Of Tea And Babbling Brooks

[Lief]

Somewhere overhead a bird cawed.

Off to her right a steady flow of water ran downstream, babbling as it had all those months ago.

Asha's reunion with her senses had been quite the trying time. Emotions ran high the first time she heard Vik speak; she owed the strange man her life, he had watched over her during her most vulnerable moments, his patience had been unmatched. Then she'd seen him, truly seen him for more than just a partial silhouette against pinprick of light, and her world was set back into motion once again.

At first she hadn't dared stray too far. For all she knew her senses would forsake her again, and once or twice - around bright lights and busy noises - they had. The actual length of time she'd been without wasn't really known, neither she nor Vik had kept note of it, but she knew it had been at least two months since she'd first started to hear again.

Letting out a long breath of air, Asha slowly opened her eyes. All around her greenery sprouted, in the form of trees and tall grass and plants she did not know the name of. Familiarity lay on every piece of it, forcing a small smile to line her lips. But it did not take long before she closed them again with a wince. Sometimes she wondered if they'd ever be the same again.

The soft whistle of a kettle rang through the grassy clearing; she had been sat waiting for several days now, moving only to pull rations from her pack, or start up a pot of tea. Rather than sleep she simply meditated, enveloping herself in the Force and trusting that it would keep her safe until her message was answered.

It had been a very simple message, though. In fact there was a chance it would not be answered at all. Just a set of coordinates and a single letter: A.

Would Cotan remember this place as fondly as she did?

 

[Cotan Sar'andor]

Cotan's SSL 4550 freighter came out of hyperspace over a verdant, green world, with Cotan staring down at it somewhat surprisedly. It had been a while since he'd last been on the planet. "You could've told me that the coordinates were for Aaris III, Kiss," he told his astromech, where it was plugged into a console nearby. For its part, the droid just beeped at him non-commitally. "Uh-huh. Sure." The last time he'd been on the planet was when he'd met Asha Hex, the girl who'd managed to link him to the Je'daii he'd since joined. And, not too terribly long ago, had disappeared entirely while Cotan had been doing some work for the Judges back in ORC space.

The entire thought of the message and the planet below didn't quite sit right with the Knight. He'd tried to get ahold of Asha earlier, only to find out that Caedyn Arenais had her ship now; the most he could say was that she had disappeared on Nar Shaddaa. Beyond that, he'd had no leads as to where she'd gone. He pursed his lips thoughtfully. "Alright, Kiss, I'm going to bring us in for a landing in a clearing near where the message said to go. Make sure Rhia keeps up on her reading, and doesn't get too distracted researching Tsils again." He pushed forward on the yoke of the ship, sending it into a quick descent.

"Also, if she gets too bored, grab her my training saber. Pull out a couple of remotes or shoot at her with stun bolts yourself. My old study book from when I was in the NJO should be able to teach her the basics of figuring out how to blast deflect, right?" The astromech droid responded with a very questioning burble. "Well, if she tries to mess with the settings on it and figures out how to lessen the magnetic field to lethal levels, take it away from her. I can't imagine she'd try to hold you hostage or anything."

​

​

After landing an exiting the ship, with a quick little farewell to his apprentice, Cotan started on the trek to where he'd been asked to be met. The walk itself was uneventful, although Cotan's memory—albeit somewhat dim—of the area led him to feel more and more uneasy as he walked. When he could hear the sound of a stream nearby, that feeling increased tenfold. Just what is going on here? he thought to himself.

When he stepped into the clearing, he was met with a rather shocking sight: that of Asha Hex herself, just as mysteriously reappeared as when she disappeared. He probed out with the Force, just to make sure it wasn't some sort of trick, when he encountered nothing that felt of the sort. So far as he could tell, the person relaxing a short distance in front of him was Asha. With a kettle full of boiling water whistling impatiently right next to her. Rather than greet her just yet, Cotan reached out with the Force again, this time lifting up a pair of sitting next to the girl. Both of which he could see—after tipping one towards him—had loose leaf tea in them, ready to be brewed.

The kettle floated up next, moving over and filling both of the cups with the boiling water before being set back down by the flame. Cotan called one of the cups over to an outstretched hand, leaving the other floating just in front of Asha. "Careful not to spill that," he said quietly, walking up further. Just a few feet away he sat on the same stump he'd used the last time they'd been in this clearing. "I can't imagine it'd be very comfortable."

[member="Asha Hex"]

 

[Lief]

She sensed him long before he broke through into the clearing of their past.

