comfortable, the back of the medical trolly’s headboard poked at her back. Okay, need something for that. Her eyes caught sight of the extra pillow. That would work.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]“Do you need a pillow on your legs?” she asked, clearly uncomfortable with the firm plastic headboard. She assumed his move was to give her more space and edged closer. [/SIZE]

 

[Trextan Voidstalker]

“Yes,” he replied weakly. He could see from the lights on the sheets that the screen was still playing the movie. Shit, shit, shit, he thought to himself. Should have closed the page.

 

[Choli Vyn]

[SIZE=9pt]Entirely innocent to preceding events she shot him a confused glance. The ward was boring and they’d snuck to each other’s rooms a few times for idle discussion to pass some time. “Why?” she asked incredulously.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]“There are only two pillows and you are hogging them both!” She shifted her back against the plastic headboard to accentuate the fact. She reached down to snatch at it.[/SIZE]

 

[Trextan Voidstalker]

“Erm, it's just so it's there when I'm on my side? Legs still hurt from the explosion. Sure. One second. No, no don't take it!” he replied. With a sideways shift of his hips he managed to avoid embarrassment.

In the shuffle the datapad was disconnected from the earphones.

Instantly the murmurs of the pink Twi’lek came from the tinny speakers.

Trextan’s eyes went wide to his hasty reply of: "Oh that's just some being killed in the..."


"Yes!” came a call. “This should do for your tip.” He stopped trying to find the mute button.

"Oh dear."

 

[Choli Vyn]

[SIZE=9pt]They both froze then. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]Wait, did I [/SIZE][SIZE=9pt]hear[/SIZE][SIZE=9pt] that correctly? For a few seconds Choli gave a slow blink, her dark hair swinging left and right as she stopped moving on the bed. Taking stock of hte situation, she checked off the clues. Dark room, Trextan with headphones, a datapad, his sudden panic, why he had hastily set the pillow over his lap.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]The navpoints connected.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]No way. Incredulously, Choli gaped at him, shock followed by embarrassed amusement colored her face. Uhh…. Okay this was new. What would Janes do? [/SIZE]

“Are you watching --" The massive flush of red over Trextan's face confirmed it. Her jaw fell... then closed.

[SIZE=9pt]Choli went with the easiest option. Making it a joke. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]"What were you trying to do? See if the new hand made it feel different?” she asked, her expression a mix of amusement and bewilderment.[/SIZE]

 

[Trextan Voidstalker]

Trextan stammered for a reply, but could not find his voice. He expected her to slide off the bed, return to her room and never make eye contact again. And she was about the only person around to talk to.

He didn't even think to switch off the datapad or at least plug the headphones back in. The ward was very quiet and the sound was rather obvious.

 

[Choli Vyn]

[SIZE=9pt]Before he could react, Choli took the datapad, peering at the video [/SIZE][SIZE=9pt]that was still playing.[/SIZE][SIZE=9pt] The image was well….[/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]It was a good thing that the lights were already off because she felt the warm flush flow up her neck into her face. A sense of awkwardness joined in, and Choli just kept talking to try and not make this worse. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]But really? Twi’leks??? And the Pizza man? [/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]“Pink twileks? So.... that's what you like?” she asked with a quirk of an eyebrow.[/SIZE]