The Music of the Night [Connor Harrison]

[Lief]

The journey back to Cratertown had been quiet, but not uncomfortably so. Part way through Kyra had taken Connor's hand, as the darkness descended across the landscape and the lights of her home twinkled in the far distance. She rationalised that it was because of the danger which was no doubt lurking, but honestly she hadn't quite gotten her head around the fact that he was here alongside her again.

It felt as though no time had passed, yet there remained an empty crater within her caused by the absence of her sole friend which had amounted over a decade until it was some unbearable burden she'd tried to suppress.

As they neared the town there came, carried on the light sandy wind, the airy notes of a distant song. It was soft and mellow and shook her very core; goosebumps rose along her skin, and even Kyne seemed to perk up to the sound of it. Not wanting to break the mesmerizing spell it cast upon her, Kyra directed the trio to her home, atop a hill overlooking the town.

It looked extremely ordinary, precisely the way she wanted it to, yet there were some quirks which made it her own. Random splotches of grease and oil stains marring the path up to it, the broken heap of a speeder in the yard, which she told herself each morning would be fixed in the coming weeks yet was always set aside in favour of other projects.

Opening the door she flicked on an overhead light and stepped aside so that Connor could enter. Kyne immediately lopped to his bowls, lapping up water, and then lazily plonked himself down in his bed beside her desk. It wasn't the most tidy of homes, but it wasn't necessarily dirty either. Kyra knew where everything was, that was what mattered, right?

"Make yourself at home" she said, moving over to a sofa and taking off some of the things which adorned it to make space for him should he wish to sit. Thankfully the guest bedroom had remained mostly untouched since she got the place, though it was furnished. Hopefully it would be enough.

Kyra seemed a little uncertain as she stood there, she wanted him to feel welcome here. She wanted him to stay if only for a little while.

[member='Connor Harrison']

 

[Connor Harrison]

Bag over one shoulder, Connor followed the long walk beside Kyra and Kyne back to Cratertown. Something about planets like Jakku drew him. Was it they reminded him of himself perhaps? Vast, empty and alone? Or peaceful, quiet and riddled with mystery? A little of both maybe.

Not even thinking when Kyra took his hand, he walked with ease and without thought. Boots sinking into the sand, the cool breeze started to come in, although it was still warm but in relation to the afternoon breeze with the mid-day sun this was much more welcome. He couldn’t help glance over his shoulder at the Star Destroyer looming behind them. With no lights at all on the downed ship, only a faint outline of the war machine could be seen on the horizon with the waning light. The beast would remain, untouched for many more years, but Connor had at least had a moment where he had conquered it.

Coming up around the town to her place, it reminded him a little of the hovels on Tatooine but without the majority of the property under the surface. Passing the wrecked speeder, the home was nothing but what he expected from this one.

It was cozy, comfortable and scattered with her own markings. As it should be; it was her home. Where one may have books, she had tools. Where some may have holodecks, she had a desk. It was all down to taste, and Connor never judged anyone by their own private place to retreat to. His was devoid of much back at Voss and was always keen to glimpse into other worlds.

”It’s nice, it’s good,” he said looking around.

He circled the main room, taking in the other smaller rooms leading off from it and looking out an open window to the rear which looked over the plains behind the town. From outside at the front, the music was playing still from somewhere within the town – live music, perhaps? A bar having open mic night, or maybe a sole person serenading those who could be bothered to listen to bring in the night.

”You ever been to Tatooine? I tell you, Voss is very different to both, but also very similar. There’s peace and serenity if you look hard enough and know where to stand.”

Connor peered out of the front door, leaning on the frame, listening to the melody.

[member="Kyra Sol"]

 

[Lief]

The music could be heard even from here, high above the town itself. It was soothing, something that had become so common place that she barely gave it the time of day anymore. Yet with Connor stood there, paying it close attention, she could not help but appreciate it. Busying herself with clearing some counter space she allowed the silence to stretch on between them for a little while, until Connor spoke of Tatooine. The world did not broker good memories within the girl, who had visited the world in her youth and would rather not return if she could help it.

