Private Time of Need

[Elias Edo]

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Tags: Efret Farr
Location: Jedi Enclave, BOGANO

"Does it... does it ever stop hurting, Master Edo?" Fenn asked as he hissed in pain. He'd been out of the bacta tank only an hour, yet the pain still creeped on him. Phantom pain, that is. Elias gently took the boy's arm into his hands, careful not to touch the tender flesh that had grown to cover where his forearm had been bisected. Fenn winced, making Elias pause for a moment. He looked to the boy apologetically as he shifted the pressure. "Better?" he asked. Fenn nodded. "Better."

Elias looked over the thin layer of new skin that had finally wrapped the injury and sighed. He was pleased with how well it was healing; it was Fenn's question that troubled the Jedi. "This will stop hurting soon," he told the Padawan, nodding to the boy's arm in his hand. Then he playfully tapped a finger against Fenn's temple. "This is the part that will take longer to adjust." Fenn's eyebrow raised in confusion. "How do you mean, Master?"

"Phantom pain," Elias answered heavily. "Your eyes can see that your arm- you can see the injury, yes? But your brain will take time to adjust. You'll feel pins and needles. Sometimes, you may even sense that your hand is still there. That is the part that will take longer to heal." He wanted to explain more, to reassure the growing concern that showed in Fenn's eyes, but the voice of his friend and second-in-command called to him from across the chamber. Elias looked to one of the nearby healers, telling them to help Fenn back into the tank. He turned to face the source, his eyes spotting first the Nautolan Jedi named Erewhon who kept charge of the enclave when Elias was away - and then the familiar frame of Efret Farr stumbling behind him.

Elias' blood ran cold the moment he laid eyes on her. She looked disheveled, injured possibly. Even worse was the wounded convor that she cradled in her arms. Nirrah was Efret's eyes and ears, quite literally. Something terrible must have happened. He wasted no time crossing the chamber and seeing to her. "Healer!" the Nautolan barked, causing one of the half-dozen Jedi to scurry over. She was a young girl but one of the enclave's best. "Take Nirrah," Elias said to the young Jedi. "We'll take good care of her, Efret, but you must come with me. Erewhon?" The Nautolan nodded his understanding, helping Elias to prop under Efret's arms and guide her to the closest bed.

Every step felt like an eternity, each moment filled with the harsh thumping of his heart filling his ears. The room became violently sharp as Elias helped his friend into the chamber, the only thoughts in his head a repeated prayer: "Please be okay, please be okay, please be okay."

 

[Efret Farr]

It all was a blur both figuratively and physically. Truthfully, she thought it a dream; that she was dying in a ditch somewhere in the Holy City; that seeing a group of fellow Jedi again was another Dark side trick she was being subjected to.

But no. She had made her way to Bogano’s enclave. She was safe.

After nodding to what Elias had said, Efret offered her small, feathered friend to the young Jedi healer. The female master then leaned forward over the healer’s arms and placed a soft kiss on Nirrah’s forehead. She only moved away when Elias and Erewhon led her in search of an open bed. She didn’t have the energy to fight them even if she didn’t want desperately to rest the legs that had carried her through her duel with Malva'ikh Dralidok , back to her X-wing starfighter, and then across the karst topography of Bogano's surface.

<Allergic #bacta.> No monotonous voice interpreted the movements of her hands. Her clip was missing from the neckline of her robes. On top of losing her eyes and ears, she had effectively lost her voice too. As the men helped her onto a healing cot, she inhaled sharply through clenched teeth. The skin underneath one of her trouser legs had blossomed into a terrible, appendage-long bruise. Contracting her leg muscles sent waves of pain through her.

<I fine,> she told them once she swallowed the pain, though she was fairly sure that Erewhon did not understand GBSL. Her statement was an objective lie. In addition to her leg, there was a cut on her shoulder and another on her hip. In the middle of a ring of red and irritated follicles hidden under her thick hair at the back of her head, her hair clip was partially embedded into her scalp where she had fallen on it. She stank of blood and ozone and smoke and shadows. Still though, nothing was broken but skin, blood vessels, and pride. Nirrah, on the other hand, clearly had suffered a broken wing. Relatively, then, Efret was truly fine.

