Tightrope

[Connor Harrison]

Breathing deeply, he laid with his eyes closed, facing the soft ground below, head turned where her had been looking at her, naked and perfectly formed for him. Letting the breeze blow over his body, his eyes were now closed but he wasn't asleep. He was simply enjoying their Force auras; dark and simmering with an eternal lust for more.

A small moan formed in his throat at her touch, and his shoulder muscles flexed gently as he moved under her touch.

When Ara moved away, he opened one eye to watch her dress, and take a slow walk down to the shore. He didn't move as he watched her, and felt a great sense of purpose. Of being. From thinking he was going to lose her, she had chosen to stay at the show of his willing and darkness; that was something he never wanted to lose. She was something he never wanted to lose.

Rolling over, Connor leaned over for his underwear, slipping them on and standing up as Ara broke the water with a gasp.

"Ara,” he called to her, "don't forget. You're mine.”

He smiled a wicked smile at her and kissed his hand, lowering it to send to her.

She wouldn't step out of line with him, and for that she would respect him beyond all others. If she did, he would put her back in her place with a line between pleasure and pain almost too thin to measure. But she would like it, and so would he. That made them invincible.

Connor watched her, proud and protective, and would wait until she had enjoyed her dip before talking to her about her wounds noticed during their moment of passion.

[member="Ara Ren"]

 

[Ara Zambrano]

She turned as her name was called from the bank, treading water to stay afloat. One hand pulled her hair away from her face as she returned the wicked grin, her eyes narrowed, the amber having faded sometime while they rested on the shore. Every movement pulled at the bruised and sore muscles, but she knew the activity and water would keep further stiffness from settling in.

A simple raised eyebrow was her only response to his comment and the blown kiss, the girl diving under the water once again. Eyes closed, she propelled herself through the water with a few easy kicks.

Only if you can keep me.

The thought flickered through her mind briefly before she banished it. Only time would tell whether the man would hold onto the darkness within or slip back into old habits.

The connection between them was stronger than ever, emotions and impressions flowing from one to the other. The disciple pushed him from her mind using a skill he'd taught her weeks before. She'd been working on her mental shields every time she had a few private moments. They were far from perfect, but for this, they would do to help keep her emotions to herself.

A few more dives and strokes took her down the bank, to the spot where the entire encounter had began. Her cloak still laid in a heap on the bank, mostly dry. She made her way out of the water, wrapping the fabric around her shoulders and walking back to the spot they had claimed for themselves.

He was watching her as she approached, her hands busily braiding her wet locks away from her face. The hunger and possession in his look made her skin prickle, but she hid it behind a coy smile. She paused a few feet away, eyes thoughtful, that mix of anxiety and fear still knotted in her stomach.

For the first time since they'd met on the shore, she felt like the one on the tightrope. She'd wandered out to the middle and had no clue how to get back to where she began or how to move forward. Nights spent in the company of others had always ended with them parting ways. That wasn't an option here and she felt like the floor had been dropped out from under her.

When in doubt, fake it. That coy smile never wavered, the disciple walking up and running a hand over his shoulder as she passed, pausing to glance at him from the side.

"Enjoying the view, Mr. Harrison?"

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

His small smile stayed, but inside he frowned as she swam.

Her tremor in the Force at his call to her was picked up on, and he felt doubt. His skin crawled and it wasn't due to the night breeze rolling in through the bay. It was down to her making him feel that doubt, a doubt he never wanted to feel - or experience - again.

As she came out of the water, drying herself down as best she could, he followed her with corrupt eyes as she purred to him from the side. She was so delicious. If she was anyone else, he'd break her neck and dispose of her after such electric pleasure.

His hand shot up and his hand grabbed her wrist, lifting from his shoulder, and his gaze never wavering.

"If you doubt me again, Ara, there'll be a price to pay. You are mine, and I am yours. We are one now, but also two. Remember that.”

He dropped her hand, and turned to get his clothes. Bending low, he scooped up his vest, still damp from the ground, and thew it on, and then the trousers, pulling them up and fastening the buckle and fixing the brown belt.

"Is that what he did to you, the lowlife who got the better of you?” He nodded to her body. She was dressed, but he had seen enough. "Embrace them. The scars. Feed from the pain it causes you. It will make you stronger, and resilient to pain in the future?”