"It's not a place I remember fondly" she said, unwilling to expand on the events which had taken place any more than that. Much of her childhood was a hazy blur these days, just the way that she preferred it. It was easier to close the door on certain aspects of your life and move on from it than it was to face them head on. Kyra had been programmed to flee when the going got too tough, so naturally this had been her response to the hardships in her past. She couldn't even remember the name of the pirates anymore.

"Put your bag down anywhere" she said, before chewing on her lip and thoughtfully peering around the room. "Are you hungry? We traveled rather far tonight." The surrealism was beginning to fade, leaving her with the sinking realization that she had never before had to entertain a guest. No one had ever really come inside her humble abode, much less stayed for an evening... How would she manage a house guest for however long Connor allowed himself to remain? Oh, Force help her. She would be such a terrible host!

"Sorry" she mumbled, moving over to Kyne and giving him a good ole fuss. "I've never done this before." This particular scrapyard urchin didn't do friends. She knew her neighbours, she was friendly enough toward them, but their sociability ended where the threshold of her property began. "So uh, about Voss..." Kyra looked everywhere but toward Connor. "Did you mean what you said earlier?"

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

He heard Kyra fumbling behind him in the home, chatting away and the low pleasing growl of her hound as she fussed him. Looking out into the town below for a moment more, Connor leant his head on the stone frame.

”Of course I meant it,” he said, amused, ”why wouldn’t I? I’ve brought a number of people to the sanctuary of Voss if they need somewhere to go. You may find a place to hone your ability, or you simply may find a place where your skills with tools can go to use – fixing ships and working on the hangars we have.”

With that, he turned and took his bag and laid it gently by the door so it wasn’t in the way.

”Something tells me you’ve not got the kitchenette stocked for guests unless it’s dog biscuits. But I’ll eat if you’ve got anything to spare his humble Jedi oaf.”

He leant on the desk and looked down at her by Kyne and placed his hands on the edge.

”You know you’ve not really changed in these however many years have gone by. Still the same as you were to me when we parted. I bet you’ve got some stories you could tell me.”

Suddenly, the idea of spending the night with her in a planet away from everything, with a cosy town below and infinite stories and a bit of food didn’t sound like a bad idea at all.

[member="Kyra Sol"]

 

[Lief]

She felt her cheeks turn crimson for a moment, and made sure her back remained to him as he spoke. "I mean... I wouldn't go if you plan on dumping me with some Jedi." She didn't like that idea, Kyra had never really interacted with Forcies before, save for Connor and Kara. But she'd heard some unpleasant things, and wanted no part in that. Yet at the same time she didn't want to part from him so suddenly. Funny how things could turn on their head like this. "But I'd go if you'll help me." She didn't even really believe she had any potential where the Force was concerned, wouldn't even know where to begin. "Just don't turn me into one of them."

Wandering over to her kitchen, which was the cleanest part of the house so far, after all she wasn't a slob, Kyra opened up the pantry and curiously pulled out a few things she'd gotten in during her last shop. Then all at once she remembered something she'd been planning on freezing and storing for some silly event in the near future and so she disappeared from the room down a flight of stairs which led out of sight. "You best not be a vegan like some of the Jedi I heard stories about!" She called up to him, as she produced a small yet perfectly wrapped package and carried it up to the main floor.

Heating up a pan she set her unspecified food down on the counter and turned to face him with a very slight smile. "I may be a salvager, but I like my food." With a shrug of her shoulders she turned her attention down to Kyne who had come to her side and was whimpering, having picked up on the scent of meat. Waving him off to his bowl, which was full with food, she shook her head slightly. "My life has been uneventful since I left Lianna" she said, with a soft frown, "It feels as though no time has passed." And that probably wasn't a good thing. Kyra wanted things to be as they had been, but Connor had experienced so much since they met that she doubted he felt the same way she did. It was taking a lot of willpower to remain the way she currently was, without going overboard.