She frowned up at Elias. <If she die, don’t-know what-do…> She signed with hands already shaking from dehydration, exhaustion, and pain, but now worry as well. Tears filled her eyes and one breached to run down her cheek, carving a short river channel through the grime on her skin. She reflexively drew a hand to her face to wipe at the water, but then pulled it away when she remembered that her palm was coated in her own and Nirrah’s blood.

More tears fell as her frustration grew more evident. When she looked at him again, she was unable to keep her breathing or signing calm anymore. <I fuck up, #Elias. First-lost artifacts, second-left Dark sider alive, third-hurt Nirrah. She tired, fell-out-of-sky. Not see. I step on her, accident.

<Awful. I awful. Please help-her.> She leaned forward, scooting toward him if needed, so that she could grasp his hand. Desperation reigned in her hazel eyes. <Please. What happens me, I don’t-care.>

Elias Edo​

 

[Elias Edo]

​

Tags: Efret Farr
Location: Jedi Enclave, BOGANO

Elias chewed the inside of his bottom lip raw, unwilling to leave Efret's care entirely to the team of Jedi healers. He knew in his mind and heart that his people were well suited for the task at hand, that she would be safe here in their hands, but he couldn't pry himself away from her bedside. He did everything he could to help them without crossing the line between assisting and hindering them. As best he could, he conveyed her allergy to bacta. Elias' eyes fixed on every subtle motion the healers made, observing and micromanaging silently as they worked - a behavior Erewhon quickly picked up on and put a gentle stop to. He placed a hand on Elias' shoulder, pulling the Jedi back to his senses. His shaky eyes looked up to meet the Nautolan's inky orbs. "You have to let them work, brother," he said. "I-I can help," Elias stammered.

"Let the healers heal. This is what they've trained to do." Erewhon's voice was a bit sterner this time. "Do you have the nysillin?" Elias asked one of the Jedi, ignoring his friend. This time, Erewhon tightened his grip. "Master Farr doesn't need a hero, Elias. She needs you. Let the healers do their work." Elias swallowed hard and nodded, one shaky hand reaching for Efret's while the other attempted to sign with her.

<"Nirrah safe-here, I promise,"> he told her, placing his faith at last in the healers of his enclave. Tears welled on his eyelids and threatened to roll over, but he kept them at bay. "You did your best, Efret. The most important thing is that you came here. I promise you, we will take care of Nirrah. And we will take care of you, too," he said. His eyes trailed over to one of the healers, a Zabrak male brandishing a pair of fabric scissors. With careful hands, he slid the blade under her tunic and began to cut it up the side and down her sleeve to reveal a painful wound on her shoulder. Another Jedi set to work cleaning the gash with a warm compress while the Zabrak moved to her waist, cutting away to examine another laceration on her hip. Elias gave Efret's hand a gentle squeeze, knowing that the nysillin and other healing herbs would be painful upon application.

<"Doing great,"> he signed with his free hand. <"Keep good-work."> Erewhon gave him an approving nod and patted his shoulder before stepping away. "I'm going to check on the convor," he said with a consoling smile. Elias nodded, but his eyes never broke from Efret's face. He couldn't take his eyes off her, not even for a moment. Not until he knew she was going to be okay.

 

[Efret Farr]

Her severed blood vessels burned, nerves screaming the sensation to her brain. She managed her urge to squirm by squeezing Elias' hand back, only aware that the pressure she was exerting must be uncomfortable to him until a fresh sting touched her skin. Then she selfishly forgot. She nodded at him as not to move her shoulder until it was thoroughly cleaned and dressed. She understood all he had just said. Nirrah was safe. They'd take care of her, but also of Efret herself. As the adrenaline that had been controlling her every move for the last dozen hours finally began to ebb, it grew easier to remember that not everything was a choice. Sometimes, both lives could be saved.

And then there was his praise. Though she, at the bottom of her heart, didn't agree, she also chose from that very same anatomical juncture that she would endeavor to believe him. She was doing well. She would keep doing well, not just on the healing cot but over what remained of the course of this war.