[member="Ara Ren"]

 

[Ara Zambrano]

She froze as his hand grabbed hers, standing beside him, eyes locked. Her gaze narrowed, eyes flashing with red.

”I may be yours, but I am still me, Connor.”

He threw her hand away and moved to gather his own things, the anger still snapping in the pit of her stomach.

”Trust, and with it, doubt, goes both ways.”

Steel hardened her tone and expression as she watched him get dressed. A small smile curved up the corner of her lips as she enjoyed the view, despite the tension floating through the air.

She turned away sharply as he referenced the scar on her side, her hand splaying over it as if to protect from his penetrating gaze. He’d already seen it and she was fully dressed, but the embarrassment rose in a bright red blush on her cheeks. Kark it, he had his own scars and she was reacting like an embarrassed kid because of one mark on her side. Stupid. It was stupid.

"I told you I almost died. It just wasn’t from the Force Lightening.”

She stared off at the lake, remnants of the pain and anger from earlier stirring in her heart. The image of the man who’d attacked her rose to the forefront of her mind, the edges of her vision lost in an angry haze of red.

Anger colored her tone when she finally responded.

”I’ll embrace them the moment I separate his head form his body.”

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Turing to see her, Connor looked at her feeble attempt at covering the scar, and didn't let her outburst get to him. It was a fair point indeed. She was his, but he wouldn't ever let her stop being Ara, for that was who he was attracted to.

"Oh, his head will be taken alright. I just hope you get to him before I do because it won't be pretty when I get my hands on him.”

Pulling down his vest comfortably, tucking his trousers in and sweeping back his hair, a few loose strays falling over his forehead, Connor walked over to her.

"Ara, you are everything I want you to be and more. I will never stop you being you, or will take away your independence. You are on the verge of ascending into greatness and I will only encourage and support that.” He ran a hand down her arm to her fingers. "Trust me, and I won't let you down.”

He stepped back and started to walk towards the Bastion and the torchlight that lit the way, but he didn't want to walk back alone.

The Dark Side would carry them, but his heart would empower them. He turned and held his hand out for her.

"Come to me.”

He smiled.

[member="Ara Ren"]

 

[Ara Zambrano]

Glancing over her shoulder, she narrowed her eyes at him, her lips curved up in a mischievous grin.

”Is that a challenge, Connor?” She purred, in response to his comment about the man who’d attacked her. It would be interesting to see which one of them would managed to take him down first, she had to admit.

His fingers trailing over her arm raising goosebumps in their wake, her eyes closing in reminder of the passion they’d shared. The mischievous grin turned wicked in an instant as she leaned against him for a moment.

Trust him. A statement that was by far easier said than done. Whether he knew it or not, he was one of the few people she would trust to have her back. Connor, Talon Ren, and Kaalia. Now she had to learn to trust him with everything else.

As he moved away, her eyes opened slowly, lids half-closed as she resisted the urge to grab him and pull him back against her.

”Come to me.”

A slight turn of the torso brought the man into view, hand outstretch and smile on his lips. She had to admit, she enjoyed the view. For a moment they stood there, poised on the edge of the tightrope of emotions, only one step from safety, but still so close to falling off.

She sighed and stepped forward, placing her hand in his, fingers entwining with his. Moving into his embrace and placing her free hand at the base of his neck. Lifting herself up on her toes, Ara kissed him lightly, a brush of her lips against his.

She laughed lightly as she pulled away, her breath mingling with his.

”If you even think about trying to change me, I’ll tear you apart.”

Releasing his neck, she pulled out of his embrace, keeping their fingers interlocked. Tilting her head in the direction of the path back to the Bastion, she started to make her way towards the far-off fortress.

[member="Connor Harrison"]

If I had to
I would put myself right beside you
So let me ask you,
Would ya like that? Would ya like that?
And I don't mind
If you say
This love is the last time
So now I'll ask,
Do ya like that? Do ya like that?

 

[Connor Harrison]

Unlike last time he proposed her to join him, Ara obliged and actually did. No amusing quip, no goading or smart reply. She just…did. And then there was even a small kiss to seal the deal. And then…a little threat. But with so much sparkle in her eyes, this was clearly a playful one.

"Now, is THAT a challenge, Ara? Because you know I always win.”

His hand tightened in hers as she led the way from the bay, pockets of earth bare from his previous outburst, but now with a gentle lapping of water covering most up as the night drew in. Connor walked side by side, hand in hand, and enjoyed the quiet calm and understanding between the two.

