No More Gazing Across The Wasted Years

[Connor Harrison]

There was so much wrong with the galaxy, Connor didn’t see it really getting better anytime soon. He just hated it when people close to him were caught up in it and he couldn’t do much to help. Granted, most of what happened to Kyra Sol had taken place before they’d even met, but still… she was a kind, brave but vulnerable soul and these events could have seriously affected her future path.

He didn’t interrupt as she talked, nor did he rush her. When he reached the lip of the lagoon that peeled off into two inclines either side of the mini waterfall, they could walk around the perimeter whichever way they wanted.

In the distance, three pyramids could be seen with a backdrop of brown mountains touching the sky. Around them, the jungle was thinning and golden orange fields could be seen further on as the lagoon continued to stretch out across the planet, wherever it led to.

"I’m sorry to hear that,” he said simply.

There was little to be said to compensate for such a nasty experience.

"I assure you the company I keep is far more worth your time than those in your past. We are like family ourselves. A dysfunctional one, but there nevertheless and if you need us, we will be there.”

With a long exhale, he folded his arms and watched the water pass around them and down the bubbling waterfall.

"We used to climb across ropes over lagoons like this when they were freezing, all part of training to get your balance and focus,” Connor said, taking her mind off the pirates, "I’ve not done it for years now but it was sort of like this.”

He smiled to himself, remembering his time with the Republic when he was only a boy.

”There was a boy from the Outer Rim who tried to cross the river. What a dope! He tripped on a rope! Now look at him shiver.”

With a chuckle, Connor shrugged.

”Not all of us made it across without falling in once or twice. Luckily, this lagoon is nothing but warm and soothing I imagine.”

[member="Kyra Sol"]

 

[Lief]

She was more than grateful for the change in subject.

Now he couldn't say she was keeping things from him. Couldn't claim she was bottling things up. She had been open with him the way she had never been open with anybody before...

And that meant she could leave it all behind now. No more reminders.

"Perhaps I will join you and these Silver Jedi then... I daresay they'll likely need someone in my line of work."

She grinned and gave him a wink before pressing on to stand at his side. He was staring at something, and she turned her gaze toward it with awe. What even was that? It looked like water falling from a canister or a refresher only it was quite clearly neither of those things.

"Wow... What a beautiful... Whatever that is..."

She frowned a touch to his story, and shook her head with a light and unoffending laugh. "Why would you willingly put yourself through that?" It didn't sound nice, the prospect of being all cold and wet.

Wading a little further into the water without him, she felt the warmth wash over her and smiled. She could feel it rising up her legs with each step, braced herself... And then halted. Knee high at this point. But she wasn't panicking.

"You're right, by the way, it is warm."

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Connor turned, an approving nod as she came beside him.

"See. Don’t think too much about what you’re doing and you can do anything. I’d never let you get into danger. I wouldn’t have had you wade through if there was danger. I’ll look out for you, wherever you go. Don’t worry.”

With a reassuring arm around her, Connor tipped his chin up to the waterfall beside them.

"It’s falling water. A waterfall.” He gave her a quick, bemused look. Did she really know so little? ”This one is a baby compared to the roaring rapids below our temple on Voss.”

He rubbed his eye.

"Speaking of the Silvers, you will be welcome whenever you’re ready. We are going to make some changes soon I think. We have to. Remember how I used to question it all on Jakku? Well things are happening slowly for the better. Perfect time for new blood in our ranks.”

[member="Kyra Sol"]

 

[Lief]

She pouted up at him just a touch as he gave her that silly look of approval, as if she needed his approval! Psht!

"I knew I wasn't in danger" she said, puffing out her chest with a stupid grin on her face, "How would the great Connor Harrison ever live with himself if he'd let someone drown on his watch, hm? Ruined! His reputation would be ruuiineeed!"

The dramatic tone, the way she lifted her arms toward the light, the same silly look on her face... Kyra found herself genuinely enjoying their surroundings, the moment. With a soft sigh she closed her eyes and simply breathed it all in.

"It's so beautiful here. Even the sounds, and the smell... And if this one is small I bet the real deal is intimidating, huh? You'll have to show me some time..."

She leaned her head against his arm and opened her eyes again, simply staring at the view before them. So much nicer than sand. So much more freeing than durasteel jungles.