Until she could be a duelist or a healer or a protector again, she would be a good patient. She endured the rest of her treatment with her hand more gently in Elias' and her gaze returning his, finding comfort in the warmth of his palm and golden, sunlight-like eyes. As best she could, she began to silently count the small freckles in one. That somehow chased away the pain both of healing and lingering from her duel. <#Elias?> she asked finally once one of the healers had wrapped the gash on her shoulder. <Tell-me story.>

Elias Edo​

 

[Elias Edo]

​

Tags: Efret Farr
Location: Jedi Enclave, BOGANO

Elias' thumb softly glided in thoughtful circles on the back of Efret's hands as he watched, and when signed to him, his eyes watched intently. <"A story?"> he signed back, unsure he understood at first. The look in her eyes told him he was right. He smiled, nodding. "When I was a boy," he said, "my mother told me the tale of Matara, the ancient hero our city was named after. Matara was brave and strong, but also cunning and mischievous. He was always finding ways to trick Ashla, the mother goddess, into treating us, his people, with gifts. He had done it many times before - that's how we learned to fish and cook with fire, how to make waka hourua, how to wear tā moko." Elias tried his best to sign as he spoke, but between the words he didn't know and Genetian phrases that simply wouldn't translate, several chunks were missed. For these, he made sure to slow down and speak slowly so that Efret could read his lips.

<"#Matara use-hook. Grab-islands from ocean, pull them up for sun to see."> As he signed, he added his own little flair; a hooked pointer finger, jazz hands to represent the sunlight. "At first, Ashla was upset," he went on to say. <"She not-happy. Want children to use canoe to explore, not stay on island-under-sun."> His eyes got serious, but he wore a joyful smile, nevertheless. It was clear Elias was deeply connected to the boyish trickster god inside him. "But Ashla came around when she saw how happy Matara had made the people. We would still sail, still fish, still wear the tā moko... but we would also have a place to rest our heads when we were finished and the sun was setting." He gave her hand another squeeze as the healer returned with a damp cloth and began to dab at the mixture of dried dirt and blood that caked her pores. She started on Efret's forearm and gently moved as close to the wound as she could without disturbing the herbal salve that enclosed it.

<"#Ashla-ask, what #Matara call it? He call it..."> Elias said, trailing off. He couldn't think of a good way to sign it, so he spoke the words slowly for Efret. "Hau kāinga," he told her. <"It-mean home.">

He used his free hand, the one not still gently cradling Efret's, and gestured around the healing hall. <"Bogano my home."> Then he held her hand tight and placed his other underneath it, enclosing hers in his. <"It your home now, too. As much time you-need.">

 

[Efret Farr]

Her eyes sparkled as if to say thank you. One of her hands slid from between his to reposition over her heart for a long, grateful moment. <Know landscape beautiful. Not see but feel. You lucky call place like this home. Honor share with-you.>

Truly, it was. Ever since she graduated from the Academy of Jedi Archaeology and left Coruscant, she hadn’t thought of a single place as home. Rather, her concept of it had become much more fluid. It was wherever she was welcomed; it changed from month to month or year to year as she traveled to see and to dig and to learn. The process of homecoming had become for her reminiscent of orogeny. She’d build relationships then move on and they’d erode—maybe not down to the root but away to be weaker and distant.

It might well have seemed to most sentimental and ideal to be at home among a people rather than in a given place, but part of Efret longed to settle somewhere specific. Though she couldn’t given her chosen lot in life, she couldn’t completely swear off wishing for it either.

The healer, after checking over the back of Efret’s head as carefully as she could, looked to Efret. “We have to take you for minor surgery,” she said before glancing at Elias. “You need to stay out here, Master Edo. I’m sorry.”

Efret hadn’t been able to lipread well whatever had been said to him, but, given what she had been told, she could guess. The disappointment evident in his face even if he tried to hide it confirmed her suspicion. She smiled up at him and gave his hand a reassuring squeeze. <I like island. They bring-back me see sun.>

And they did in about an hour and a half.

When the same attending woman rolled her back into the general recovery room, she was asleep. The healer explained to Elias, who was surely anxiously waiting for their return, “She has a few staples under a piece of synthskin on the back of her head. The surgeon had to shave off a patch of hair. I told her beforehand that, with how thick her hair is, it’s probable that no one will notice, but she still seemed distressed, which is to be expected, so I’ll leave this with you for her.” She handed Elias a triangular hair scarf, tan with a fine rust red floral design. On top of the fabric lay a small bottle of herbal hair oil for topical use after her skin healed.

It would be a few more hours before Efret awoke. Spotting him near her bedside, she would give him a weary wave, muscles weighed down with painkillers as well as exhaustion that had finally caught up with her.