"I hear the First Order is going to lay waste to Mustafar soon,” he said after a moment. ”I think we should take the old fortress that belonged to Darth Vader. Will you be with me?”

Every day, he understood Ara more. He saw what made her tick and what motivated her. Darkness. Violence. Power. Control. Most people would avoid a discussion about a future invasion or act of war, but for these two, it was something they craved in order to release just what they had built inside. And for them to do it together? That was where real power lay.

Trust and respect.

Two words echoed in his head that was crucial to success.

[member="Ara Ren"]

 

[Ara Zambrano]

Resisting the urge to pull her hand away, she matched his pace as they wandered up the path toward the stone building. She raised an eyebrow, a stormy smirk taking over.

”Would you like it to be? And you may have won the last two, but we both know that I was the victor of our first spar.”

She turned around and paused, standing between him and the path.

”Shall we make it an even two to two? I normally spar with Talon in the morning, but perhaps a change of sparring partners could be arranged on occasion.”

She stepped into him, fingers still intertwined and tilted her head to one side, eyes challenging and direct. At the mention of Mustafar, her grin became predatory. She released his fingers and stepped aside, her attention drawn to the image of the Bastion carved into the mountainside. She wasn’t seeing the stone walls and rocky crags, instead, images of lava falls and molten rivers filled her mind’s eye.

”My blade was forged on Mustafar, in the sweltering heat and surrounded by death. How fitting we should return there. Just don’t get in my way, Connor.”

She flashed a smile and a wink his direction, accepting his offer of teamwork on the field of battle. It would be their first true test. And while the comment was meant to be a tease, there was a hardness underneath it. If they fought together, she would not hold back. Should he get in the way or attempt to coddle her on the battlefield, there would be hell to pay.

Just as she had submitted to his power and strength, he would have to accept hers. Without waiting for an answer she continued on, slow strides leading them back home without any sense of urgency.

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Ara liked to square up to him, that was evident more and more as if she was constantly pushing him – challenging him to accept her or argue with her. Right now, he accepted what she said because it was true. The garrison still bore a smear of blood that had stained the floor thanks to a cut chin.

And sparring seemed a good thing for both of them. They had much to learn and much to offer the other, that was agreed with a simple nod.

Mustafar too, a firm acceptance and that talk of war made it clear holding hands wasn’t on the list. While it irked him, he let it go. He couldn’t expect anything from this one just yet. The tightrope wasn’t cleared yet.

But, again, a threat. Another exclamation to assert herself with him and her standing. Was she fearful he would take that away or force her to change? Did she doubt herself around him? Did she not trust him around her?

Connor followed, processing it all, and also didn’t rush to keep up. His eyes narrowed and he twisted his hand and wrapped the Force energy he expelled around her thighs, rooting her down and adding a dead weight to keep her standing still.

He came up close behind her.

"Do you not listen to me?” Connor whispered.

His hand snaked up her side, around her tummy, between her breasts and stroked up her neck before holding it, gently pulling her neck back to rest on his shoulder. He squeezed gently.

"Do…not...belittle me….again.”

Biting his lip, he pulled her harder into him with his hand on her neck.

"You are mine, but also your own. I know that. I KNOW that.”

Connor inhaled her scent for a second, and then let go, letting the adrenalin of that brief moment go, before walking past her.

"Keep up.”

[member="Ara Ren"]

 

[Ara Zambrano]

With a jerk, she was pulled to a stop, the force wrapped around her legs preventing her from moving. Her feet stayed rooted to the ground, leg muscles straining to lift them even an inch. A low growl trickled out of her throat in frustration and she whipped her head around to glare at her companion. His presence behind her and his hand snaking its way up to her neck silenced the curse and protest that bubbled up from within.

"Do you not listen to me?”

His words echoed in her ears as she was pulled back against him, her neck trapped between his hands and his shoulder.

"Do…not...belittle me….again.”

The pressure on her windpipe increased, not enough to cut off her air like before, but arching her neck back until she could shift her gaze to stare at his face from the side. Anger, lust, frustration, and determination swirled in a visceral cocktail of emotions she was beginning to accept as the norm around [member="Connor Harrison"] . They were both too strong-willed and prideful to do anything but tear each other apart it seemed. A few moments of shared passion and pleasure gave way to battling egos and stubborn force.

