Perceptions of Reality [Mia's return. Mandalorian]

[Lina Ovmar]

It was a curious thing, sanity. She had once thought it was a simple matter of one who had control of their mind and one who didn't. Now, however, now she believed it was a matter of perspective. People who appeared to be perfectly sane could often turn out to be the most dangerous and unstable people and yet those who were depicted to be insane could prove to be rational thinkers. What all of this came down to really was whether Mia herself was insane or whether she was perfectly capable of rational thought.

The answer? She couldn't tell you, she could guess from the look she had gotten on her return that most people believed her to be unstable. She caught their pitying glances and she hated them for it, even more so when they averted their eyes. She wanted to scream at them, to explain but all she could do was run from them, retreating to her house or to the boulder on which she sat today.

Several rocks had created stepping stones to the huge boulder that rose from the centre of this stretch of river, many of them were submerged underwater and if you didn't know where to place your feet could leave you drenched. Mia knew this, because this was their stretch, the stretch of river her father wold bring her to whenever things were getting too much for either of them. Here they could forget all the worry and just be.

She tried to remember that, to remember what it was to be, to live, but she found herself opening and closing her hands in her lap as she sat cross legged on her little mountain, staring down at them willing it to stop.

She had been told to go to the Mandalore, to brief him on what happened. She had avoided it. She had been advised by the doctor to come back after a couple of days so he could better assess her mental state. She had ignored him. She did not want to be poked and prodded, she wanted to be left alone, to heal in peace.

She had one comfort, and one comfort only from being home, and that was the weight of the blaster at that hung at her hip.

 

[Verz Horak]

Mia had returned, rescued by Verz and his squad a few days ago. She,against a doctor's orders, had run off. They figured he would know where to find her. So he looked. The armor helped. Approaching a river, he called out.

"Mia! Where are you, nervod?"

 

[Lina Ovmar]

The blaster was in her hand at the cry of her name and she slid from the boulder, her feet making a loud splash as she leapt from one rock to the next, back to the shore. She wasn't going back, not now, not ever.

Going back where?

She landed on the shore sprawled like a cat as the question rose in her mind. Back to him or back to them?

Neither. She holstered the blaster and ran for the trees, picking one covered in vines and rapidly making her way up into the thick of its branches, she pressed herself close to the trunk as the armoured Mandalore passed below her. She recognised the armour to be Verz's and held her breath praying that he didn't detect her.

 

[Jorn Mair]

Jorn was with Verz but a few feet behind. They had to find Mia. Jorn looked around and yelled out. "Mia! We dont want to hurt you. We are here to help!." Jorn was not carrying his rifle so his hands were open to move around If Mia could see him his hands were up alittle to sho that he was unarmed. With what Daxton had done to her she might have slightly lost her mind. "Mia Please just come home." Jorn remembered when they had taken over Taris. She lead them to victory even though it was not a very hard battle. Jorn muttered to himself "Daxton I swear I will get you for this."

 

[Verz Horak]

Verz was worried. He knew Mia was near, but why was she hiding? She was fearless on Taris, leading them into the rakghoul nest and back. Where was that side of her? He looked around, then noticed a drip of water. Motioning to Jorn, he moved closer, then looked up slowly. He saw her! He took off his helmet slowly, soshe would see him, and revealed the same old face, just afew new scars, and missing half an ear. He held his helmet under his arm.

"Mia, please come down. It's me, Verz. I would never hurt you. I helped rescue you. Don't you remember?"

 

[Lina Ovmar]

Mia glowered down at them, the blaster once more in her hand, its weight was comforting in her hand, the metal cool beneath the surface. She let out a hollow laugh at Verz's words. "Don't talk to me like I'm a child!" she shrieked at him her blaster waving at him like it was a finger. They thought she was insane she could hear in their voices. "You rescued me. What a fine job you did, scraping up what was left of me and bringing me here."

I'll let them recue you, you would like that wouldn't you

She let out a low growl as his words came back to her. "You came too late. Took me from one game and put me into the next, because that's all this is, that's all everything is, its a game and we are the pawns, out survival is out of our hands and in theirs. I'm not going back, I'm not going home. I haven't got a home." her eyes were wide and full of fear, she wanted to stop herself, to stop the thoughts spilling in an un-orderly fashion form her mind. "I'm going to kill him." she hissed.

"I'm not going back. I don't want to and you can't make me. They're just going to poke and prod me and I've had enough of it. No more." She holstered the blaster and began to climb higher.

 

[Carbon]

Before anyone could respond, an angry growl rumbled from the helmet speakers of an imposing figure, half cloaked in shadow by an expanse of leafy canopy. "You disappoint me.", Emberli says, stepping from his position on the sidelines and into the light.

"You ignore your duty. Avoid your clansmen trying to help you. You broke, and instead of looking to your vode to help you put yourself back together... you chose to remain broken and weak so you could run from your problems."

Emberli scoffed, arms folding across his broad chest as he watched the scene unfolding before him.
"You're hardly a Mandalorian. You wear the title, but do it no justice."