Making no move to rise or greet him, not yet at least, she followed his actions through the Force; it took every ounce of self-control not to stop him when he tampered with her tea-making customs, but there came a time in everyone's life when that honor had to be passed across to them, even if only once, and he seemed to do a decent enough job of it. Even if he relied a little too heavily on the metaphysical powers contained within him.

The scent of tea leaves ignited something within her. They were not her usual kind, so the brew would not be quite so special or adaptive to each of their tastebuds, nor was the teapot of her own creation, but deep down she knew he would not care. He enjoyed tea just as much as she did. It mattered not if her most prized instruments were currently Force-knew where, hopefully with her Apprentice [member="Caedyn Arenais"] if luck had any part to play in it.

Would he still deem himself such? Her student?

That brought a momentary pause to her thoughts. Maybe it was for the best, he would likely find a Master far more suited to his needs out there in the greater Galaxy. She had just been someone his Father had chosen on his behalf.

Though that didn't do anything to dull the ache she felt at her core.

One eye opened to the sound of a familiar voice, then the other. Not as bright or wide as they had once been, in fact it might have made her look almost guarded though she was in truth most pleased to be using her eyes to look upon Cotan of all people.

Floating in the air between them was a cup of tea, which of course she reached out to claim while he found a seat.

"You look well, Cotan Sar'andor," she said, perhaps a little too formal in tone, by way of greeting. The right side of her lip twitched just enough to show her true emotions, however, glee briefly igniting within her eyes.

It had been too long.

[member="Cotan Sar'andor"]

 

[Cotan Sar'andor]

Cotan raised an eyebrow at the way she spoke, although where Asha only looked guarded, he was somewhat guarded. "Good to know that I've been healing well lately," he replied somewhat cryptically, trying to ignore the feeling as a few of his scars from Coruscant began to itch. He shifted his weight a bit to get more comfortable on the stump, his eyes quickly taking in every detail of Asha's face that they could. The smile that she was trying to keep off her face for the moment was somewhat obvious to him, but it was far from the only thing he noticed. "You don't really look any worse for wear yourself."

Some other people in the galaxy might've taken the moment to give voice to all the worry that they had felt knowing their friend was gone, or might turn to anger and berating the person for never having contacted them, or any number of similar reactions. The thought passed Cotan's mind briefly, and was just as quickly gone again. No doubt, given that she was even better with the Force than he was, Asha would've already sensed such feelings from him anyways. Cotan's mind quickly shifted to other details; the way that Asha was resting in a shadier part of the clearing than last time, the somewhat quieter way she spoke, how she didn't open her eyes nearly as much as she used to.

It was obvious that, whatever had happened to make her disappear for as long as she had, it was having some lasting effects.

"Did you reach out to anybody else?" he asked, smoothly stepping past the topic—for the moment. "I haven't been in touch with most of the others. I've been kept rather busy...pretty much everywhere else." Even on his own ship, given the new passenger he had. If he reached out, he could still sense her a ways off. It didn't seem like anything untoward was happening. Hopefully she wouldn't raid his storage for snacks. He bit the side of his lip, drawing his attention back to the present. "I certainly can't imagine I'm the only one who's been worried."

[member="Asha Hex"]

 

[Lief]

Were he to come closer, to inspect every inch of her face, Cotan might notice several scars dotted around the place. One of the more noticeable ones hung around the right of her neck, stretching up under her ear, but they had actually healed into neat scars rather than their whiter siblings most knew.

And then, of course, there were the other ones that lay beneath the surface of her clothes. The hollow dip in her chest from which she ought to have bled out from. Whatever miracle Vik had worked, however, had kept her from becoming one with the void forever.

She didn't mention any of this when he commented on her appearance, of course, in fact for a moment there she didn't really say anything at all. She just stared across the clearing at him, through barely open lids, hardly daring to believe that he was truly there at all.

The Force made her privy to his emotions, as quickly as they came and went, and though many would find themselves upset or angered to pick up on such Asha felt his feelings were more than warranted, all things considered. She was the one who had vanished. Not the other way around.

His question caught her off guard, and for a moment there her face finally seemed to show some real sign of emotion beyond what her eyes betrayed. She frowned, brows knitting deeply together, and then she shook her head.

"Nobody. Not yet. This was... Hard enough."

Not knowing how he'd respond, ensuring she stayed together long enough to actually send the message - datapads were something she could barely use in her present state - making her way over to Aaris III itself, it had all proved difficult, it had delayed her decision by a couple of weeks, but in the end it had been Cotan she reached out to first, not her Father who had once almost disowned her for disappearing, even though her enslavement had not been her doing, or her Apprentice who she felt certain was better off without her.