"Well, seeing as I can clearly entrust you with my life and all that, maybe I'll show my face sometime. I don't really know how it'll go... 'Hey, I'm some junker that your friend Connor here met. Yeah I used to work for a Sith, no I'm not crazy... Want a mechanic?' Yeah... I dunno..."

Sticking her tongue out at him, she shrugged from his arm and took one small step closer feeling a little smug in the fact that she'd gone just a little further than he had!

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Connor rolled his eyes. Minutes before she was nervous, panicking and unsure of herself. Now she was a wise-cracking, confident smart-ass. He couldn't help laugh internally.

"Look. We want people from all walks of life - we don't just want those who can fight. But I mean, if you know how to shoot straight that's always a bonus. We need mechanics. Who do you think help upgrade, fix, modify and repair our ships and other bits? The Force? Please.”

Joining her on the lip of the brook, he gently held out it hand on her arm. The last thing he needed was her falling in.

"Watch your step you,” he said. "Besides. If you DID drown, nobody would know. So it's not my fault if you did.”

He gripped her, but shook his hand a little as if going to push her in. He couldn't help laugh at that.

[member="Kyra Sol"]

 

[Lief]

"Then I shall be the Chosen One! The promised mechanic!"

She grinned at him, before he grasped her arm. Her eyes narrowed ever so slightly, before she pouted yet again.

"Hmph, don't trust me do you not? And maybe they wouldn't know, but you would..."

When he threatened to push her into the water though she reached out to grab his wrist, her eyes suddenly wide. Her breath hitched, and she took just one step back from the edge.

"Please don't..."

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

He raised his brow – daring her or daring himself?

”Aw come on, I wouldn’t do that at all. I’m not that cruel.”

Stepping beside her, he looked at the water below. It was near still and silent. A little fruit fly buzzed around the bank.

”I take it you can’t swim.” He looked at her. ”Do you want to?”

[member="Kyra Sol"]

 

[Lief]

For a second she truly did think he was about to toss her into the deep end, stranded without a liferaft, to see if she would sink of swim. There was an almost goading expression on his face, one which spoke of an inner conflict: did he dare push?

Thankfully his words spoke otherwise, and as he moved to stand at her side her grasp of his wrist slackened until her hand slipped back to her side. The relief on her expression was palpable.

Enjoying the silence, she closed her eyes for a moment - trusting that he wouldn't abuse her momentary lapse in visual protection - and exhaled a small breath. The odd bird cawed in the distance, a few crickets chirped, the rippling of water just ahead where fish swam, all sounds that were alien to her. All sounds that she enjoyed. Much more pleasant and less imposing than speeders and the humdrum of every day city life.

"Swim?" she asked, before chuckling just a touch, opening one eye to peek at him, "No, I most definitely cannot. But I bet you can't either! What do you think you are? Some sort of..." What swam? She chewed her lip and looked toward the water, seeing the funny creature as it made its way beneath the surface. "Whatever that is?"

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Connor was puzzled. He looked over into the water to see a few shoals fish. Not many, just enough. A few silverbacks, a couple of black and blue ones. What did she mean? Had she never…

He looked back at her, brow knotted.

”They are fish. They’re marine animals Breathe underwater, die on land.” Part of him thought she was joking, but more of him knew she wasn’t. ”Humans can swim underwater and the surface too. We hold our breath for a while underneath, and use our arms and legs….”

The Jedi shook his head and rubbed the back of his head.

”Are you serious?”

[member="Kyra Sol"]

 

[Lief]

"Fish" she replied, with a sharp nod of her head, staring over at the weird creatures before grinning like an idiot. "Okay, so they're fish... And fish can swim. And people can too but..." She shook her head, lifting one hand up to rest upon her brow.

"But how do we know that we can? What if I can't? What if I fall and sink deeper and deeper and ..."

Exhaling a small breath she immediately tried to quell her fears. Somehow she managed just that.

"Can I try?"

She looked uneasily at the deeper pool which the waterfall was descending into, which the fish were swimming around in. Did she really want to try? Or was she trying to appear brave and strong?

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Connor rubbed the bridge of his nose. This was crazy – she didn’t know what a fish was or how a human could swim. And he had hopes for her fighting the bad guys of the galaxy one day. Funny how the mind worked; she was adapt in fixing ships and piecing together machinery that would stump Connor, but when it came to what he took for granted like life and evolution…she hit the buffers.