"I uh... I hope roba steaks will suffice..." Unveiling the package, which held several plump steaks of surprisingly high quality, she placed one into the pan and savoured the sizzle which accompanied the glorious scent. She might've gotten out something to accompany it, but honestly Kyra was tired and hungry and the idea of wolfing down a steak and enjoying Connor's company was far more pleasant than slaving away over a stove for the next few hours. "You should tell me something I've missed out on, though. Some great adventure you no doubt experienced."

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Connor stayed put as the host went to busy herself actually hosting. Connor relaxed his shoulders and drummed his fingers on the desk as she banged and clattered around, calling up to him from wherever she had stuck her head and making more noise bringing food and pans out. He chuckled to himself and looked to Kyne, shaking his head with a roll of the eyes as he patted his head, before the scent of meat took the hound away.

He ambled up and over to the kitchen and leant in the door to watch her. What she said struck him – just don’t turn me into one of them[i/] – one of THEM. One of them, what? A mindless servant of a dangerous religion? An emotionless wreck? A dangerous warrior? All of the above? How those not aligned to the Jedi and Sith looked upon the Force and those who dealt it was an eye opener. Maybe the Jedi and Sith were one day doomed to be turned upon by those they tried to protect or rule.

Interesting.

Giving his host all the attention again, Connor smiled.

”I won’t let anything happen to you. I always wanted to look out for you, remember. I still will! Trust me.”

His nose caught the scent of the meat being cooked now and he licked his lip, aimlessly scratching at the scar on his arm; heat never helped that but always made it itchy and sore.

”Smells good. And you can tell me about what you’ve done because I don’t believe in all these years you’ve literally done NOTHING and ambled along planet to planet picking up tin cans and broken engines before making home on Jakku.”

Cocking his head, he twisted his hand slightly and used the Force energy around them both to gently brush the hairs on the back of her neck- a ghostly breeze she would feel run across the bare skin.

”Me? I’ve not done much. Well I was possessed by a Taung spirit and tried to kill my friend, was infected with Sith Magic for seven years, duelled at least 3 Sith Lords, been cooked by Force Lightning, liberated a few planets, ridden and killed a krayt dragon and touched upon the Dark Side. Nothing much really.”

[member="Kyra Sol"]

 

[Lief]

With the meat sizzling Kyra was able to turn her attention fully to Connor again; she was more than happy with his response concerning Voss, and so she nodded her head as he approached. "Then I will return with you, when you feel ready." She didn't want to rush him. Or was it more she didn't want to rush the time she got him to herself, without the pesky Jedi? Kyra was not one for jealousy, or so she had thought. So many odd new sensations to wrap her head around.

"I came here almost right away" she said, chewing on her lip as she reflected on the past few years of her life, "I had to, the company was driving me up the wall. They called me Lady Sol" she said, pulling a face that revealed her childish dismay at the fact. "And they expected too much -- should've known better, really, all they had to do was take one look at me to realise I'm not that kind of girl." The real question was, what kind of girl was she? Kyra still hadn't really found out, perhaps she could take the journey of self discovery she had suggested to Connor.

She shivered, goosebumps rising across the exposed flesh at her back to the weird sensation Connor had induced. Swallowing back a murmur, Kyra turned slightly to tend to the meat, flipping over the steaks so that they cooked evenly. "Then I guess I came here, set up my old shop... I don't know, there hasn't really been anything exciting." She turned back to him and frowned. "Being in hiding means you can't go making a name for yourself." She gave him a half smile as she leaned against the counter alongside him and sighed.

When he spoke of his own endeavors she couldn't help but roll her eyes. "Typical Forcie" she murmured, "Never happy unless you're blowing up planets or saving them." She nudged into his side with her hip, however, trying to place a playful spin on the moment. She didn't want things to get too somber, let Connor have a night or two off. Closing her eyes she leaned ever so slightly against him, somewhat wary about what she was doing given his previous lack of a response or reaction to her more comfortable and amiable gestures on the hull of the Star Destroyer.

Kyra wasn't one to give up so easily, but this was new territory. Best she tread lightly, or not at all.

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Lolling his head back and sighing at her response, and the dig with her hip, he laughed.