Especially now.

"You did not come alone," Asha mused, finally saying something more than what was socially obligated. She could not sense who it was, of course, not at this distance, and for a moment there her heart sank. Worrying for the worst. "I will send you back with enough tea leaves for two."

If he had wanted to bring his guest out here with him, she had no doubt he would have. Of course, how was she to know it was a child that had been left behind for her safety more so than any other reason.

Though there was much to say, so many explanations to give, silence still seemed to linger between the two of them. Not necessarily awkward, but certainly not as comforting as the quiet time they'd come to know. Where they could both sit with their thoughts, or their work, alone together.

"I would have contacted you sooner," she finally came to confess, though she did her best to avoid too much detail on the matter, "But I was physically unable. I hope in time you can forgive me." No greater explanation was given, she hadn't called him here to make excuses.

[member="Cotan Sar'andor"]

 

[Cotan Sar'andor]

Cotan's expression took on a slightly more incredulous set at the way Asha pointed out that he'd brought somebody else along. As long as he'd known her, with all the jokes they made at each other's expense, he'd never known her to be jealous at all. If it weren't for the gravity of the situation at hand he might've started laughing, either out of mirth or nervousness. As it stood, though, he relaxed fairly quickly, still taking in the details that he could notice. Asha's scars, while in a more potentially visible location, had healed quite a bit better than any of the ones Cotan had suffered due to Carnifex.

As she spoke up again, Cotan thought for a moment on just how he would respond. As things were, though, words weren't always his strong suit; at the same time, he and Asha generally acted at least somewhat more proper than the average galactic citizen. Around most people, anyways, and that was ignoring some of the banter.

Oh, hell.

Cotan moved over closer, reaching out and taking Asha into a gentle hug. "Just so you know," he said quietly, "That other person is my new apprentice. You don't have to worry about a thing." Having been able to piece together the general idea of what had happened to Asha, he didn't squeeze her tightly or anything—he'd much prefer not to run the risk of hurting her—but it was a full hug nonetheless. It certainly made it unnecessary to verbally answer her last statement.

He drew back slightly after a moment, looking down. "You don't have to send me off with anything, either," he added. "My new ship is large enough to fit an extra person. It'd certainly be cheaper than trying to catch another shuttle." He had to admit, after she'd just disappeared from him once, he was a bit loath to let her out of his sight again. He'd certainly have some problems waiting if she disappeared away from everybody and then her father found out he was the last person to see her, at any rate. "Just think about that for a bit."

He looked up at the sky critically for a moment. It was a fair bit earlier than that afternoon when he'd first met Asha. "As things are, though, I imagine we have more than enough time before dinner that neither of us needs to go anywhere for a while."

[member="Asha Hex"]

 

[Lief]

Though she was doing her best to respect his privacy and avoid sensing any of his emotions, his disbelief when she spoke of his traveling companion was noted.

Asha felt her body tense in anticipation, to be called a fool, or to hear words she didn't wish to be told, but none of that happened. She watched through heavy lids as he rose from his stump of a seat and approached her, his demeanor didn't broker any sort of negative connotations, and though she struggled to read his body language as well as she'd once been able to, mostly due to her infernal eyesight, her mind still raced with a thousand notions of what it was he could have been doing.

The only thing she hadn't thought of was what he settled on. The girl found herself gently pulled into his embrace, a hug which seemed to acknowledge the rough few months she'd had. Careful not to squeeze, yet filled with warmth. Everything melted away, all of the anguish she'd been bottling up since she'd first woken to find her vision and hearing gone, the uncertainty at returning to the greater Galaxy, and her fears concerning Cotan and whether or not he'd come at all.

"Your Apprentice?" she whispered against him, as the last pieces of the puzzle clicked into place and the weight of his words - and her admittedly silly sting of jealousy - struck her. Cotan had a student?

Somehow she couldn't picture that.

When he pulled back there was a very small grin on her face, mostly caused by such a notion, yet tears had begun to well within her eyes. Pretty soon her vision was blurry, more so than it already had been, much to her frustration. She'd only just been able to look at Cotan after months apart, and suddenly her body was turning against her and making it so she no longer could? That was so rude.

His offer to bring her aboard his ship was honestly an unexpected one. It was true, she had been hopping between ships in order to get here. Even before then she'd been forced to do the same, her ship was no longer in her possession after all. There was no pressure for her to decide, though, even though she already knew the answer.

