The Music of the Night [Connor Harrison]

[Lief]

She was so relieved when Connor dropped the subject that she physically seemed to relax. Rising up from the floor she brushed herself down and then turned to Connor, grateful for the help up. She smiled at him ever so slightly, before taking his hand in her own and moving to the door. Naturally Kyne was far more interested in the wonderful steaks Connor had provided him with than trailing at the heel of his Master, though his tracking skills were good enough that Kyra doubted they would go the whole evening without his reemergence.

"You be good pup'" she murmured, before they stepped out into the night.

The trail down from her home to the town was natural, ground into the dusty landscape after ten years of wear and tear. She inhaled slowly to the crisp air, Jakku was a barely used world, especially this far out, there was no smog to obscure the stars or thicken the atmosphere. It was lovely, if you didn't mind the sand in your shoes.

Not wanting to disturb the peace, and glad that they were once again simply enjoying one another's company, Kyra leaned against him as they finally came upon the buskers. This was a rarity, often such public shows were broken up with the offenders being directed to Cratertown's bar. But it seemed that this humble community was as mesmerized as the reunited pair, for they seemed to be racking up quite the credits and had gained many observers that night.

Standing to one side, beside Connor and the pillar, Kyra could not help but sigh. All of her worries began to melt away. Her head settled to his shoulder as they stood there, watching the duo as they made their beautiful music. This world still found ways to surprise her.

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

He clapped gently with the others as the singer’s finished one song, before being encouraged for another. This was busking, but not like anything he’d seen before – they had a clear passion, skill and talent for singing and playing music, and it was appreciated and soothing to welcome the night. Connor didn’t stop watching, but leaned his head in to Kyra to talk quietly.

”I’m going to return to Voss soon on my own to settle a few affairs before I introduce you to my world, if that’s alright?”

Quickly, he continued as he knew she’d panic at that.

”Don’t panic either, it’s nothing dramatic, but there’s a few places I need to go on behalf of the Silvers and a few matters I want to settle, ok? I’d rather do that than leave you there alone or thrust you into a world you know nothing about without chance to settle. It wouldn’t be too long either.”

He turned and smiled softly.

”You ok with that?”

[member="Kyra Sol"]

 

[Lief]

At once the peace which had amassed crumpled in on itself; the music ceased to be, the leery crowd howled for more, and Connor leant in to talk to her. She barely heard what he said at first, believing it to be a continuation of their former discussion. Then he continued, don't panic he said... Panic about what? Blinking she turned her head and peered up at him, confusion lacing her expression for a few moments until all of the pieces fit together.

He was leaving.

She supposed she shouldn't have been too surprised. Afterall, Kyra was just somebody from his past, someone who had deserted him without a word. He hadn't come here looking for her, he had come here to get away from the Jedi. She had simply interrupted his plans.

Kyra swallowed, and looked away from him. She said nothing, instead trying to find something which could distract her for a few moments more until she could compose herself. Deep down she wondered if he even believed himself when he said he'd return. Return for what? Some silly little Salvager on the edge of the Galaxy? He had his own life, his own thing, she probably wouldn't have fit into it anyway.

"I'm not keeping you here" she finally said, all at once finding the music which had begun at the crowd's behest jarring and incoherent. She turned from it, and made her way from the crowd, suddenly feeling rather closed in and breathless. "You're so silly Kai" she murmured to herself as she pushed through the people who had gathered on her way back to the trail which led out of town. Her steps didn't even take her to the path home, instead it was the desert she longed for, Star Point which loomed in the distant.

Her cheeks burned with embarrassment, but there was no one there to see them, no light to reveal it to the world, so Kyra did not care. She just wanted to breathe in the crisp air and compose herself again, and she would not find that trapped inside a rowdy crowd.

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

She didn’t have to say anything for him to feel her aura implode a little, the Force around her swelled a little, and he could pick up from her facial features that she was confused, disappointed and uncomfortably suddenly. Taking the time to simply watch for her reaction, Connor didn’t say anything.

When she did however, it was a reply he didn’t expect. And she also moved away from him, which he didn’t expect. An amused expression crossed his face, mixed with bewilderment. Like the girl in the junkyard, she was running away. Was it his destiny in life to run after this girl until he lost sight of her again?

Sighing, Connor looked at her moving through the edge of the crowd to get away from the town itself, towards the Destroyer in the far distance. She’d be a fool to traverse the terrain in low light, especially in her state.

”Women.”

He looked back to the singers and shook his head. He’d be damned if he was going to run about chasing after her, and anyone else for that matter.