”Ohh typical Kyra. Stubborn as a mule and thinks she knows it all. We don’t blow up planets thank you very much.” Well, he had helped destroy a moon…

He absorbed the silence again for a moment and felt her next to him. He enjoyed that feeling. The feeling of a woman close to him, and one who enjoyed his company. It had been a while since he had felt that…and it had turned out into heartache.

But – Kyra was like that, was she? She had known him forever it seemed and they’d picked up where they had left out. Chastity was…naïve. A stupid girl who was young and ran ahead with her emotions and wrapped Connor around her finger to then throw his help back in his face to do it alone. Why had that ended the way it did.

For a moment he zoned out again as he started towards the sizzling meat in the pan, glazing over as his mind raced with conflicted thoughts and feelings.

She was being all Kyra was – a friend, and one who had known him before anybody else in the Silver Jedi ever had. He looped his hand under her arm to rest it on hers on the counter as she lent on him.

”What are you hiding from? Can I help you at all? Hiding isn’t good – you should never hide because of parasites who take away your confidence and who you are.”

Connor could feel she was hurting, there was something she was covering up with her own Force aura. He was going to break that wall down gently by doing it with his sincerity, not the Force.

[member="Kyra Sol"]

 

[Lief]

"You may not but the Sith do. And there's not much separating Jedi and Sith these days." It irked Kyra more than most other things, the way that Force Users seemed to lord over the Galaxy like they were entitled to it or something. But she could see that Connor worked toward its betterment, why else would he remain with an Order he clearly despised?

She turned the steaks again.

As she rested back against him, leaning on the counter, she felt his arm loop around her and the comfort she could draw from his presence. It was nice to have the companionship back after so many years of being without. "I'm hiding from responsibility" she said, with a soft frown, "or at least someone who could very easily kill me for abandoning ship."

She did not want to come face to face with the Sith Lord again, oh definitely not, she had scared Kyra back then and that sentiment hadn't changed. At least Connor had been with her back then, though, holding her nervous hand. "I don't want to be running and hiding forever, though."

Sighing, she rested her head against his shoulder for a moment and stared at the wall. Truth be told, Kyra didn't want any backlash to hit Connor - if he was found to be aiding her and the Sith Lord really did want her head for abandoning her position, then who was to say she wouldn't go after him too? "You don't have to save me" she said, with a frown. "I don't ever need saving. I can... I can save myself!"

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Watching the sizzling meat in the pan, Connor still heard the music drift in above it all from outside, and his head turned inches to the oval window frame looking down on Cratertown. It was haunting him.

However it was Kyra’s words that haunted him more. She was in trouble? From a Sith? He moved his arm back around her side, again, protective and supportive. Nothing would hurt her as he was around.

”Are you in trouble? From that Sith?”

He remembered her name – Vi’dreya – and the fear she instilled in Kyra at that table, her hand gripping his like two young children in the presence of a headmistress. Times had changed, and that Sith wouldn’t come close to hurting Kyra now he was in his position.

”Kyra, you’re strong, yes, but not in any position to keep running from someone like that. I jumped a Star Destroyer hull and tickled your neck – do you know what a Sith Lord could do to you, to this house, to Kyne, to this PLANET if they wanted to hurt you?”

Connor looked back to the food and blew his cheeks out. It was probably nothing more than her own brain scaring her; a Sith wouldn’t scour the galaxy for someone like Kyra, with little to offer in terms of material possession or power. Still, who knew what those butchers would do. He’d seen their handywork before and if they could get Kyra the way they got…

He snapped out of it and shuffled on the table, turning his head to look at her, staring into nothing.

”You’ll be safe with me. I promise. I will make sure nobody hurts you ever again.”

[member="Kyra Sol"]

 

[Lief]

She averted her gaze when he guessed who she was running from and shrugged her shoulders. Better she downplay it, then he might drop the subject all together. Then again, this was Connor she was talking about. Was it in him to do so? Preoccupying herself with plating up the steaks, Kyra moved from him and cleared the small table which had been overrun with bits and pieces to the point where it hadn't been recognizable until now.