What was the saying? Immovable object meets unstoppable force?

Gathering the power to push the man away, she was surprised when the pressure of his hand and and his presence behind her disappeared.

She stood for a moment in stillness as he walked past her, a glare aimed between his shoulder blades. The glare turned thoughtful for a moment before she reached a hand out and her own invisible force wrapped itself around his legs, but unlike his move, she used the power to pull his legs from underneath him, intent on bringing him to the ground. Moving before the attack was completed, she was on him, her hand and the force pinning the man to the ground. She straddled him, using her weight to hold him down, ready to shift should he try to push her off. Her long hair fell in a curtain around them as emerald eyes stared down at him.

"And you call me stubborn." She raised an eyebrow, her lips drawn in a tight smile, eyes thoughtful but behind then was a swirl of that emotional storm. "This is the only time I am going to say this, so either listen or do not, but I will not repeat myself."

She paused for a moment, letting him acknowledge her statement.

"You showed me power and I gave in to it. I respected it. It's time for you to do the same of mine. I was not belittling you, Mr. Harrison. I will not pull my punches, I will not hesitate on the field of battle. If you get in my way, you will be brought down the same as my enemies. That is not a threat, it is the truth."

She increased the pressure of her hand on his chest, eyes dark with suppressed anger and frustration. She was close to snapping but holding tight to the control she valued above all else.

"Fight beside me. Fight with me. But do not...get...it...my...way. You told me to let you and Kaalia help, to let you in. I have." To emphasize her point, she released the barrier she'd kept between them, the full force of her range of emotions swirling through their shared bond. "But I will not let anyone get in my way. Can you accept me, Connor? Or do we end this now?"

Could he accept her with all her quips and barbs? Could he accept that she would constantly push him to be stronger, harder, faster? Could he accept that she would always push his boundaries, if only to know that she could. She was an unstoppable force, and he could chose to ride with her and bring their strength together as one team. Would he let ego get between them or would he accept her?

Somewhere behind that cocktail of emotion was fear. Fear that he'd take without giving. That he'd wake up one day and find her wanting.

 

[Connor Harrison]

Connor didn’t think she would retaliate, but he should have. His next step forward faltered, and he was pulled back, seemingly stumbling over his own feet before falling back, and the hand of Ara was square in his chest pushing him down. The surprise of it all amused him, and he coughed as he landed with a sharp thud on the incline.

He listened to her, and didn’t react.

Only when the pressure amplified on his chest, did he allow himself to absorb it, and feel the rush of the darkness from her. His head tilted back as the pressure swelled in his chest, accentuated with each word and each flicker of the fingers on him.

He looked at her, and didn’t stop looking. Her words were brought about by fear and anger, but also out of…want and hope.

When she let herself open up to him, his head fell back and his eyes closed, and he didn’t fight her. He let the darkness pass between them and he knew what he had to do to prove himself.

"I am with you,” he said quietly.

His eyes opened and he stared up at the night sky, feeling like he was falling through the ground but supported by her strength.

"Just please,” he reached up and placed his hand directly on her chest to where she had hers on his, "trust me when I say I trust you. I believe in you. I know how powerful you are. I can FEEL it. Oh, I can feel it. It gives me strength. Desire.”

Closing his eyes, they bled amber behind closed lids as he felt it bubble inside his very soul that she fed into him.

"I trust you. I respect you. We are one, but we are two. We are everything!”

Now he looked at her, eyes open connecting with hers, and he poured as much self-belief, trust and power from his aura through to hers as he could. This was his turning point. To respect and believe in her, in order to receive the same.

[member="Ara Ren"]

 

[Ara Zambrano]

She closed her eyes, letting the words wrap themselves around her thoughts, her heart thudding a rapid rhythm. His hand on her chest sent a rush of desire through her, just as every other touch since their first meeting had. It was neither a new nor unusual emotion for the girl, but the strength of her desire to be with him, was. This wasn’t about pleasure or possession, it was about something simple that had burned between them for weeks.

For a moment, she let a thought drift between them, one she would never voice and never admit to. It was the ultimate answer to his request for trust, the deepest chink in her armor, the crack in her soul and her shell.

I don’t know how.