Patting the ground at her side in invitation, she followed his gaze skyward only to wince after a few seconds. Then she brought her attention back down to Cotan, watching his face as he watched the sky.

"I missed you, you know?" she finally confessed, a lot later than she had wanted to, "I'm glad you came."

[member="Cotan Sar'andor"]

 

[Cotan Sar'andor]

Cotan obedienty sat down next to Asha, looking back down to her. "It might be a bit reckless of me, but I can't deny my curiosity when it comes to cryptic messages," he replied with a shrug. He brought one leg up, resting his hands on his knee. He looked around a bit, taking in the details of the spot they were at. Seasons had changed, of course, but other than that it was still mostly the same as it had been before. It was, overall, a nice place to come back to, given everything that had happened in the galaxy since last he'd been present on the world.

He glanced back over at Asha, toking a look directly into her eyes. Where before they'd been a bright, vibrant green, what he could see now was muted and dulled; obviously whatever injury had given her the scars had harmed her eyes, as well. Still, Cotan didn't have enough medical knowledge to determine just what it was that would've harmed her vision and changed the appearance of her eyes, nor could he do anything about it. It was just another one of the little details he was noticing that were cluing him into why Asha didn't contact him or any of the other.

"Where'd you go, Asha?" he asked, his tone somewhat subdued. "The most any of us were able to learn was that you were last on Nar Shaddaa. Beyond that, nothing. Hell, I would've gone looking for you more myself if I didn't have my duties here with the Judges to take care of as well." Although Cotan held a strong grip on his expression, the concern and worry he'd felt for the last few months were fairly obviously evident in his tone. The distractions of life in the ORC and helping train Rhia hadn't done much to push those from his mind; whenever he wasn't busy, he'd still pull up his ship's comm system or the holonet to see if there'd been any updates from the other Je'daii or from Asha herself.

He swallowed some of those thoughts back down, trying to stifle a short, rueful little laugh. "I've missed you too, Asha, more than you might have expected," he said again, before she could answer his question. "Been trying to keep the worry down for months. Think you can try to not go off on your own like that, at least for a little while?"

[member="Asha Hex"]

 

[Lief]

In the time between the end of their embrace and Cotan settling down beside her, Asha took her first sip of the piping hot tea and had to confess that she needed to let her guard down a little more often when it came to allowing others to brew it in her stead.

Letting out a sigh of contentment, she shifted slightly in place so that she could better see him and smiled at his words. It seemed as though her small hint had gone unnoticed, either that or he simply hadn't been expecting to hear from her enough to add two and two together. Likely the latter in truth, she had been gone for quite some time even if she could not pinpoint an exact length of time.

"So, more of them in the future then?" she teased, some of the weight she'd been carrying seeming to lift from heavy shoulders as she eased out of her tense state. Grateful to be once again in his company.

When he met her gaze she allowed him just a few moments to inspect before turning her sights down to her lap, covering the blight of her iris' under her lashes. While she was not necessarily ashamed by it, she was somewhat self-conscious about the change; her eyes had always been her favourite feature about herself, as superficial as that was, and now all they were was a constant reminder of what had transpired.

The question which accompanied the glance made her heart stutter and her breath catch within her throat. Though he spoke before she could answer, she knew that he was genuinely looking for answers and she could not blame him for it. Had the tables been reversed, she'd have wanted the same.

"There is somewhere I need to go, when we are done here," she confessed, thoughts drifting back to her former student. Guilt lined her expression then, as well as a little doubt. He probably wouldn't want to speak to her, if she was being honest with herself. But she had to try. Who knew, Cotan had surprised her so why not Caedyn too? "But I will take you up on your offer, to join you and your student on your ship. I don't really wish to be alone right now, either."

A soft sigh escaped her, one which carried the weight of it all. For a moment it seemed as though she wasn't going to answer his first question, though she tasted the words on her tongue inaudibly during that time. She didn't look at him as she began to speak.

"There was a terrorist attack on Nar Shaddaa, just after I arrived, and I was caught up in one of the blasts. I learned later that I almost didn't make it, but there were... So many others less fortunate." More of that former guilt seeped in to her expression. She should have sensed something was amiss, she should have done something more than become another body in the list of wounded. "When I finally came around most of my senses were busted. Couldn't hear, couldn't see... And it stayed that way for weeks. I don't even remember how much time passed, but someone was kind enough to stay with me through it."