Elias Edo​

 

[Elias Edo]

​

Tags: Efret Farr
Location: Jedi Enclave, BOGANO

Watching Efret go back for surgery was perhaps one of the rawest sights Elias had ever seen. That cold sense of helplessness washing over, knowing that there's nothing to be done except wait and worry. He felt this way when Tarus Undara was reported missing, when Dagobah was attacked, and when young Fenn was attacked by Sith assassins. Thus far, he was one and three on the scoreboard for these things turning out... he hoped to the stars, to Ashla, to whoever was listening that Efret would be fine, despite knowing that she would be.

And she was. About an hour later, which had certainly felt like an eternity, a sleeping Efret was returned to the main hall where Elias had been waiting. He nodded at the healer informed him of what had happened and gave the woman a grateful bow with his head. Erewhon soon followed, placing a hand on Elias' shoulder from behind, startling him a bit. "How is she doing?" the Nautolan asked. "She's well, all thing's considered," Elias answered. His eyes never once moved from her form, taking in every breath she took, every movement she made. "You did well, brother," Ere said, patting him. "I can tell she means a lot to you." Elias simply nodded. Until today, he hadn't really considered what or how much Efret Farr meant to him. She was a colleague, then a friend, and now... someone he couldn't bear to lose.

"How's Nirrah?" Elias asked, breaking away from the thought that perhaps he felt something deeper than Jedi companionship for the broken woman laying before him. Ere obliged the segue and offered good news. "She's got a broken wing and some internal injuries, poor thing, but nothing we can't handle. She's already stable and comfortable. As comfortable as she can be, I mean." Elias nodded, smiling his thanks. "Efret will be so happy to hear that." A sharp, mechanical hiss from across the room reminded Erewhon of the bacta tanks. "How is Fenn?" he asked. Elias' lip quirked a bit.

"He's doing much better. In fact," he said, looking at how deeply Efret was resting, "I may rouse him from the tank again while she sleeps." Ere tilted his head at that. "Are you sure it's safe to pull him so often?" Elias shrugged, a little defeated. "I suppose it's best to let him rest, too. But this evening, I want to pull him again for dinner. Cook him something nice, like what we used to prepare on Dagobah. The Jensaarai are a tough bunch, but there's nothing I've cooked that they didn't enjoy. Especially that one," he added, nodding to the far tanks where Fenn's body floated peacefully in the liquid.

Elias waited another half hour before deciding to spend some time in the greenhouses. Erewhon offered to accompany him, but he graciously declined. He needed some time alone with his thoughts, and to gather a good selection of herbs for the meal he'd promised to not only an unconscious Fenn, but to a wakeful Efret some time ago. An hour later, with a basket of washed greenery in the kitchen, Elias returned to the halls of healing to find his friend easing back into wakefulness. She gave him a small wave, which he returned as he crossed the room. He knelt beside her and smiled. <"Glad you-awake now. How you-feel?">

 

[Efret Farr]

<Feel like took bad fall,> she began with both hands, then sought out one of his with one of hers. <Not like survive Dark-side-person assault.> Bogani healing was either very effective or her nerves weren't communicating properly with her brain.

Her smile faltered but didn't entirely fall from her face. <Don't-know his name. Call him Angry Braid-back-of-head. I think he Elite. Really strong. Past-think...> She trailed off. Despite herself, she forced a bit of her easy, optimistic smile to return. It stayed for only a moment, sliding back off her lips like water droplets off a duck's hydrophobic feather coating. She couldn't not finish her thought. It would only worry him more. <...I dead.>

She bit her lip and gave his hand, had she found it, what was meant to be a reassuring squeeze. <Glad still alive. I can drag-you-to more sand planet.> This time, the growth of her smile was sincere, and it stuck, blinging even more life into her hazel eyes. <How Nirrah?>

After he answered that and she expressed her thanks, she'd ask, <What for dinner?>

Elias Edo​

 

[Elias Edo]

​

Tags: Efret Farr
Location: Jedi Enclave, BOGANO

Chuckles and sighs of relief were the most Elias could respond to her with. He was sure there were words somewhere inside but finding them was less important than watching passively as the light seemed to come back in Efret's eyes. The smile that formed on his face said everything he wanted to speak aloud. Her inquiry about Nirrah, however, certainly dignified a true response. <"Nirrah fine,"> Elias signed with his free hand. <"She strong, like you. She get-better with rest and care."> He glanced up to the olive-green karnite archway that led to the adjacent chamber where the little avian was being treated. <"Nirrah need you get-better, too,"> Elias said, allowing her fingers to rest in his hand.