Placing down both plates, she gestured for him to sit though she did not take a seat herself. Her expression was drawn into a frown. "She hasn't found me yet" the girl finally mumbled, however the mention of the world, of Kyne, of everyone living here, made her realise that she was being a little bit stupid. Perhaps it was better if she did leave this all behind, if she went with Connor to people who knew how to withstand such threats?

"I already said I'd join you on Voss, Connor, what more do you want me to say?" Her tone was a little more impatient than she meant it to be, and immediately she looked down. The last thing she wanted was to argue with him. "Can we just forget it? Why don't you tell me more about these Jedi.. friends.. of yours?" She turned her back to him, she should probably get them both something to drink too. Kyne was still pawing at her for some of the meat but she shoo'd him away.

The reminder of Tatooine, and the overlying threat of Kyros, had put her in a bad mood. Which wasn't good, because she didn't want to ruin the time she got with Connor.

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Evidently, he'd touch a sore spot and her defenses were up. He knew more than most how it felt to be spoken by "know-it-alls", but...he was only trying to help. The steaks filled the room with a spicy smell, and a sizzling sound, and Connor nodded.

”Okay...okay,” he rubbed her shoulder, ”we will leave it there. But I'm not going to forget what you said anytime soon.”

He moved from the table edge and turned to sit down in a chair before the tasty looking food. He leant in and took in the smell, noting a few items of fresh salad she'd placed down.

”All this for little old me? Oh Kai I'm touched. Looks good!”

Rubbing his hands, he watched her busy with drinks - or rather, composing herself. Best change the direction of conversation.

”The Silver Jedi - or Silver Sanctum, whatever - are pretty decent on the whole. Too far away from the Republic and Sith space to care much, but enough to be there if needed. We have our own issues with a group known as the Primeval, a whole host of parasites and warlords who believe that when everything in the galaxy has turned in on itself and imploded, they, the primitive forces, will be the last one standing. Sort of want to watch the galaxy burn and then rise from the ashes, but not while we are here to keep them at bay.”

Connor leant back in his chair and laced his fingers together.

”We have a beautiful planet to call home, and we operate in various cells. We have warriors, healers, spies, pilots - like any other really, but we are a disjointed family. And we don't always get on. If you ask me, family is taking over the Silver Jedi as of late. Everything going in the direction of a certain few and others too blind or too scared to admit it. Hence why I'm here. If I can spend more time away from Voss to gather my own thoughts and widen my own knowledge of things, then I'm happy. Ha, you sure you want to go look now?”

[member="Kyra Sol"]

 

[Lief]

She closed her eyes briefly as he rubbed her shoulder, feeling some of her tension lift. Some people really knew how to push the right buttons. It was as if Tatooine never happened in her mind, and that would have been a blessing were it true. "Thank you" she said quietly when he told her he would drop it, honestly she hadn't fully expected him to drop it completely, she just didn't wish to talk about it right now.

Rounding back to the table with two glasses in hand Kyra smiled meekly and nodded her head. "Eh, it was that or something from the back of my cupboard which I'm pretty sure wouldn't be safe to eat." She was joking of course, at least she thought she was... Who knew. She wasn't exactly great at throwing things out!

As he began to speak about the Jedi he was affiliated with, Kyra took the seat opposite him and placed one of the glasses to the right of his plate. Her own went to her left. She did not bother to interrupt him, there was no reason to, so in the meantime she ate and gave him her attention whenever she wasn't stuffing her face. She did have some manners, after all!

She pulled her face at the mention of the Primeval, what a loathsome group of people they seemed to be, selfish beyond compare. There were more people in this Galaxy than their brood, Force Users and the like were most definitely not the be all and end all. Their arrogance frustrated her. Kyra sighed when he was finished. "I'd go to the ends of the Galaxy if you were there" she murmured, her brows furrowing. "You're the only friend I've had, the only person I work well with."

She shrugged as if it were nothing, though her expression was pained. "So yes I'll come take a look, as you put it. Now eat." She gestured to his plate, with a soft smirk. But it was difficult to be playful when their conversation was so prone to taking darker, more somber turns.