With a deep breath she leaned forward and kissed him lightly, releasing her hold on his chest with both her hand and the Force. Pushing herself off of him, she stood, tilting her head as an amused smile took over. Her wet clothes had soaked through his in places, her eyebrows crinkling as she offered him a hand up.

She didn’t want to talk about what had passed between them, preferring to shut her weaknesses away in a box locked tight from prying eyes, but unlike earlier, she left the bond between them open. The sharing of emotions and desires felt raw and vulnerable, an experience she naturally shied away from.

”Tell me about your scars, Connor, and I’ll tell you about mine.”

She reached out and traced the path of indented scars she knew existed on his torso, even if she couldn’t feel them through the fabric.

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Eyes closed as their bond grew, Connor only relaxed when the pressure from his chest eased and her grip relaxed. The ground seemed firm again beneath him, and the darkness of night was surrounding them. Water crashed gently in the bay behind the incline, and the torches flicked on the way to the Bastion.

He took a second to centre himself, and rolled himself backwards and up on his feet, shaking down the dirt from his back. Again, there seemed to be so much between them, but it didn’t need to be said. The tightrope was still swaying in an unpredictable way as his balance was righted.

With a hand on her back to continue walking, he nodded at her question.

"Alright then.”

Nothing to hide. Not from her.

"Okay, well,” he tapped below his left eye, "I told you about that one.” He moved to his inner right arm and the swirl of torn skin. "I fell from the mountains of Rhen Var when I served the Jedi Order of the Republic – discovers a Force amulet, it repelled my weakness and I fell down, into the icy water below and sliced my arm on the way down. Thankfully the ice water did wonders so I didn’t bleed out.”

Then, he pulled his black vest down a little, and pointed to a faint swirl of pink across his chest.

"This was from a Sith who murdered an old Master of mine, and I was too late to stop her. The fire she called to her left its mark as well as the murder, but it fuelled my want to control fire. Which I can.”

Next, he lifted the right side of his vest up. Little concaves up his torso. He wasn’t pleased about this set of wounds.

"Now, the medics had to remove all the grit and stones embedded in there before any healing could take place. Took forever, and my body looked like a grotesque bleeding rockery. The Sith Sorceress Matsu Xiangu and I clashed and she pushed me into the ground and dragged me through a crater with the Force. I picked up a few souvenirs you could say.”

After that, he held his hands out.

"A couple here from experimenting with Force Lightning on the fingertips and knuckles from a few scrapes, as well the hand crushed by a Mandalorion, as you do.”

Now it was like a check-list of shopping to buy. He turned around and lifted the vest again to reveal a blanket of jagged pink scars up his back.

"My first taste of Force Lightning.”

He let her look on, before lowering his vest and turning back around with a soft smile.

"A couple more here and there, but nothing like those. Oh, and I do think you added a tiny one to my chin. That was a deep cut.” With a raised brow, he looked her up and down. "I’ve shown you mine, you show me yours.”

[member="Ara Ren"]

 

[Ara Zambrano]

For a majority of the conversation Ara stayed quiet, her thoughtful gaze fliting from each mark to the next. When he showed her the pink burn scar across his eyes, her eyes darkened, eyebrows narrowing ever so slightly. The memory of heat and flame narrowly redirected around her body sent a chill through her. That could have been her. Those burns, those scars could have easily belonged to her after her trip to Coruscant, but the Force had answered her call and she was stronger, and in one piece because of it.

When he lifted his vest to reveal the pocket marked scars, she felt his displeasure through their bond. The rest of his scars had been listed off like a check list of wounds, no emotion, no remnants of pain. But these, these affected him in a way the others hadn’t. Stepping forward, she reached out and traced a path along the ridges with her left hand, ever so lightly.

One corner of her mouth quirked up in a grin as he joked about them, even if she could feel the bitter undertones. When he moved onto the next set, she stepped back, her hand falling away from his torso.

Scars on his hands and knuckles from Force Lightning, a power she was intrigued and slightly intimidated by. The scars on his back drew her rapt attention, these one she had felt but not seen. Once again she moved forward, this time splaying a hand on the intricate webbing of scars, feeling his pulse and the movement of his chest and he breathed. One nail traced the map of red lines, thinking about her own and how [member="Connor Harrison"] had done the same to her leg hours before.

Again she moved away as he lowered his vest and turned back to her. A deep chuckle and a smirk was her way of acknowledging the new addition to his collection, a memory of the first time they’d drawn blades against each other. While his appraisal of her body was hardly suggestive, her smirk turned into a seductive smile as he did so.