When Efret asked about dinner, Elias couldn't help but laugh. His proposition was a little dated, swept into the back of his mind like most things were when the Jedi were faced with external forces of darkness. Misplaced, but never forgotten. He asked Efret on Jakku if she'd come to Bogano and share a meal with him. At the time, she may have seen it as a simple returning of the favor for the delicious Lorrdian food she'd prepared during the excavation. Or perhaps she knew all along that it was more of a personal request to spend time with her in a much less sandy environment. Either way, she hadn't forgotten, and neither had he. "I was thinking a nice biryani," Elias said with a smile. "When you're feeling better, maybe when some of the bruises start losing their color, I'll take you over. How does that sound?"

 

[Efret Farr]

Efret laughed when he did. She had in fact known that his offer of dinner had been more of a personal request than an obligatory reciprocation of a kindness. And she found that she had been looking forward to it with more than an anthropologist or epicure's interest in a colleague's culture and its food. <Do-past you think I-forget?> she asked rhetorically, smile beaming. <Have lot-of memory space here,> she tapped her temple, <concussion probable or not.>

When he shared his plan with her, she gave a small nod. <#Biryani my favorite, one-of.> There was pang of sadness as she pulled her fingers out of Elias' grasp so that she could sign with both hands again. The air was so cold compared to the comfortable heat radiating from his palm. <But I would prefer eat Genetian food. Maybe you understand from #Jakku I don't eat meat or fish when cook for myself. But I eat both often when I go live with local population. Bond me with their culture.>

She paused very shortly and then added, <I like experience yours, if you have ingredients you need.>

Elias Edo​

 

[Elias Edo]

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Tags: Efret Farr
Location: Jedi Enclave, BOGANO

<"Lucky-you,"> Elias signed with a smile. <"Many Genetian food use fish, many more do not. I have-"> he paused, thinking. His eyebrows furrowed a bit as he traced mental steps through the greenhouses to recall their current stock. <"I have what I need for favorite meal, or one-of. You-like paella? I-make with vegetable only, no fish, if you like."> It would turn out much the same, he figured. Besides, when it comes to medicine, there's no telling when she would feel up to joining him to eat and that uncertainty made it difficult to know when he'd need to catch their dinner from the limestone pools beneath their feet. It would be much better with fresh vegetables and herbs. Elias would speak with her more, until it was time for Efret to rest again. A brief respite for them both as the healers moved to tend to her further and Elias took his leave, bidding the Jedi farewell and stopping ony briefly to look at his friend once more before heading back to his quarters.

Each day after, Elias made his rounds to check on both Efret and young Fenn in the Halls of Healing. Her cuts and bruises were healing nicely, as was his arm. The synthskin graft seemed to take well on her, and Fenn began to lose some of the persistent tingling in his muscles where there no longer were any. Weeks of tension and unease melted off Elias' shoulders every time he signed with Efret or saw Fenn's smile. It seemed in some small way, their path to wellness was healing him vicariously, too. For that, he would repay them on the third day since Efret's arrival with an authentic recipe right from the elders on Genetia: vegetable paella. He was busy preparing the meal for them at the time, so Elias sent for his guests, trusting Fenn to lead Efret to Elias' study where he planned for them to eat together.

As they walked, Fenn cycled through moments of talkativeness and silence. He seemed troubled at times, understandable considering his age relative to the horrors that occurred on Dagobah. Elias had mentioned them briefly to Efret, but they were troubling to recount even for him, a grown man. Seeing those things as a boy would have been unfathomably difficult. "I noticed you and Master Edo speaking with your hands," Fenn said. "Is that- is that something I can do, too?" he asked. The boy's shoulders slumped a bit, his eyes cutting to the missing appendage.

