#jedilone

THE UNDERSTANDING is almost worse . the quiet reassurance the boy gives him has obi - wan hating himself even more . but he can't . he can't help . even if he weren't here for luke , even if he didn't have a job to do , any RESISTANCE that obi - wan found himself apart of would be a target . he knows vader will give up everything if it means taking him in .

and maybe , underneath all of that , the thing that makes obi - wan feel the worst . . . is the truth that he's scared . he is a driving reason the galaxy is in the state that it's in . were he anyone else , he'd hate him too . his guilt is too strong to allow himself comfort or peace .

BAIL DOESN'T remember him . if the boy's age now is anything to go by , he'd been fairly young during the purge ( a fact that aches in bail's chest ) . and most of bail's interactions with the jedi had been generally limited to obi - wan with the occasional inclusion of anakin . but in bail's home , any jedi is a FRIEND . and he's decided he likes the young man . he's got a spark that bail admires , given how hard the empire works to snuff any of those sparks out .

@jedilone 𝚊𝚜𝚔𝚎𝚍 :: “Do I look as bad as I feel?”

                ❝𝚆𝙴𝙻𝙻,  𝙸𝙵  𝚈𝙾𝚄  𝚆𝙴𝚁𝙴  𝙷𝙾𝙿𝙸𝙽𝙶  𝚃𝙾  𝙸𝙼𝙿𝚁𝙴𝚂𝚂  𝙼𝙴,  𝙸𝚃’𝚂  𝙽𝙾𝚃  𝚆𝙾𝚁𝙺𝙸𝙽𝙶.❞ akuna’s quip was light-hearted enough, but he was out of his seat in an instant, his usual easy-going demeanor giving way to sharp-eyed concern.   he strode across the mantis’s lounge in a few quick, purposeful strides, his blaster left spinning on the table, forgotten.

dark eyes raked over cal’s disheveled form. mud caked the jedi’s boots and pants, dust clung stubbornly to his hands, and the smear of blood streaking up his right side sent a spike of unease through bode’s gut.  BD-1 trilled from the young man’s shoulder, but he only half registered the droid’s agitated binary.  his focus was on cal—the unsteady stance, the visible tension in his frame that screamed of pain. cal was off-balance, favoring one side — bode stepped forward, catching him around the waist, taking on some of his weight without question.

Cal had grown up. Ben recalled the little Padawan he used to be, Master Tapal's little shadow. It was bittersweet, their unexpected reunion. On one hand, Cal was alive. Oh thank the Force, Cal Kestis was alive. Ben's heart swelled with gratitude.

On the other hand, the young man served as a reminder that there were no more Padawan's left to grow up anymore. No community. No beautiful orchestra in the Force. No safety to be found in a Temple full of light. Only a vast, hostile galaxy and an empty abyss in the Force where their brothers and sisters used to be. Ben would do his very best to protect and support Cal from now on, but he was just one man against an Empire who sought to destroy and harm everything he loved.

He took the offered seat and his lips pulled into a fond smile. "Now that I got to meet you again, things are better. Look at you, I'm truly getting old." Ben basked in Cal's aura, elated to be feeling someone strong in the Force again. Someone who wasn't Vader, who haunted the back of Ben's mind like a viper waiting to strike.

The former inquisitor paces back and forth behind Cal as he works away at trying to get access to the files. Left hand clutches at it's mirrored twin, rubbing at the ROBOTIC fingers that were almost always concealed by the black glove. Kai can't recall getting a good night's rest at all this week, everything about this upcoming mission had been circulating in his mind. And a lack of sleep and Kai didn't exactly go together well. He answers Cal's question with intended dramatics and dryness in his tone before going back to his pacing.