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Connor nodded graciously and took up his knife and fork, licking his lips and starting to cut the steak. The meat was tender, those tasty juices keeping it moist but full of flavour. He had a mouthful, and it tasted good. Helping himself to some salad, what was there anyway, he nodded to her in gratitude.

”MMm,” he finished his mouthful, ”best I've eaten in a while!”

A swill of his drink washed it down. Well his first ever dinner cooked by someone else in a long time, and it was one of the best with perfect company to boot. He could get used to this.

”Now, I don't believe I'm the ONLY friend you ever had. You must have others around the galaxy who know your name and would help you out? I mean come on, you've got it all - you're pretty, you've got skills in the kitchen and around junkyards...” he ate a little more, teasing her, ”...you just need to believe in yourself a little.”

A bit more drink. Everything complimented each other perfectly.

[member="Kyra Sol"]

 

[Lief]

"No" she said, a little more solemnly this time, "there has been no one else." The latter was said with a slightly bitter laugh under her breath, before she shook her head a little and focused instead on the steak she had just cooked. It tasted fine, though it would've been nicer with a little extra seasoning. Sometimes it was the basics she forgot to stock up on!

"I didn't exactly grow up in the typical fashion" she said, finally letting the wall she had constructed come down a little, "I was the only child on a ship load of pirates, only girl actually now I come to think of it." That had her frown for a moment, before she shrugged it off. "I didn't exactly get the chance to skip around in fields making friends. There was always a job to be done."

Honestly, looking back on it now, Kyra was lucky she had been under the Captain's protection. Things could have turned out far worse, of that she was certain. "Then the accidents started. Like the one you saw in the scrapyard. At first they were impressed, they acted as if I was the answer to all their problems - I was still just a kid at the time, the whole ordeal terrified me - but when it happened again, and someone was hurt, they saw me more as a liability."

Another frown, and pain had set deep into her expression by now. "They were rid of me as soon as they could. I didn't really see people through the kindest of eyes after that. Certainly didn't let anyone get close. Until you that is." Kyra felt all at once extremely vulnerable and exposed. She rose from the chair, and fussed around with bits and pieces on the counter top, her food quite forgotten. It was something she had always tried to suppress, but the moment it came to mind it was difficult to let go until she had it out of her system.

"I'm sorry" she added, with a heavy sigh, "I know you weren't expecting my life story at your feet." The final words were said with more of a scowl than anything, Kyra was bitter with herself for letting it flood out like that. Damn her, she had so much more self control around everyone else. But with Connor it was as if there was no one there at all, she felt so comfortable around him. That wasn't necessarily a good thing, though it certainly wasn't bad.

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

The steaks would have gone well with something else...not sure what, but he was hungry and it was a good meal. He listened to her speak, and stopped when she gave up and moved away from the table. Connor laid his cutlery down and finished eating his slice, watching her and leaning back in his chair.

”Mm. Kai,” He said, a little too early. He swallowed, washing it down with a drink, ”come on, cut that out.”

He wanted to get up and comfort her, but she'd probably see it as a sign of him thinking she wanted it.

”Don't worry about the past so much. It's done. If I spent my time moping about the past and the pain and hurt I'd caused, I'd be in exile or something. You can't dwell.”

Taking a rag from the table that she'd brought the hot food over with, he dabbed his mouth and threw it at her head from behind.

”And stop moaning about talking to me about your life, I want to listen and I want to know. Now, ” he smiled to himself, ”what's for dessert?”

[member="Kyra Sol"]

 

[Lief]

Her face scrunched up though her back was to him so he couldn't see it. She did however stiffen slightly. Did he really think that she wanted to be mulling the past over in her mind? "I have spent the better part of two decades suppressing it" she told him, before shaking her head slightly, "so forgive me for the present conversation causing it to come to mind."

Why did she keep letting things get to her tonight? Perhaps it was her emotional level rising, it was easy to go through life in a very sterile manner when there was no one around you that cared or that you cared about. You just worked and got on with things and kept your head down. But when someone came into your life for the first time in what felt like forever, the relief which accompanied the knowledge that you were not alone was sometimes a little too excessive. Kyra was being played by her own mind.