 

[Efret Farr]

She nodded. Though she had no idea what paella was, she trusted Elias' recommendation. <My stomach excited. Can't wait.>

---

When Fenn fetched Efret, the first thing she did after standing was tie the bandana in her hair. She knew that it was a little vain. In that way, it was inappropriate for a Jedi master to feel self-conscious about the patch of hair she had lost, but it was very fitting for a spiritual lorrdian. Her culture, like many others that she was aware of in the galaxy, placed a good deal of significance in the hair. So, while she was very grateful that some of her locks where all she had indirectly lost of herself to Jedha, she was also sad that they had been the price of survival.

At least in Bepru, hair was regarded as a symbol of purity and devotion traditionally to Jadzi but for Efret also to the Light. In such, she felt like a bit of her connection had been severed, that a bit of her character had been sullied. Deep down, though, she knew that kind of sacrifice was necessary, and an honor to make.

She had experienced a ritual many times in her childhood where her people cut their hair and offered it up on altars in exchange for a productive harvest. The idea was that, if they collectively showed Jadzi how much they loved her, then she would fulfil their hopes. Perhaps, then, Ashla might likewise smile on Efret for her tithe in time.

As Fenn led the way to where Elias and dinner awaited, she listened whenever the boy did speak, responding in turn only with facial expressions or basic gestures than weren't signs. When he asked the question about Sign and its feasibility for him, though, she knew that she needed to tap into more nuanced communication.

She looked down at the dataslate that she had been given to communicate with the healers that didn't sign. After sliding the stylus out of the sleeve loop attached to one side of it, she began writing out a reply. Her aurebesh soon disappeared into the void of the large blindspot central in her vision. Then it reappeared. On the next line, it did the same. Despite not seeing a portion of her own handwriting, years of practice ensured that it came out rather legible. When she finished, she handed the slate to him.

It read:

// Of course you can, my dear. Master Edo and I use Galactic Basic Sign Language most often.
Having two hands is an assumption, not a requirement.
Of the many signs that use two hands, most have one-handed versions too.
Even I find those useful when eating or when I have something in one of my arms. \\
​

Or am holding someone's hand.

// Other signs, like 'meat' or the alphabet, are best signed with both hands;
using only one would cause some information to be lost, but their
one-handed versions + mouthing the word or letter you mean
can clear up any possible confusion. \\​

When he was done reading, she took the slate back, swiped the screen right to start a new page, and wrote, // Perfectly doable. I can start teaching you if you'd like. \\ She turned the screen to face him and flashed an encouraging smile.

Elias Edo​

 

[Elias Edo]

​

Tags: Efret Farr
Location: Jedi Enclave, BOGANO

Fenn took the holopad sheepishly into his hand, the injured arm making a slight movement to aid him in holding it only for the boy to remember that it was impossible. He frowned at the reminder but said nothing about it. His eyes trailed along the lines, and when he was finished, he passed it back to Efret with a warm smile. "Master Edo says that I can do anything if I try hard enough... I think I'd like to try learning Sign. Maybe both of you could teach me?" He looked up to her with a bit more hope in his eyes than there had been of late. It was little things like this that made all the difference.

The rest of the walk went by rather quickly. Fenn knew the shortest path to Elias' quarters from his visits to Bogano in the past. The Master's personal space in the temple was more akin to a spacious common room with smaller adjoining wings that were reserved from access for Elias' privacy; a bedchamber, personal study, and meditation room, for example. The main area remained open for any of the enclave's members to visit, should they need Master Edo's counsel. Fenn led the way, up the spiral staircase that connected the lower level to the one where they'd be eating. Elias grinned when he saw Fenn's head emerge from the circular portal in the floor.

"Well hello there," he said, crossed the room to meet them He ruffled the Padawan's hair, then looked to Efret who approached just behind. <"Hello-you, too,"> he signed. She was clearly still on the mend but looked much better than when she first arrived. Elias pulled out a chair for her first, then Fenn, and when they were seated, he moved over to the small kitchenette where he'd prepared their meal. "I really think you'll enjoy this," he said, back turned to the pair. When he came around, he held a simple Boganoan dish full to the brim with rich yellow rice and fresh vegetables.

 

[Efret Farr]

The idea of co-tutoring with Elias was much more exciting in that moment than the ongoing fantasy of returning to the field—to her field. Her discipline wasn't guarding, standing sentinel, or even healing. It was doing archeology, having one foot in the past and the other in the present. Even now, with just one battle under her ripped belt, she longed for the moment she could take her fingers off her lightsaber to instead plunge them back into a pedon.