She never truly understood Vik's reason for doing so, it was a selfless act in the truest sense. At first she had suspected Jedi intervention, after all they were the sort to do such things without expecting anything in exchange, but he wasn't. Just an innocent bystander who had risen to the occasion.

"Even when it started to get better, when my vision began to return, and my hearing, I wasn't really in a position to contact anyone. It was bad for a while there, never knew if I'd wake up blind or not. And then, well... Then I doubted you'd come." Last time she'd vanished, her return had been met with disappointment and rejection from her Father. "I couldn't handle the thought of that, on top of everything else. It was foolish of me, I know, and I'm sorry. I should have contacted you sooner."

But she hadn't; there was no use dwelling on that, on any of it, any longer than she had to.

"Sorry" she whispered, with a short laugh that had an aura of self-deprecation, "I don't mean to ramble, I feel like I haven't spoken quite so much in forever."

[member="Cotan Sar'andor"]

 

[Cotan Sar'andor]

Cotan listened placidly while Asha recounted what had happened, gently watching her while she spoke. It certainly did well to answer the questions he'd been left with for the last few months, and he decided that if he ever got the chance, he'd have to thank Asha's mysterious benefactor personally for keeping the girl alive and healthy. Still, hearing her describe just what had actually happened threatened to bring all the worries he'd experience while she was gone back up to the forefront; Cotan shut his eyes for a moment, taking a quiet breath.

Let it stay in the past, Cotan.

He opened his eyes again as Asha finished, laughing at herself for carrying on. He didn't respond immediately, instead wrapping his arms back around the woman's shoulders and pulling her in close to him. "Don't worry about it," he said quietly. "Normally I talk enough for the both of us, anyways. It doesn't hurt to change things up every once in a while." This time, he didn't break off the hug like he had earlier; somehow, he doubted that Asha would prove to be bothered by it.

Unwilling to take his attention fully off of Rhia for too long, he cast his senses out again; it wasn't hard to pick up on the girl, still on his ship. Nor on the faint energies radiating off of his droid, who seemed to be wheeling around in close proximity to Rhia. Either trying to keep her entertained, or just worrying over her like droids often did with young sentients, he wasn't sure. Any potential anxiety about the girl's state abated, he brought his mind back to his immediate surroundings.

He sighed pleasantly after a moment, sitting there with his own eyes closed. "It's good to have you back, Asha," he said simply, entirely content in where he was and what he was doing. Unlike the last time he'd been in this place, he didn't have anything he had to do, nobody he had to report to, no real pressing engagements for the day. Now, it was just time to relax and enjoy the company of the person sitting beside him.

[member="Asha Hex"]

 

[Lief]

With just a subtle brush of the Force Asha sent the teacup from her hand and softly settled it down on the tree stump Cotan had previously been sitting atop of. While she wasn't actually finished with the brew, the feel of his arm around her shoulder brought about a feeling of genuine contentment which she wanted to embrace to the fullest and she knew that cradling such a hot object - with the very real threat of being scolded should she forget about its existence - was not the best way to do such.

Slowly but surely she settled her head against his shoulder and closed her eyes ever so slightly. This time it was less about keeping out the cruel rays of sun, though, no matter how much she might have tried to claim otherwise if pressed to explain.

She sat like that in silence, happy to listen to what little snippets of conversation Cotan provided, for quite some time, hyper aware of the fact that neither of them seemed to be in any rush. Following her disappearance, Asha had lost all of the responsibilities she'd previously built up for herself, her ties to the Je'daii had all but disintegrated, her student was off elsewhere in the Galaxy - though precisely where she'd yet to discover - and even her beloved Azrael was wherever Caedyn and The Prophet were.

It was strange; after several years of fighting for her place in the Galaxy, she found that she liked the tranquility and lack of pressure she felt now. Even if it had come from a place of difficulty. There was nothing telling her when or how to touch upon the Force, a connection which had become all the more intimate since the return of her connection with it. For a while there, as her other senses were dampened or outright missing, she'd also largely lost touch with that most sacred energy which bound the universe.

To have it back was one of the greatest feelings she'd known. Present company, however, was up there with the best of it.

"I hope you didn't get yourself into too much trouble while I was gone" the girl breathed, after what felt like an eternity of sitting in comfortable silence, realizing that so much of their conversation thus far had settled on her whereabouts above anything else. Just what misadventures had he gotten himself wrapped up in?