Running a hand up through her hair she all but growled to the feeling of the semi-damp cloth hitting the back of her head. Spinning on her heels she tried to look stern but the expression fell through. Instead she shook her head, laughed - though it didn't quite meet her gaze - and then slumped down to the ground with her back against the counter. "Check the cupboards if you really want desert" she finally muttered, rolling her eyes. "Though I doubt there's anything to be had."

Biting her lip, realising how much of a fool she was being, the woman shook her head. "I can pick something up in the morning when I go down into Cratertown for supplies." Best she stop moping around now, it was unbecoming of her. She was used to that rough and gritty outershell she usually showed the Galaxy. Why did Connor's presence make her like this? She felt ridiculous right now, like some lousy girl who didn't get her own way. Not that Kyra really knew how it felt to be that way, she had always been a very independent child.

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Well, at least he got a laugh from her. But she slumped, clearly not reciprocating the mood he was trying to create. Connnor sighed in gentle defeat and stood from his chair, and moved over to her, crouching down.

”Hey,” he raised her chin gently with his fingers, ”where's Kyra Sol gone?”

He caught her eyes.

”The Kyra Sol I knew wouldn't have slumped and moped about dessert. This isn't you at all. You've nothing to worry about, unless you're lying to me about something? Nobody on your back? No debts? What's wrong?”

Connor placed his hands on her shoulders, gently rubbing them.

”Talk to me honey, come on.”

He wasn't the most diplomatic, but he'd been there to help others and his oldest friend certainly had demons locked away she was letting eat away at her.

[member="Kyra Sol"]

 

[Lief]

"I--" she sighed, and shook her head for what felt like the fiftieth time that night, "it's nothing; I'm sorry." She looked at him, not really having much of a choice being that he had tipped up her chin, and managed a small smile. "I'm not used to having anyone here" she said, "It's not been the most sociable decade of my life."

Looking past him at Kyne, the only thing which had really gotten her through it, Kyra smiled - this time it met her gaze. "I'll stop moping around, alright? I mean, kriff Connor, this wouldn't have even happened if you weren't here." But she grinned almost immediately after and nudged him with her elbow playfully. If Connor made her comfortable enough to open up about things in her past, then he could definitely lighten her mood.

Or maybe she simply didn't want to talk about anything so serious right now.

She leaned against him for a moment and then sighed. "Bet you wish you hadn't come to Jakku, eh?" She nudged him again, before leaning her head back against the counter and exhaling slowly to compose herself. "Cmon, why don't we see where that music is coming from, 'eh?" Anything to act as a distraction. And besides, it had been haunting her since they returned to Cratertown. It would be nice to know the story behind it.

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

He knew when he was trying to get blood from a stone. She just wasn't ready yet. With his hand still on her shoulder, thumb gently rubbing her, Connor nodded at the suggestion of leaving for a walk. Something wasn't right, and fresh air was probably the best thing.

”Come on,” he smiled gently, a reassuring shake.

Helping her up, Connor let her stand before he emptied the nearly-eaten steaks into the empty bowl for Kyne and winked at the hound. She probably was trying too hard to host, and if hungry they would snack. This wasn't a sit-down dinner date after all.

Washing his hands and rubbing them on his sandy trousers, he took her hand and led her through the room and back outside in the humid night. The stars were out, the moon was riding high in the sky and what was even more haunting was it highlighted the Star Destroyer in the distance on the horizon. Leading her away down into Cratertown where the music was still flowing gently, he looked and smiled at the girl. He wasn't going to talk, there was no need.

Instead, they walked towards the music flowing between the units and various oddly shaped buildings that formed the town. Turning a corner into a plaza, they found the music. A lone woman dressed in crimson with a small Zeltron girl behind playing a strange instrument. This was busking, but it felt more like a performance. People milled around listening, throwing in credits and stopping to appreciate the music.

Connor came to a stand by a thin sandy pillar with Kyra and just listened.

[member="Kyra Sol"]