But that longing faded away after sweet, little Fenn made his suggestion. Suddenly, that's all that mattered. An opportunity to work with Elias again seemed infinitely more important than any artifacts a soil could be hiding.

Yes, that would be the reprieve she would hold out in this impossible war for.

He would be the reprieve she would hold out in this impossible war for.

When Elias greeted her, she smiled and reached out to touch his upper arm warmly before signing with one hand. <Same.>

Then, sitting at the table, she commented on the food. <Wow.> She looked from the dish to him as she slid her elbows onto the table. <Should ask you prepare food for us next dig.> Her wide smile might let him know that she was kidding...slightly. Of course, she wouldn't say no if he wanted to, or to splitting the responsibility. <What you call it again?>

Elias Edo​

 

[Elias Edo]

​

Tags: Efret Farr
Location: Jedi Enclave, BOGANO

Elias chuckled, Fenn’s face beamed. The pair had clearly shared meals together before. He placed the dish in the center of the table, signing quickly before going back for cups and a pitcher of fresh water from the aquifer below the temple. <“You invite me?”> he joked. <“I tease-you. Love to cook for new dig.”> Elias noticed that Fenn was watching their hands like a newborn fawn learning to walk. He winked at Efret, nodding to the Padawan. “You’re curious,” he said. Fenn nodded, a bit bashful. “It’s good! It’s like any other language,” Elias explained as he poured their water.

“You know… if Master Farr here will be staying with us for a while, perhaps we could teach you some basics. What d’ya say?” A huge grin spread on Elias’ face. He didn’t want to pressure Efret into staying on Bogano longer than she could afford, but he knew she’d need to stay for at least a little while longer to fully heal her injuries. And, admittedly, a small part of him hoped she’d want to stay.

Fenn nodded, his face bright with eagerness. “Yes! Yes, please!” the Padawan said loudly. Elias eased him with a hand placed on the boy’s shoulder. “Consider it done,” he said, smiling.

Elias spent the next few minutes scooping portions of paella, which he took a moment to mouth carefully for Efret. Once their plates were full and their cups refreshed, Elias tipped his head and closed his eyes for a brief moment -a small prayer that Fenn replicated- before grabbing cutlery and tucking in.

 

[Efret Farr]

Efret became bashful when Elias winked at her. All that kept color off her cheeks was glancing over to Fenn for a moment. Embarrassment that her communication was subpar was part of her reaction, but there was undoubtedly also another reason her heart fluttered for its next few beats.

<I can sign slow,> she offered while looking back to the padawan, <mouth more Basic.> Even as she made the suggestion, she began to embody it. She knew it would be tough. GBSL wasn't a kinetic version of Basic; word-for-word translation of the signs she made into Basic mouthforms wouldn't make much grammatical sense in the verbal language. Thus, Efret would have to mouth the interpretation of what she was saying while trying to make the right signs without the associated GBSL mouth movements that didn't always match with the Basic words for the concepts they portrayed.

What a challenging exercise in linguistics.

How hadn't she thought of it before?

When both male Jedi bowed their heads in prayer, Efret followed suit. She also tucked in then, letting her fork gently clatter against her table setting after she had put the first bite into her mouth. Normally, she would have just started to sign, but waited until she had chewed and swallowed this time. She widened her eyes and smiled at Elias before turning to Fenn so he could hopefully read her lips. <Wow! Delicious!> Her signs were exaggerated but not overly so to show her excitement. <Thank-you.>

She was quiet for a while then, content to eat and watch Elias and Fenn should they interact. If they did, she waited for an appropriate moment to speak up. Again, she looked to Elias first to get his attention, then as Fenn to help him understand. <Wish had interpret clip still.> She pointed to her fellow master. <You not ask how I lost.> A mischievous smile slowly overtook her lips. <Threw-at Dark Jedi. Trick him.> Distance and time gave her the comfort with which to joke about this. <I tactical. Communicate difficult without but more-than fair trade.>

Elias Edo​

 

[Elias Edo]

​

Tags: Efret Farr
Location: Jedi Enclave, BOGANO

Fenn and Elias both were made happy by Efret's solution, and the other Master added, "I usually speak aloud the meaning of what I sign as well. You can follow Master Farr's mouthing and hear my words! With three sources of input, you'll have this down in no time!" Young Fenn was so giddy with excitement and Elias was beaming like a schoolkid himself; she might not have been able to tell which one was more eager between the two of them. Elias smiled again as Efret began to eat. <"Glad you-like,"> he both said and sounded, glancing at Fenn who was watching with a mouthful of paella. <"Normal have fish, shrimp, or mussels. Can make with vegetables, too,"> he explained. Elias preferred it with local fish found on Genetia, but Fenn was fonder of the freshwater marsh-fish on Dagobah. He knew Efret was perfectly happy with the selection of vegetables he'd collected from the greenhouse. It was quite a versatile dish.