[member="Cotan Sar'andor"]

 

[Cotan Sar'andor]

When Asha sat her cup down on the stump, Cotan realized with a bit of a guilty start that he hadn't drank from his cup of tea whatsoever yet. Thankfully, Asha hadn't commented on it or teased him about it yet; he just turned his attention away and ignored it, however. The girl that was currently leaning against him seemed far more important to focus on for the time being. Besides, there'd be plenty of time to drink more tea later on; he was just happy Asha wasn't teasing him about neglecting the cup.

It almost didn't feel like it had been long enough sitting there, each enjoying the other's presence, before Asha spoke up again. Cotan frowned unintentionally, the events of the past few months coming back to mind. Overall, he hadn't been involved in much—but what he had been involved with was quite important. He sighed, trying to figure out just how to mention what all had happened. "Yeah, about that..."

His grip on Asha slackened slightly as he adjusted himself, ready to roll back his sleeves in a few moments. "The galaxy is quite a bit different compared to when you disappeared, Asha," he began, straightening his legs back out. "The Galactic Alliance no longer holds any real power over the galaxy, like they did; just a few days ago I'd been helping what was left of them get settled into coalition space on D'qar, when Rhia came along with me having been recommended to train her." He looked up at the sun again for a moment, frowning; while they'd been sat there, afternoon had slowly but steadily made its approach towards evening. He figured it was maybe an hour and a half until what made for his normal suppertime.

"Before that...the Sith attacked Coruscant. That was one of the major battles that occurred. They'd hidden ships under the city, back when it was the One Sith that held the planet, and they just decided to attack that day. Galactic City has been absolutely wrecked." He released the hug, reaching down to start rolling back his sleeves. Contrary to the scars that Asha had, Cotan's various scars—from lightsaber burns, or from cuts he received rolling around in the rubble of the Jedi Temple—weren't anywhere near as nicely healed. The bacta patches he'd been able to apply shortly after the fighting had helped, of course, but the time he'd had to spend before being able to get them properly treated had led to the flesh bunching up, forming a multitude of noticeable scars.

"I'd been on Coruscant when it happened; it turned out that Taeli Raaf, the Grand Marshal of the New Jedi Order, had been in league with the Sith the whole time. A pair of Jedi—Coren Starchaser and Mishel Noran—had been on their way into the high council chamber to confront her, when the Dark Lord himself and his Hand arrived to help Taeli." He shook his head at the memory of what had happened, greatly saddened at the loss of the Jedi Temple. Even if he'd left the Order, it had been his home for the first seventeen years of his life; seeing it destroyed was not something he'd ever hoped would happen.

"Me being myself, I ran for the top of the tower to help fight back, to try and buy time for the others in the area to escape. Coren and Mishel took on Master Raaf, while Carnifex and I fought...and, well, you can see what happened." He had his own self-deprecating laugh; it hadn't been a particularly wise decision, for him to take on the Dark Lord. Even if he was proficient enough as a swordsman to hold his own, his capabilities with the Force were far less than ideal for such an instance.

"Eventually, his Hand joined in on the fight, after the Dark Lord and I fell into the Room of a Thousand Fountains. That was the point at which I made my retreat and ran back to ORC space, after having patched myself up as well as I could. They had a few doctors who helped a bit, but by that point there was no real way to keep the scarring very minimal. Lightsaber burns don't like to heal well, anyways." He'd been rather uncomfortable for weeks after the fight, between all the cuts, burns, and a broken rib or two. He hadn't smelled nice, either, what with having bacta patches bandaged to him constantly. He was glad once he'd finished healing and was able to take a good two or three showers to get rid of the stench. He didn't particularly like to imagine how Asha would've reacted to him if he still stank like bacta.

"Other than that, there hasn't been too much, I suppose. Just a lot of work for the ORC. At some point I need to take Rhia to Orax so she can meet a Shard; after growing up on Crystalsong, the kid is almost obsessed with anything crystalline ever. Can't blame her too much, though, if it reminds her of home." He sighed, and started rolling his sleeves back down. "It's been a crazy few months." He thought for a moment, remembering the podracer that now was taking up a fair amount of space in his cargo hold.

"Also, I signed up to participate in a podrace soon..."

[member="Asha Hex"]

 

[Lief]

It was quite the eventful story that was weaved, as the pair sat there.

She forced the frown, which tried to work its way upon her lips after he ceased their slight embrace, from her lips the moment it tried to arise, and then lifted her head to look at him as he spoke. Talk of a power shift in the Galaxy, of the fall of the Alliance, and assaults led by the Sith. Harrowing to say the least, as though the Galaxy and its inhabitants hadn't faced enough over the past few years.