”Hardly a subtle way of asking a girl to take her clothes off, Mr. Harrison.”

She couldn’t resist the teasing comment, a hand on her hip and raised eyebrow accompanying the purring tones. Regardless, she unclasped her cloak and folded it over her left arm.

”You already know about the lightsaber scar on my right shoulder. I believe you even know who put it there. Maybe next time he’ll manage more than one hit.” She winked at him, keeping her tone light and playful despite the roaring of her pulse in her ears. Showing her weaknesses was not something she did often, or ever, and even knowing he’d seen them all did not make the prospect palatable.

With a soft sigh she lifted the left side of her tabard and tunic, revealing the bright red scar across her rib cage.

”This was from a blow I almost didn’t avoid. Bastard tried to cleave me in two. Luckily, he failed. The next time I see him, he will receive one of his own, I promise you.”

Ara let his gaze linger on it for a moment before straightening her clothing again and turning slightly away, looking back out over the lake. Not all scars were physical and she knew the one she had to share. Repayment for the trust he’d given her, a story for a story.

”I was not completely truthful when I told you about my fear of heights before.”

”When I told you I fell because I missed a jump…that was true.” Her expression hardened as she thought back, her mind lost to a memory long past. ”I made the mistake of stealing a comm unit from some street walking in a rival gang’s territory.”

She paused, realizing that she may never have told him about her history with the street rats of the slum district. No turning back now.

”They chased me and I thought, like the stupid teenager I was, that I could outmaneuver them. I took the chase to the rooftops.”

Another pause, her anxiety spiked and her hands clinched into fists.

”I did miss that jump, it was not a complete lie. They followed.”

Shutting her eyes for a moment, the urge to shut down the bond between them was strong, but she was stronger. She wrapped the fear and pain and anger around her and opened glowing eyes to stare out at the world, a far cry from the child she’d been back then.

”He broke my left hand with his boot.” Turning to meet his gaze, she chose to face the memory and the pain instead of run from it. ”His boot was the last thing I saw before I fell.”

 

[Connor Harrison]

With an amused smirk, he tucked his vest in, damp on his skin still, and let Ara tell her stories. He looked over her wounds with nothing but understanding. They would all mean something, painful memories or bittersweet reminders.

He couldn’t help roll his eyes a little at her dig about their spar. At least he had left a mark – that was good enough until next time. When she showed him the scar on her ribs, he had already seen in it – obviously – but here he actually looked at it, running his finger gently down the pink skin and counting his blessings how lucky he was the coward hadn’t been lucky enough to actually kill her.

Choosing to stay silent to let her talk about the Coruscant incident next, his fingers moved from her ribs and he folded his arms. It took everything he had not to say something about gleaming some of this truth from her previous mental experience in the Bastion, but this wasn’t about what had already been seen – it was about trust. Ara trusted him enough to open up, and so it was right to listen and say nothing and not pry.

Not about the fall, but the other voids inside her head she was still closing off.

It was hard to feel there was something else hidden away, but it was early days. He couldn’t push her, not yet.

"Hey,” he leaned and kicked the back of her boot gently with his to snap her out of it. "All perfect to me. Signs of a hard path walked. But, you’re a survivor. We both are. That’s what makes us strong, remember.”

Looking up the night sky, he sighed and took the view in for a moment. A small blinkling light of a low orbit ship. A distant moon.

"What’s out there, Ara. For us, the Ren, the Order…everything. How many systems are left to explore and Jedi to destroy to bring them all together under our rule. We have so much ahead of us. It’s going to be amazing.”

He still enjoyed the thought of cutting down those who stood beside him. The Jedi who held him back and doubted him. Who held back the Dark Side. His thoughts were dark and dangerous, but exciting.

[member="Ara Ren"]

 

[Ara Zambrano]

A shudder rolled through her as he traced her scar. Whether the shudder was from his touch, bitter memories, or both, she wasn’t sure. Again, she wondered how much of the flashes of memory he’d seen so long ago in the training room, his lack of response seemed to point towards quite a bit. He reacted with neither anger nor surprise, both emotions she would have expected out of him if the information was fresh.

His nudge to her boot raised an eyebrow, her arms mirroring his, crossed across her chest. Yes, they were both survivors, but at what cost?