 

[Lina Ovmar]

The mandalore's voice made her pause in her ascent. Cutting through her the same way her fathers used to when he told her off for disobedience. She rested her head on the tree trunk as a thousand voices seemed to run through her head. Some told her to run, others to fight but there was on that stood out the most.

Down.

She moved slowly her eyes fixed on the mandalore as she reached the lowest branch still just out of their reach she sat down fixing him with a strange look somewhere between hate and admiration.

"How can you put something back together when there are peices missing?"

 

[Carbon]

Emberli was a bit dumbfounded by the question, not because he was stumped, but because it made no sense. If technology was broken, you got new parts that were the same as the old. If a person broke, well, that was a bit more difficult.

Walking towards her, irregardless of any and all obstacles that may have impeded his progress. A gauntleted hand extended, open, for her to grasp.

Salvation.

"You make new ones to fill the gap."

 

[Jorn Mair]

Jorn moved forwards to were Verz was looking straight up at Mia. Emberli ad come and was talking to the Broken woman. He didnt want to ruin all what they had so he stayed quite. The questions that were asked were good. but the Mandalores response made everything different. He was right.

 

[Verz Horak]

Verz stepped aside after saluting the Mandalore. He hadn't expected him to come. Not in a million years. He stepped back from the tree. Watching as the Mandalore helped Mia down, he spoke up.

"Anything that breaks, can be fixed ten times as strong, ner vod. We are here to help, not hurt."

 

[Lina Ovmar]

Yes. she thought, build new ones. Upgrade old ones. Make it better, stronger. Fix it. Fix me. She eyed his hand cautiously, its gesture was kind and she knew it, but it was clear in her face that she feared it. She was sick of the fear. She had spent months in fear, when once she had been fearless. She blinked, silent tears rolling down her face.

Reaching down she took it the hand, her other hand moved to the Mandalore's shoulder for support as she slid from the branch to stand in front of him. Another emotion struck her. Shame. She stepped back from him bowed her head and wiped her face, before looking at Verz. She studied him hard for a moment before speaking "You got uglier, ner vod." she said commenting on his new scars, though the jest lacked the emotion behind it and she looked at Jorn.

"I'm not me. I lost me." she looked back at the Mandalore "Will you help?"

 

[Verz Horak]

Verz laughed at Mia's jest, though he detected something in her voice, something that wasn't quite right. He made a show of looking insulted, trying to cheer her up.

"Well, I do miss that half of my ear, but I think it's an improvement, don't you? That Twi'lek girl seemed to like it."

​He gave Mia a comforting pat on the back, and spoke in a calm, comforting tone."Don't worry vod. Everything will be OK. I'll do anything in my power to help you."

 

[Carbon]

Emberli helped lower her to the ground and nodded once. "I will guide you; the work is yours to do. Nothing given by others is ever worth as much as those earned through your own hard work." That was just about all he really had to say on that matter. The man never spoke much, that was for certain.

 

[Lina Ovmar]

Verz cold have done nothing worse than touch Mia. She had not asked him for it and She twisted, catching his wrist in a vice like grip her eyes unveiling the hatred that Daxton had developed inside her. It was a look that could have killed Verz ten times over.

"Do. Not. Touch. Me." For a moment her body language threatened further action but she released him, casting all three of them wary glances before she moved away, her feet carrying her back towards the village.

 

[Carbon]

"You will stand your ground.", Emberli growls. The tone brokered no compromise. None. It would either send her running further or steel her up. He hoped for the latter.

 

[Lina Ovmar]

Mia stopped and turned to face him "I am standing it. You wanted me to go back. I'm going back." she snapped at him "What more do you want?"

 

[Carbon]

"You retreated when he tried to be friendly. I'm understanding, but running wont help."

 

[Jorn Mair]

Jorn nodded his head at Mia when she came down. He would help her in any way he could, but she was ruining herself when she was yelling at them. "Mia, running will not help. You have to face your fears. You taught me that! you lead us thought Taris when I was scared shitless." Jorn lowered his voice to just a whisper "You have made changes to the Mandos that have made us stronger." Jorn was speaking only truth. If Mia wanted to be back to her normal self then she would have to hear all of the truth.

 

[Lina Ovmar]

"I'm not..." she began, her tone defensive but Jorn's words cut her off. She stared at him, her rage slowly ebbing away. She deflated a little and closed her eyes, trying to find words to make them understand. She wasn't running, she was going to fight this but Daxton had ruined her and it was going to take time.

I am Mia Monroe, she thought to herself, daughter of Jaxx Monroe. I am Mando'ade and Mando'ade do not run. Opening her eyes she looked at Verz. "I'm sorry, I just...the things he did...I need time. I need to get him out of here." she pointed at her head she regarded them all for a moment. "Your friendship means everything to me, just...don't touch me. Not yet. He needs to be gone first."

No matter where you go, no matter where you run. You will always be mine.

"It's not true." she whispered back at his voice, her eyes glazing slightly, as if she had forgotten they were there.