" I'm not going anywhere. I'm fine, I can do this. " Kai SNAPS back at the other, jaw visibly tensed as he takes a few impatient strides over to him, trying to peer over his shoulder. If Cal thought he was just going to leave him there ALONE to deal with this, he was dreaming. He might actually be able to get a little fun out of this if troopers did in fact arrive. He's been itching to use his saber. Not to mention having Cal dead would make everything he's done up till now, defying what the Empire trained him to do, worthless. " What's taking so long, Kestis? You need me to hold your hand while you do that? "

gloved   fingertips   dug           into  the  wound  on  his       side  ,      just  below   his       ribs   ,       wincing   every   time  he       limped       forward  a   step  ,   his  broad   shoulders      hunched       with   effort   as   he  gritted   his      teeth.       at  least   he   wasn’t      bleeding       too  badly.                          ❛            ah   ,  fuck  ,      ow -      uh  ,  raiders   ,   i  think.  it  was      dark   ,       i  didn’t  get  a   good   look   at   who      attacked   ,      but   ..  they  didn’t  use       trooper       blasters   ,  so.  raiders   are   my      best       guess.           ❜                          a  hiss  of  frustration       seethed through   gritted   teeth  ,   hand      moving      out   to  press   ‘gainst   the   sandy   outside      walls       of  the   tatooine   tavern   ,       moonlight       bathing   crimson  hair   a   stark      silver.

leaning   ,   he   took           the  weight   off  his      bad      side  ,  shifting  his   faded       poncho       slightly            &           hitching   the  strap   of   his       water      bag  up  over  his  head  ,   unscrewing   the      cap       as   eyes   flicker   up   to   meet   the  man’s       eyes for  the  first   time.  he  should’ve  found   it       odd   ,       a   random   passerby   asking   if  he  was      okay.      however   ,  cal’s  movements       stopped       the   moment   he  saw  who   had      spoken      to  him   ,  blue  eyes      widening slightly  ,   fingertips  freezing   ‘pon  the      cap      of  his  bottle.

his   droid   trilled           curiously   from   his      shoulder   ,       raising   his   head   to   fix   his      scanners       on  the  man   in   front   of  him  ,   cal   all  but      ignoring       bd  -  1  as  he  struggled   to  find   his       voice      again.  oh  ,   he   knew  who  this   was   ,      how      could   he  not      ?      jaro  used  to  croon           &            praise   the      heroic      efforts   jedi  master  kenobi  showed   during   the       clone  wars.      of   course  ,  cal  thought  he   was       long      gone   ,   as  were      most       of   the  jedi.  but   ..  here  he       was.      in   the   flesh.

                 HIS  FIRST      concern  for  the  boy had ,  of  course ,  been  the  wound .  it’s  dripping  blood ,  the  red  turned  pitch  black  against  the  sand  in  the  moonlight .  he’d  reached  forward ,  asking  quickly  the  cause  of  the  wound ,  whatever  answer  important  for  the  safety  of  himself  and  others .  if  it  was  a  cantina  brawl  and  this  was  a  stab  wound ,  then  there  was  little  outside  danger .  people  were  stabbed   in  mos  espa  with  fair  regularity .  but  raiders  or ,  force  forbid ,      stormtroopers     ,  could  spell  disaster  for  all . - -  - - which  naturally ,  of  course ,  the  boy  mentions  both .  raiders  are  slightly  less  of  a  danger ,  to  obi - wan  at  least ,  but  it’s  still  nothing  good .  his  mouth  opens ,  about  to  begin  making  suggestions ,  offering  a  place  for  the  boy  to  go to  get  some  help  when  he  sees his  face  change .  