Has he stared up at the sky, she watched him, eyes tracing the planes of his face, curve of his neck, and the small scar beneath his eye. The first time she’d met him, she’d thought him handsome. Even more so now, with the darkness burning inside. His eyes burned with the corrupt amber, the eerie glow beckoning and calling.

Stepping up next to him, she placed her hand on his upper arm lightly, eyes hooded by partially lowered lids. The desire for blood and lust for power burned through their bond and she felt its siren call as much as he did. Her eyes flashed a rich garnet for a moment before returning to their normal hue with corrupted ring. Her own anger and pain was slowly bleeding off as she left the dark memories behind, another scar revealed and one more wall brought down.

”Power calls to power, Connor. Yours called to me in Avalonia, as it still does.”

The statement hung in the air around them for a moment before she released his arm and began walking again.

”It has been a long night, Connor.”

She stared up at the bastion, the power from the two dwarfed by something or someone within. Having paid it no heed until now, her gaze snapped to the aura emanating from the upper levels of the fortress. Her expression melted into a frown and she slowed, wondering if he felt it too.

”Somehow I doubt it is over.”

A disappointed sigh released through her, the cloak in her grip clenched tighter. After the day they’d had, all she wanted was a warm bath and sleep. It seemed like the Order had other plans for the Ren.

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

He refrained from looking down at her touch, or her words. Instead he let her support him as he gazed into the void of space. Each tiny star would echo his fingerprint in one way or another. The ripples of the legacy he would leave would reach from one side of the galaxy to another, he would make sure of it. Ara was going to be part of that ripple too as it sent a shockwave out from the centre of the First Order itself.

Each word said he heard, but he just wanted another second of burning hatred for the Jedi out there who would be looking back at him, somewhere, thinking the same. Let them. The fools.

Finally, he looked back towards Ara and the Bastion and joined her, feeling the massing Dark Side power from the Ren’s lair. It was nearly time.

This was the most dangerous time for Connor, he knew it. He soon would need to stand with his allies in their next conquest – and if rumour was right, it would be Mustafar. There, he would go against former friends and allies possibly. He would have to prove his loyalty to the First Order and the Supreme Leader, and to Ara.

Bring it on.

Connor reached for the nape of her neck, threading fingers through her hair and gently rubbing her muscles. No pain, no aggressive undertone. Just a touch of that one thing both needed…reassurance.

"It’s time to shape our destiny.”

The walk back to the Bastion was quiet, but their Dark Side auras spoke louder than words ever could.

[member="Ara Ren"]

 

[Ara Zambrano]

Letting him have his moment of anger, she tucked her own away. The tidal wave of emotions retreated into the recesses of her consciousness, the tough, analytical warrior coming to the forefront. The corruption dissolved from her eyes, a small ring of sulfur the only signs of the power she’d tapped into. She felt the change, even if she couldn’t see it. One corner of her mouth quirked up into a sly smile. No one who touched the darkness came away unscathed. There was always a price to pay.

The order, and the Ren, were moving toward war. It would be a test of their strength, teamwork, and perseverance. Glancing at [member="Connor Harrison"] side-long, she wondered what battles the war would bring him specifically. She had no ties to any save the Ren, Kaalia, and the man at her side. The assault on Mustafar would be a chance to let loose and show her brothers and sisters her strength and dedication.

For the ex-Jedi, it would be a gauntlet of distrust, broken bonds, and possibly former allies. Momentarily closing her eyes as his fingers threaded through her hair, they stood side-by-side, neither breaking the silence. She leaned into the movement of his fingers, letting him support and reassure her for a time.

The tightrope had been crossed and both had emerged without falling, but they had swayed. There was no safety net, no assurances. There was nothing but trust, trust that in her experience was easily broken.

Her eyes snapped open as he spoke, shoving all of her doubts away and replacing them with determination. It was time to prove what they were worth, not to dwell on the possible outcomes. She’d survived before and would continue to do so.

[member="Connor Harrison"]

I'm only human, I've got a skeleton in me
But I'm not the villain, despite what you're always preaching
Call me a traitor, I'm just collecting your victims
They're getting stronger, I hear them calling

I'll stop the whole world, I'll stop the whole world
From turning into a monster and eating us alive
Don't you ever wonder how we survive?
Well now that your gone, the world is ours