[member="Kyra Sol"]

 

[Lief]

Kyra honestly didn't care if he would follow or not, what did it matter anyway? At least, that was how she initially rationalized it. The further away she got, however, the less confident she felt about her decision. With the town at her back and Star Point far ahead she slumped down into the sand and slowly exhaled. There, that was what she needed, a bit of peace without a clamor disturbing her thoughts.

There was barely any light out in the desert, save that brought about by the moon and the stars overhead. She felt the sand shift around her as tiny desert creatures came out to enjoy the cool air and the still-warm sands, they preferred it to the scorching heat and Kyra couldn't blame them.

"You're being stupid, Kai" she grumbled to herself, casting her gaze up to the stars and trying to work out some sort of constellations from them. "You waited all this time to try and find him, the Force flings you back together when you're too stupid to do it for yourself, and what do you do with the chance? You waste it because you're too scared of what might be."

Exhaling she shook her head, as if someone who wasn't herself had just said those things. "Stop being so afraid and face the music. Whatever happens happens, roll with it."

Grateful that she was alone for at least a few moments, Kyra rose up from the sand and brushed down her trousers. Was she really going to waste the time she did have over the time she'd lost? She had squandered ten years of her life rotting away on this backwater planet due to being too afraid of the consequences of her actions, and now she was about to waste another ten by making a normal situation volatile.

But now she couldn't risk going back without looking indecisive and silly.

What a mess.

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Fingers drummed gently on his bare arms as they were crossed.

Eyes flicking between the singers and the crowds in the direction she had skulked away.

A smile formed again at the way she had acted.

Connor shifted slightly and continued to lean on the pillar.

He was in no rush. He knew that girl better than she knew herself.

[member="Kyra Sol"]

 

[Lief]

The night dragged on and Kyra moved between several positions. Sometimes she sat in the sand, other times she stood and stared at the sky, and then at times she would wander aimlessly for a few feet before throwing herself back down to the ground.

Her head settled in her hands as she tried her best to come up with a solution.

Finally, after what could very well have been hours - though she had no way of knowing for sure - the girl stood and turned back toward the town. "Bah Humbug" she grumbled, opting to swallow her pride and return to him.

Hopefully he wouldn't be too mad at her.

It took a while for her to reach Cratertown again, not least because of the random walks she had taken while the cogs in her brain whirred.

Once there she tentatively neared the buskers who were very nearly finished playing their music for the night. Kyra hung back a little, feeling awkward. How did she go back to him after reacting like such a stupid child?

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

It was nice to play games for once, and know that, regardless whatever Kyra said or did, he would come out of this in her good books. Knowingly or not, her outpouring of emotion reached out to Connor who wanted to keep her in his mind, and when she eventually returned, he had moved from his spot on the pillar to double back amongst the crowd.

It had only been a good half an hour or so, and the singers seemed ready to wind down; the music was playing more now than actual singing and the crowd was still busy but starting to thin. The smells of food and scented fragrances were dying off too, as it Cratertown was ready to call it a night.

Connor looked past a few bodies and saw her, standing, looking and chewing on her lip. He smiled and kept his head down as he walked slowly behind her and jabbed a finger in her ribs.

”Finished having a sulk have we?”

[member="Kyra Sol"]

 

[Lief]

Connor was not there when she returned, and her heart sank considerably. Not wanting to look lost or out of place, she remained on the edge of the crowd and feigned interest in the music which had by now left a bitter taste in her mouth.

She wanted it gone, damn buskers. Perhaps if they had been at her home she wouldn't have felt so overcome with the need to flee. Alas, it had not been so. He could've already left by now, for all she knew. Gone without a farewell.

As much as that thought pained her, she knew she deserved it. She had done the same to him once after all.

Without warning something jabbed at her ribs, and having experienced all kinds of lowlives here on Jakku her immediate instinct was to pivot and draw one of her slugs, and as she turned around she was more than ready to fire off a round.

The slugthrower was barely raised, directed toward his chest, when she realised who was there. Luckily she was quick to react, or else the trigger might've already been pulled.

An intensity to her gaze, Kyra looked about ready to explode for all of a second, before she simply exhaled in relief and lowered the weapon.

"Don't do that!" she yelled, clutching at her heart with her free hand. "I almost shot you, damnit!" She tried to laugh it off, but there was an uneasiness to her tone which suggested she'd had her fair share of run-ins. But with who and for what reason could not be discerned.

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Would the armour have protected him from her slug? Possibly, maybe. He was glad he didn’t find out. Thankfully she wasn’t a trigger-happy girl, and it actually surprised him to see her armed. That was one weapon she had tucked away very well.

”Well that would have been embarrassing for you to explain to the Grandmaster of the Order wouldn’t it? I shot Connor because he poked me in the rib with a finger after I was sulking.”

Placing a hand over the barrel, he pushed the gun and turned to stand beside her, indicating back to the way they came.