”How do you know you could talk? You just did…it was natural, and you learnt, and you got better. Same with swimming; we use our arms and legs to propel us through the water or to stay afloat, and regulate our breathing.”

He turned and hobbled down the side of the lagoon, taking a few boulders at a time before he made it to the grass bank and walked around the edge a few steps looking in. It did look inviting.

”You could walk through that – just. It’s not deep enough to drown in. If you want to have a dip, be my guest.”

He squinted at her through the sun, holding his hand to his brow.

”You’ll have to strip off however. We don’t swim in clothes unless it means life or death.”

[member="Kyra Sol"]

 

[Lief]

Natural?

Natural?

There didn't seem anything even remotely natural about swimming through the substance you drank and bathed with! Who thought that was a good idea? Screw dry land, let's take the more difficult route and get sodden and risk falling into the abyss.

No thank you!

But she knew that if she allowed this one little thing to stand in her way, there was no way she'd be able to stand up against the far worse things this Galaxy had to offer. Sink or swim. Well, she'd already promised that she would try. So try she must... Even if it seemed impossible.

Watching as he haphazardly paved a route down the edge of the brook, Kyra sighed just a touch and decided it best to follow him down. Her footing was rather uneven, but she was used to scaling far worse things than a natural rockface so she got to the bottom without too severe an incident, just the occasional slip of the foot.

"Are walking and swimming so different?" she inquired, before turning her gaze back to the weird fish things. Okay so they seemed to glide effortlessly, no feet set against the riverbed... Literally floating. How odd.

At his next statement though her brows furrowed together. "If I take off my clothes I'll be cold! This isn't Jakku, Con'." Maybe she could just take off the outer layers and try with just her vest and shorts? Yeah... That would work.

She tackled her shirt first, pulling off the few layers until just her vest and what lay beneath remained. She felt rather exposed with just two layers of cloth on her upper body, and as she had predicted it was rather cold. But she would live. Her boots were already off her feet, since they'd been wading through the water, but she set them aside all the same on the dry bank. Finally there were the trousers, and thankfully she only had one outer layer to remove before the shorts were all that remained.

Once everything was folded and set gently upon the riverbank, her attention turned toward the water itself. She gulped, and inhaled through her nose to try and steel her nerves.

Finally, without any more waiting to be done, she began to wade deeper into the water... Resisting the urge to flee as it came up to her waist, as it started to engulf more and more of her body.

Chaos was it cold!

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

"Of course they’re different, come on." Connor said, hands on hips as he watched. "You don’t swim on land, do you? But like walking on the ground, which is something you learn from birth, swimming is also something you just learn – it’s all about coordination, timing and breathing."

He squinted as she undressed, looking away for a moment as she did, but soon turning back, not making it obvious anyway of the sight before him. The smirk couldn’t be helped. Soon she was ready and wading into the water

"Ok, that’s good. Just slow down a little – let’s not get carried away."

He walked around to the bank where he was beside he, and crouched down.

"You need to get used to the water first. The temperature. The sensation. And you need to go under. When you’re ready, dunk your head under for a few seconds, and then up. That’s the worst part for anyone doing this for the first time."

At least he could add swimming instructor to his Jedi resume following this.

[member="Kyra Sol"]

 

[Lief]

Her clothes clung heavy to her skin as though they too were afraid of the water. It was an uncomfortable sensation, one which had her wrinkling her nose, but it was better than the alternative. One step, two step, into the water, before halting to listen to Connor.

Slow down?

Adjust?

All it was seeking to do was make her colder by the minute.

And then her beloved friend asked the impossible of her. Was he insane? He wanted her duck her head under the water?

She stared at him dumbfounded for a solid few moments.

"You want me to go under the water?" She looked between it and him, then back to it again, raising a brow. Surely he wasn't serious. Even when she bathed her whole head didn't go under at the same time. Besides, she mostly took showers. And that was more like rain.

That was it. He had very clearly gone insane.

A slight pout made itself known upon her lips. "You do it. If you're so sure it's safe. Get your ass in here and dunk yourself."

She had no doubt in her mind that he would fold and admit that he was pulling her leg. He had to be, right?

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

With a gentle roll of the eyes and an amused sigh, Connor shook his head.