But it was Cotan's part in it that had her heart stop, and her throat constrict with worry, even though he was plainly right before her and thus had made it out alive.

"You fought Kaine?"

It felt weird to speak his name, something about it didn't sit right with her, a little too familiar given that they were leagues apart, but she couldn't help herself. Disbelief lay heavy within her, though the scarring he presented her with spoke volumes. Her mind went back to the dreamul'er she'd purchased in the shadowport a little while before the events of Nar Shaddaa, the plant was said to have properties which healed lightsaber wounds, though she'd never had a cause to try it for herself yet. It had mostly been a cautionary purchase.

Could that have helped, had she been here?

Guilt lined her expression.

"I'm glad you're okay," she whispered, as though by saying it too loudly the opposite might be true, "That was brave of you." Reckless, but brave.

Her head settled back to his shoulder, as she happily listened to talk of his student and Orax. It seemed as though he had plenty to be doing, that didn't involve sitting in a clearing with her, yet she wasn't about to point that out. Not quite yet.

Then he spoke again, and a huge grin overtook the guilt she'd formerly been expressing.

"A podrace? But, aren't they super dangerous? You have to let me come watch, someone has to make sure you make it out alive!"

[member="Cotan Sar'andor"]

 

[Cotan Sar'andor]

Cotan wrapped his arms back around Asha, after she settled back in against him. "You know, I would've thought you'd be annoyed with me for signing on to such thing," he mused, glancing down at her. "But I suppose you can watch, if you really want to. It should be fun to see me leave Jorus choking on my exhaust." He didn't know Jorus Merrill—the man who was the closest thing the Judges seemed to have to a unified leader—particularly well; still, Cotan was the sort of person who'd be willing to make any rivalry just for the sake of having it. "I think I'm able to hand out a couple free tickets, even. Just means you'll be in charge of Rhia while I'm zooming around."

He yawned after a moment passed, the time spent sitting and relaxing, something Cotan normally couldn't do, making him have to actually try not to doze off. He gave another critical glance skyward, frowning as he did so. Dinnertime—and with it, check-up-on-Rhia-time—was approaching inexorably. Even if he did enjoy working with his apprentice, he wasn't particularly looking forward to leaving his current whereabouts. No matter how long he may have been sat there.

On a whim, he reached down slightly, clasping both of Asha's hands in between his own. "I would say not worry about me," he began, looking back down at her, "Although I know you wouldn't hesitate to point out just how silly it is for me to be saying that after how I've worried about you these last few months, so I won't." While he looked down, a small smile played itself across his face, Cotan no longer bothering to control his face as much as earlier.

"Thanks for the reciprocation, Asha," he said, nearly as quietly as Asha's earlier whisper. "I can't guarantee I won't do stupid things like picking fights with Sith Lords, but...you're the one with the Force skills between us. You're the medic, the healer, everything I can't do or be; I'm just a guy with a lightsaber who's willing to throw his own life on the line so that people like you can help the ones who can't fight." He hugged her a little more tightly against himself than he had earlier, although he was still being careful not to hurt her.

"I hope you can forgive me, for all of that."

[member="Asha Hex"]

 

[Lief]

Their embrace resumed, and Asha followed his gaze up toward what bits of the sky were visible through the treetops. Despite the fact that he had arrived around lunchtime the sun's position marked it as nearing evening already; it was strange how they could sit there, with only the odd conversation to break the silence, for so long, and yet it only felt like mere minutes since they had been reunited. Not that she was complaining. There was magic behind that, it was rare to be so comfortable in the presence of another. So content.

When the mention of borderline celebrity Jorus Merrill was made, she half lifted her head in surprise and concern, though she returned it back to his shoulder almost as suddenly, a playful frown laced upon her lips.

"That changes things," she muttered, "With Merrill in the race, I'm afraid it would be simply much too dangerous." She was only half joking, of course, her one interaction with Jorus had been a lovely experience, the man was just as her Father had described him, and he'd offered more support than she'd been expecting when it came to the Je'daii and Aurum. But he was renown for his antics across the Galaxy, a hero to most and a thorn in the side of many others. Trouble oft' followed that particular Captain, but never anything he couldn't handle.

Asha decided that it definitely wasn't a spectacle she wanted to miss. At least that way she could patch him up when his podracer caught fire.

"I'll keep the girl safe," she promised, after all that was something she was good at. It was only when it came to her own well-being that Asha seemed to struggle. She fought harder for the sake of others than she did herself.