”Now do you want to head back or continue our walk around town? Although if you’re going to run away every time I talk to you, it’s going to be a long night.”

He found it near impossible to get annoyed with Kyra, even if he wanted to, it would soon dissolve. She was wonderfully naïve in many ways; sheltered and alone, but in many ways she was bright, beautiful and understood him in a way nobody else did – as a human, not a Jedi.

[member="Kyra Sol"]

 

[Lief]

She grumbled a little, though a slight smirk graced her lips. All at once everything melted away, and quite out of character the girl unexpectedly wrapped her arms around him in a tight platonic hug. "I'm sorry" she murmured, feeling well and truly ashamed of herself. Yet his tone was not chiding nor did it invoke a sense of anger. Far from it, he seemed humored.

Pulling back she bit her lip and considered their options. Town would've been wonderful had it not been so late, and if her reaction to being prodded in the ribs was anything to go by Kyra certainly didn't feel entirely safe out here so late. But she also didn't want to end up cramped inside a small space where conversation could end up forced.

"Let's walk" she finally said, putting her slugthrower back where it had previously been. This time she didn't take his hand, too afraid to ruin things further. She remained at his side though as she set off, hoping he would be hot on her heel. She didn't enjoy Cratertown when the moon was high in the sky, there was a reason she lived out on a ridge overlooking the town.

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Rubbing her back, for either comfort or reassurance, Connor smiled.

Nodding at her choice, he then watched her move away and shook his head discreetly. She was testing, that was for sure. Leaving the music behind and what looked like the main hub of the town, Connor noticed how similar this place was in general to Tatooine in terms of the styles of buildings and market stalls packed up for the night. The galaxy was huge, but planets mirrored each other more than ever, and there was little, if any, that were unique.

Walking in silence a little more, Connor finally spoke.

”Right, stop.”

He stood his ground and rested his hands on the rear of his belt.

”What’s eating you up, hm? I can’t fathom it so you’re going to have to tell me or I’m staying right here.”

His tone wasn’t of annoyance, but his voice was firm and taking charge finally.

[member="Kyra Sol"]

 

[Lief]

She enjoyed the silence as they walked away from the core of the town to the more placid outskirts, where some of Jakku's other marvels awaited, only to have the whole thing torn down again when Connor spoke up.

Rolling her eyes while he couldn't see her do so, Kyra then proceeded to turn and face him. She took in a quick full-body view as he stood there trying to look tough, before tilting her head a little to one side.

"You got anything specific you wanna know, or you just going to remain up in the air where questions are concerned?"

Exhaling slowly, not quite a sigh, the woman shook her head. "I don't know what you're talking about. Nothing's eating me up."

She shot him an easy smile, though she knew that he wasn't going to drop it this time. Damn the Force, why was everything always so complicated?

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Connor ignored her cocky little swagger and tilt of the head, and even her smart-ass reply. Instead he rocked gently on his heel and countered her.

”Noooo, but don’t play games with me. I’ve had my fair share of that in the past 10 years and I know when someone is hiding something. Your body tells me that and your aura tells me that.”

Looking around to break the conversation, he focused on a set of lights in the distance and smacked his lips.

”You’ve been frowning, sighing, rolling your eyes, walking away, building a wall around yourself and generally acting like you don’t know what you’re doing. I don’t like it, and I don’t want you bottling up…whatever problem you have. Is it me? Is it that Sith? Is it you? What would stop you from doing all of the above and not respond like that bratty kid I met in the junk yard?”

He then looked at her for a response; waiting.

[member="Kyra Sol"]

 

[Lief]

She ran a hand across the length of her face, drawing out in order to try and give herself time to think, before sighing.

"It's easy to pretend" she said, at long last, turning her gaze back up to the stars to try and avoid his gaze, "to pretend that everything's okay, that you're happy, when you can lose yourself in the repetitive motions; waking up, working, sleeping, rinse, repeat. But when something new appears, or worse still someone from the past you wish you could flee back to, you realise you've been stuck in the doldrums, that everything you've done has been so... So... Worthless."

She had practically spat that last word, before pulling her lower lip between her teeth and shaking her head to herself.

"Worthless" she repeated, with a bitter little laugh, "I've been hiding out on this Force-forsaken planet for a third of my life, Connor. And for what? To keep some stupid megalomaniac off my back? You ask if it's you, or her, or me, well it's all of it."

Running a hand up through her hair Kyra finally breathed in, and turned to face him.

"And don't you dare take that the wrong way," she said, jabbing a finger at his chest, "I'm glad you're here, glad you broke the kriffin' illusion, really I am. It's just a lot to take in, alright? I was still a freakin' kid when I got here, whole life ahead of me. Now look at me, ground down to nothing. Worthless."