But there were much more interesting things to discuss than paella. Elias found himself smirking along with Efret as she recounted her escape. His mouth was full of rice when she said she threw her translator at the Dark Jedi, and he raised his eyebrows high in surprise at her, smiling behind a hand to cover his mouth. He swallowed, laughing and shaking his head. "Wow!" Fenn said with a giggle. "Mighty impressive," Elias added. "I'm glad you're safe. That must have been difficult." Fenn, now with a mouth full of food, tried to carry on. "mmhat soumds msuper coolm!" Elias tossed the boy a side eye and smirk combo. "Eat, then speak," he corrected kindly. Fenn obliged. "Sorry- that sounds super cool," he said with a smile.

 

[Efret Farr]

Eat, then speak?

Confusion was evident on her face for a few moments at Elias' response to something... She had taken her eyes off the conversation for a split second to take another bite of paella, but she hadn't signed anything so he surely wasn't talking to her.

She glanced at Fenn, understanding dawning on her. Ah, he had spoke with his mouth full. She was wont to forgot that was bad manners among hearing people because, even though it would usually be even less polite of a vision to subject a lipreader to, she had gotten used to it. Plenty of individual people, or entire cultures, she had visited during her time as an archeologist didn't adhere to etiquette that was considered proper in the Core and other so-deemed civilized worlds elsewhere. Though they had once disgusted her, chewed up bits of food didn't have the same effect anymore. Plus, speaking with one's mouth full was a nonissue for Deaf people.

<I speak while eat, Master #Edo, can I?> Still, she took care to swallow her bite before mouthing along with herself.

She winked at Fenn at then looked to Elias expectantly with the smile of a woman who was satisfied with the verbal trap she had just led someone into.

Elias Edo​

 

[Elias Edo]

​

Tags: Efret Farr
Location: Jedi Enclave, BOGANO

Elias squinted at her, then Fenn, who was now looking at the Jedi Master with his head tilted and eyebrows raised. "You can speak without sending bits of well-prepared paella all over the table," Elias said to Efret with a chuckle. "This one, however, cannot handle such a challenge." Fenn's jaw dropped in mock offense, but he quickly giggled away the expression. A slight hint of pink touched Elias' cheeks; he really did enjoy this moment. He had no children of his own, but Fenn was a close to a son he'd ever had -and what a wonderful boy he was. Efret...? She meant quite a lot to him, a companion he felt he could be himself with. There was no effort to keep appearances or fabricate his behavior, not that he ever really did in the first place. But the pressure simple was not there, and that much he could sense and appreciate.

He hoped the pair of them felt the same. "Speaking of challenges," Elias said, "Master Farr recovered one of the artifacts in our archives, Fenn." The boy perked up and made to speak but remembered Elias' rules and chewed carefully first. "Which one?" Fenn asked Efret. He of course didn't know how to sign, but he enunciated his two words carefully as if to make it easier for Efret to lipread.

 

[Efret Farr]

An expression of faked outrage from Efret quickly followed Fenn's. She scoffed at Elias, and her hands found the boy to pull him gently, protectively, against her side, but mischief sparkled in her eyes.

<Just-kidding,> she signed to Elias after a smile worked onto her lips. Turning to Fenn, she lightly tousled his hair as she had seen Elias do before. <Listen your dad,> she told the boy, teasing once more before growing serious.

<No need,> she replied to his question without answering it yet. <Speak normal. Don't exaggerate. That confuse me sometimes.>

She paused for a moment, glancing over her shoulder at Elias. The memories of their expedition to Jakku were fresh on her mind even after all this time, and all that had happened to and around her since. She turned back to Fenn. <#Kelvin #Ravine #pine fossil. Think it important part Force use evolution on #Jakku.>

Elias Edo​