cal   couldn’t   explain   ,   how         could  he   make   him      understand      what  he   was   feeling      ?      it  was  more   than      fear   ,      it  was  like   a   direct   punch  to  the      gut   ,      the  moment   he’d      touched       nick.  just  flashes   ,   really.  glimpses  of  blood   ,      teeth  ,         &         an  abnormal   sense  of  rage.      hunger.      cal’s  tongue   rolled  over   his   lips   ,  keeping   a      safe   distance       from  where   nick  was   lying   on  the   cot   in  the      lodge   ,      his  arms  folding   slowly  over  his       broad   chest.      he  rocked  slightly   on   his  heels   ,  turning  his  face  to   cast  a  quick   ,       uncertain      glance   toward   ryan   ,   then  back  again.                        ❛            yeah.      animals.          ❜                        tongue  prodded   the   inside   of  his      cheek   ,      before   turning   heel         &          leaving  the   infirmary  ,  cracking  his       knuckles       absently  as  he   began   to       pace  ,       flickering  his  eyes   toward   the   closed   front  door.  he  could       feel      ryan  watching  him   ,  but  he   didn’t  care.  with      everything       that   was   going   on   ,   he  figured  he   was      allowed      a   semi  serious  freak   out.                        ❛            we  need  to  get   the       hell      out  of   here  ,  man.  no   offense   to  mr.   h   ,   but  if  a       bear       really  wanted   to   ,   there’s      no   way       those  doors   are   bear  -  proof.          ❜ 

while dylan supported the right ,  ryan was at nick’s left attempting to keep him stable while they seriously struggled their way up the steps .  the quiet weeping and pained gasps escaping the injured councilor quickened his own heart beat .  adrenaline demanding to hold the reins as he glanced around at the group .  

now indoors ,  he nodded at kaitlyn to take over his part .  leaving them to guide nick to the nurses’ office while he occupied his mind with rationalising -- that’s when he spotted it .  the difference behind cal’s eyes .  they were clouded ,  darkened with fear .  holding himself away from the group and the situation .  casting one final look over his shoulder ,  he followed cal back into the lodge . 

❝ yeah ... yeah ,  i agree but we can’t get anywhere . ❞  ryan helpfully pointed out ,  ❝ the van is busted and nick can’t make it to the motel by foot . ❞  gesturing towards the closed door with a limp arm yet kept his focus on the other .  he continued on ,  somehow achieving a calm urgency in his tone .  ❝ -- and besides its way too dangerous to -- to head outside now . ❞  a lowered chin ,  on the edge of helplessness but determination kept him afloat .  

the blow to her stomach knocked the wind from her lungs -- and the momentary spark of weakness was taken exactly to cal’s advantage. in fact, the reality of what had just happened didn’t quite hit her until she hit the ground: with the jedi’s knee pressed into her chest no less. her arms were pinned beneath him, and at first she struggled out of instinct. the former inquisitor nearly spat out something VENOMOUS  -- until the reality of the situation began to seep in. he couldn’t breathe. she could have killed him. “ oh, walk it off, jedi. ” the woman sighed, curling her tongue around the title like she was uttering a curse. though merely nothing but a defensive reply, an attempt to keep her PRIDE despite what she’d done, trilla still would have been content shoving him off of her -- until her eyes caught his, immediately glancing away. frustration, PANIC, trilla could feel as much through the force, and saw the same in his expression . . . she hadn’t been holding herself back enough. . . if cal hadn’t been as strong as he was. . . the look on trilla’s face shifted quickly, nearly imperceptibly. from anger and rage to a softer guilt, and finally fear. wasn’t killing cal kestis one of the very things she was trying to AVOID? though her expression shifted subtly -- the largest tell to her regret was the fact that she refused to move. cal kept control -- a quiet show of trust. her mind reeled; i should have been able to stop myself. i am still too dangerous to be around them. their eyes made contact again, with the expression on trilla’s face significantly changed. no longer spite -- but regret. “ i’m sorry. ” she finally offered, letting the tension in her muscles go under cal’s hold as a sign of surrender, “ i. . . ” for a moment, it seemed like she was about to say something else, but some mysterious force held her tongue, and instead, trilla sighed, fearing what she was about to say was MEANINGLESS. so she settled on something different,  “ it wasn’t my intention to hurt you like that. ”