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Connor bit his lip and rubbed his brow with his palms hearing this from her. Yes, he hadn’t seen her in years but he cared so much for her – she wasn’t aligned to any Force, she was just aligned to herself. That spoke volumes, and she was more human than the others because of it. She kept his humanity in check, and reminded himself what he was before…this.

”Oh please – wasted? Are you dead? If you’d died, then it’s a waste. You’re not dead, so it’s not a waste. You’re here, and you need to grab life now and LIVE, not exist on a planet like this.”

He didn’t push into her personal space however, and gave her the room. The warm wind blew over them and it made his skin bristle.

”Life it’s magically going to be perfect if you stick your head in the sand, I should know. BUT you can make it something better by trying a little harder and not running away. Set up shop here, or on Voss. Find a trade and get involved with your skills. You’ve got me for one, I’m not going anywhere so I’ll keep you up on your feet when you feel like giving up.”

She didn’t see, but he nodded at himself. That was a good little empowering speech. She was stronger than this.

”So no, you’ve not wasted anything. It’s never too late to make something of yourself. Trust me, I speak from experience.”

[member="Kyra Sol"]

 

[Lief]

"You did ask me what was wrong" she murmured as he began his speech, shifting awkwardly in the sand. But then she sighed, and the more he spoke the more she knew he was right. Wasn't going to let him know that so easily though!

"I know I'm not dead, but it's like waking up from a dream you've been in for what felt like eons" she said, rolling her eyes and turning her back on him for a moment, "you speak as if it's so easy to get back into the momentum. I'm a scrounger, a salvager, I can't just walk into an establishment and ask for a job."

She tried to imagine herself with an office job and laughed aloud, before clamping a hand over her own mouth. Ohhh no not even as CEO did she let herself get stuck in the office for more than five minutes. And that had really worn her down.

"And how can you say that? You are going somewhere, and Force knows when you'll be back."

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

So it was coming to this - pretty much going from someone sharing adventure to someone being a counselor. Connor couldn't take advice, let alone give it. But, he knew when people were beating themselves up unnecessarily.

”It's not going to be easy and it's not something that will happen by magic, but if you want a change then you can fight for the change.”

He walked, pushing down his own ego to calm hers. Two hands went on her shoulders.

”Look. I will be back. I promise - I give you my word. A couple of weeks, maybe less? I expect you to be bright-faced and ready for anything when my ships lands here, and use that time to find yourself. Enjoy the planet a little, get some trades together because the galaxy is always looking for people like you - hell, even Jedi, Sith and soldiers alike need salvagers and mechanics to help them for the right amount of credits of course.”

Connor kissed the back of her head and wrapped his arms around her shoulder and chest.

”You'll be alright. I'll be here to help you every step of the way, Kai.”

[member="Kyra Sol"]

 

[Lief]

Kyra wasn't trying to be a pain, honestly she wasn't, but it wasn't exactly easy to keep up her carefree facade around Connor.

"Fine" she said, and for once it wasn't said in a distasteful manner, it was a sincere acknowledgement that what he said was correct and agreeable. She felt his hands upon her shoulders and all at once eased back, breathing in slowly. Even her eyes closed for a moment or two.

"I'll be here" she said, before smirking a little, "waiting for you to come get me like always." It was true, she had been waiting for him, but she wouldn't expand upon her cryptic words because he didn't need to hear it. "And I have a trade, thank you very much, one I happen to be extremely satisfied with."

She was about to turn to face him when she felt his lips against her hair and his arms wind around her torso. With a soft murmur she relaxed against him and gave in to his support, in more ways than one.

"Do Jedi drink?" she asked all at once, tipping her head back to try and peer awkwardly up at him. "There's this one good bar in town, should still be open..." She knew that Jedi had all these strict codes on what they could and could not do, part of her figured the consumption of alcohol might be on the bad side of that list, but who knew? Maybe he would surprise her.

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

As Kai peered up, Connor pulled back and looked down at her, in an awkward angle and nodded.

”Been a while since I have but I’m not adverse to it – please lead on.”

Turning her, he put his right arm around her side and held in her as they walked back to Cratertown, the lights ahead bringing them in.

”The Silver Jedi aren’t too strict on things like that, I mean I don’t know who is now. Even the Republic Jedi I know do in moderation – part of what keeps them human, an in touch with their social side.”

He looked ahead as they walked slowly.

”I like Blue Milk myself, I have my own stock on Voss. That’s so nice. I don’t have a certain drink, alcohol based, but I’ll try anything once. Oh, and your trade – keep it, work on it and use it. The galaxy will always need trades way beyond as much as they need Jedi Masters.”

[member="Kyra Sol"]