Hearing Cotan yawn made her realize just how tired she herself was. She'd been in that same spot for days now, and rest hadn't been much more than meditation. She was ready for a good nights sleep, a real nights sleep, and a trip to the refresher. Part of her longed for a fresh set of clothes, after all the ones on her back had traveled with her all the way from Atrisia, but that was asking for a little much. Soon, she knew, she'd be back on track with such things. But for now she wanted to enjoy what little time they had left before responsibilities came a-knocking.

Drawn from her thoughts by the touch of his hands overlapping her own, gently held between them, she looked up just as he looked down and listened to what he had to say. His hands were warm, breathing life into her own often-numb fingertips, the nerves of which hadn't quite been the same since Shaddaa. Not enough to be a problem, merely a nuisance.

"Me?" she breathed, "Worry? About you?" A very large and sincere grin accompanied her words, "Whatever gave you that idea?"

His voice dropped then to an almost inaudible volume, and her ears strained to pick up on the words themselves. A look of determination washed over the grin, her focus on his lips now more than his eyes, though she managed to keep up with it all the same.

"There's nothing to forgive you for, Cotan," she reiterated all at once, sighing softly to the tighter embrace and even reciprocating it. "You are who you are, and that's what I love about you. The Galaxy needs more people willing to step up."

[member="Cotan Sar'andor"]

 

[Cotan Sar'andor]

Cotan released Asha's hands when she moved to hug him back, closing his eyes contentedly. He decided that Asha looking up to him like she just had was going to be one of the memories he'd cherish the rest of his life; at the same time, he was somewehat glad he knew of Asha's current visual problems. Somebody who didn't might have gotten the wrong idea from her looking at his lips just then.

Still, regardless of how much Cotan would have traded anything away to stay in that one spot, the universe didn't work that way. He broke off the hug, shifting himself aside slightly before he started to stand. "It's getting a bit late," he said critically. In a relative sense; had he wanted to preserve a normal dinner time, he should've left ten minutes earlier. Hopefully Rhia wouldn't be too hungry when he got back. "How about we go back to my ship, and I can show you those cooking skills I always said were so great?"

With a small grin at his joke, he held out a hand to help Asha up. The other was already busy levitating the tea set over to the stream to give them a quick rinsing out, before they could be more properly washed back at his freighter. "I promise, I won't accidentally poison you. I haven't hurt Rhia, yet, anyways. So I'll that as a sign my cooking can't be all bad."

[member="Asha Hex"]

 

[Lief]

And just like that, the spell was broken.

Reality seeped into their little piece of paradise, forcing her latent muscles back into action. With his assistance she rose from her spot on the ground and gave a very soft nod. One of reluctance, but understanding. Even if it hadn't just been Cotan she knew that they couldn't have stayed there much longer. But adding an Apprentice into that mix gave all the more reason to it.

She'd be lying if she tried to claim the very notion of it wasn't endearing. From what she'd seen back on Ceto, he seemed to actually be pretty good with kids. Though admittedly more like the fun uncle than the father. Deep down Asha couldn't wait to see their dynamic unfold before her very eyes.

"Thank you," she said, as she began to gather her things, "for actually coming. And for insisting I come with you... I feel it's more than I deserve, all things considered."

As the teapot was returned to her, Asha hooked it to a spot on the backpack she'd acquired on her travels and peeked back up at Cotan - thankfully with the sun at her back. A soft smile returned to her expression, and without a word she leaned up and kissed his cheek. It lasted just a moment, before she pulled back and grinned.

"Last one to the ship is on dish duty."

With that, she turned and started to run.

[member="Cotan Sar'andor"]

 

[Cotan Sar'andor]

Cotan glanced down at Asha with a look of surprise, before the girl dashed off out of the clearing and back into the brush. He reached up and scratched at his beard where she'd kissed him, lightly chuckling to himself. "And here I thought we'd get to hold hands." Walking fairly relaxedly in the direction of his ship—just fast enough to make sure Asha didn't disappear entirely from view and potentially get herself lost, given that between the two of them Cotan was the one who knew exactly where the ship was and what it looked like—he reached into a pocket, pulling out his commlink.

"Alright, K1, get the engines warmed up," he told his droid through the small device. "And make sure the boarding ramp is down. I'll be there in a few minutes, along with our new passenger." With some sort of affirmative beep coming through the commlink, Cotan dropped it back in his pocket, before starting to jog after Asha. After all, he couldn't just let her win.




(Who will win the race? Who will lose? Find out next time, on The Adventures of—okay, no, sorry, end thread.)