Private Basket Case

[Judah Dashiell]

Judah blinked. He had thought Tannor Grene had understood this by now. Maybe the man had forgotten, seemed he did have a great deal of clients. Either way, he would explain again. Perhaps a reminder would get the Doctor off this hypnosis suggestion.

"I do know where the fear began." This time Judah would be more clear. Knowing his luck it would just dive into more questioning but it couldn't hurt to try. "Fighter pilot for the Galactic Republic. X-Wing. On assignment and we were attacked by a swarm of nanodroids. Small ones, very small. They took over, a crash followed. I've got the burn scars too if you still want to see them..."

A small pause and he took a sip of water.

"Forced to do some things against Republic command, sabotage and the like. A very hazy situation. Woke up in the hospital. Couldn't stay alone so my ex-wife, then girlfriend, was forced to watch me at her place. I was scared of her idiot astromech, Sparky, and guess who was my babysitter since she had work to do."

A small shrug.

"Started the salvage company shortly after that."

 

[Tannor Grene]

Tannor nodded once. “I didn’t forget.”He stated with a certain calmness. “I wanted to hear you tell it straight.” He considered the details carefully. “A fighter pilot lives by control. Precision. You trust your craft. You trust your instincts. And then suddenly… the machine stops responding.” He paused for a moment. “You’re still in the cockpit. Still conscious. But you’re no longer the one flying.” His voice lowered slightly. “That kind of helplessness leaves a mark.” He studied Judah, but not in an unkindly manner. “And afterward, you wake up with gaps. Orders violated. Sabotage you don’t fully remember. Your sense of competence… shaken.”

A small pause was given while he took a breath. “Of course a droid unsettled you. It wasn’t about Sparky. It was about what machines had just done to your life.” He leaned back. “And then you start a salvage company.” A faint tilt of his head. “You didn’t run from ships. You surrounded yourself with them. You gave yourself controlled exposure therapy - on your own terms. But that doesn't seem like enough. At least not anymore.”

Tag: Judah Dashiell

 

[Judah Dashiell]

Shoulders lifted in a small shrug yet again.

"Maybe. I've never really thought of it in that manner. I still enjoy the hyperlanes. Never had a real issue flying. Hell, we even salvage droid parts....they are a bit more difficult to attack you when they are disassembled is all. Salvage has been good to me though. Fitting."

Taking a sip of water, Judah regarded the last question that it wasn't working. Perhaps it stopped working due to a number of things upside down in his life right now. He had heard before of when a section of life was in chaos, often things he had considered dealt with reared their head. He didn't know the psychology surrounding it, only that it occurred.

"No, it hasn't been enough. Not real interested in hypnosis though. At least not yet."

Tannor Grene ​

 

[Tannor Grene]

Tannor nodded slightly, letting Judah’s words settle. He observed the subtle shrug; the way that Judah carried both experience and a quiet weariness. There was honesty in the way that he spoke of the hyperlanes, the salvaging work. Each of them were small victories and small routines that kept him steady amid the chaos of his life.

He didn’t push. Tannor understood the weight of disrupted routines; the way that people sometimes needed space to process, rather than to deal with solutions offered to them too quickly. “Salvage has been good to you, then,” he said softly and reflectively; matching the tone of the conversation. “Sometimes the work we do and the paths we take… they bring unexpected steadiness, even when other parts of life feel unsettled.”

He paused for a moment, watching Judah closely but without judgment. “Have you found anything else outside of work, that gives you even a small sense of calm? A brief moment where it’s just… yours?”

Tannor’s eyes softened with the warmth of genuine attentiveness there. It was silent but steady. He would wait until the moment was right, until Judah himself sought the next step.

Tag: Judah Dashiell

 

[Judah Dashiell]

Judah's brows furrowed.

"Outside of work, like a hobby Doc?"

Sometimes it was difficult to read between the lines with Tannor Grene .The man could be referencing a hobby or something as grand as romantic entanglements. Purposefully vague so Judah would talk himself into the perfectly laid trap. Or at least that was how he looked at it from his angle.

"I have a few hobbies yes. I recently picked up birdwatching, that grew from my fishing hobby. Figured I was outside already. I enjoy cooking. Learned as a boy because my Ma thought it prudent her sons knew how to be able to fend for themselves. I've gone beyond the basics though now, creating things for the challenge of it."

He paused, thinking.

"For a hobby that is all my own, woodworking. I've been doing that since Makai was a boy. Not something I do often though but it is something none of my sons have a real interest in, so its often a solo activity."

 

[Tannor Grene]

Tannor listened without interruption, hands loosely folded in his lap as Judah spoke. When the man finished, a small approving nod followed. “It sounds like you’ve built a life with a good deal of capability in it,” he said evenly. “Fishing that becomes birdwatching. Cooking that grows beyond necessity into craft. Woodworking that shapes something from raw material.” His gaze remained steady but thoughtful while he continued. “Those are not small things. They tell me you are someone who understands patience… and the quiet satisfaction of making something with your own hands.”

A faint pause settled between them as Tannor brought about another point. “But I also notice something else in what you said. Each of those began with purpose: being outdoors already, learning to fend for yourself, raising your sons.” He then tilted his head ever so slightly. “I’m curious about something, Judah. Of those things… which one do you do purely because it brings you peace?” Another small pause. “And when you’re standing there with a chisel in your hand, shaping a piece of wood… do you allow yourself to simply enjoy the moment?”

Tag: Judah Dashiell