"Just stand there, squat and dunk your head in, and then up. You don't need to swim, or tread water - just stand and duck under. It's easy."

He picked at some grass on the bank, waiting.

"I'll do it after you. Not before. You need to trust me."

Connor smiled, squinting again at the sun above.

"Come on sweetheart, just dunk and then up. Done."

[member="Kyra Sol"]

 

[Lief]

She stared at him.

Oh Force he was being serious, wasn't he? A nervous laugh escaped her, and she took one step toward him, toward the shore, before clenching her jaw and halting.

Her eyes closed, her breathing became slow and focused.

It was just water.

Connor was right there.

She said nothing, she did not look to him for support or guidance or help. Instead she lowered herself down into the water and felt it rush over her. From her waist to her chest, then to her shoulders... Trailing up her neck.

Panic rose but she did her best to ignore it and press on. It was just water. That's all. It wasn't going to hurt her.

Finally, painstakingly, she submerged her face.

And an odd serenity fell over here. All the sounds of the world seemed to blur together, muffled... Strange. But not unpleasant.

She spent a few moments under, before something touched her foot and she leaped up unexpectedly and gasped upon reaching the surface. Turning her glare down, she watched as one of those tiny things... a fish... swam in the opposite direction.

"Bloody silly water birds!"

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

With a little shake of the hand willing her on, like cheering the winning pod in a race, Connor knelt by the lake as she went deeper and deeper. He nodded…encouraging her…so close….and then she did it.

He grinned, and noted it was actually a few more seconds than expected. The water swallowed her up…and all was peaceful. She burst up through the water a little un-dignified and hobbled around, screaming out her annoyance.

That was all he needed to chuckle.

"Water birds?" He laughed aloud. "Since when do birds fly under-water? That’s a FISH, Kyra. A fish."

Connor smiled at her wonderful naivety to things. He wondered how it felt to her thinking this creature was a water bird – granted her home had been the baking crust of Jakku, and so this tropical paradise was going to be a whole new world to her.

But still…water bird?!

[member="Kyra Sol"]

 

[Lief]

"Fish smish!" she said, kicking at the water and sending little flurries of droplets in the direction of the fish. "Damn thing scared me half to death, swimming over my foot like that."

It had felt gross, too, slippery and slimey. She pulled a face, before turning to stare at Connor. With one brow raised in challenge, she simply said "Your turn."

Then she crossed her arms, and waited. A deal was a deal.

Water ran down her face, and as she stood there even the heat of the sun could not quench the shivering. Her hair had been tied back thankfully, else it might have been worse for wear. Still it dripped down her back. Should've brought a damn towel.

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Lazily, Connor moved onto his belly and laid down on the bank with the water below.

"I don’t even know why you need me to this. It’s water," he muttered.

Rolling up his sleeves, he nudged forward and looked at her with a less than amused smirk.

"Better make sure the water birds don’t get me,"

He edged forward, hands on the bank and tipped his head forward and in it went, head submerged by the cool water. A little wave of his hand to her as he closed his eyes and let it swirl around his neck and give him a sense of calm.

But this was Connor. She should have known it wasn’t going to be simple.

He legs kicked, and his arms waved, frantically pointing down as he thrashed and bobbed his head up and down as if struggling. With a final grasp of air with his hand, his limbs slumped down, head in the water.

No movement.

Under the water, he waited with an awfully cruel intent to laugh.

[member="Kyra Sol"]

 

[Lief]

He was toying with her. Poking fun at the fact that all of this, this world of greenery and tranquility, confused her. Not all had been lucky enough to experience the things he had, the places and the people and the things. So she stuck her tongue out and simply watched as he shuffled toward the edge of the river.

She wouldn't let him live it down if he didn't keep to his promise.

Sniffling, and shivering, she wondered why it was anyone would willingly subject themselves to such a cold fate. She felt as though her feet might fall off, they were already starting to become numb. How did she know that they wouldn't?

He dunked his head, quite leisurely, and for a moment seemed fine.

Then came the thrashing. Water sent everywhere as her only friend in the whole Galaxy struggled beneath the water. No hesitation, she leaped toward where he was and fought to drag him out of the water.

He was limp.

"No, no, no..." She knew it was too good to be true!

[member="Connor Harrison"]