Private Busy Work | Naboo

[Echo Athoth]

Busy Work
Naboo
Tags: Lorn Reingard

Echo Athoth's Locket, Epo-1 Interceptor, BB-055TN "Boston"
​

Echo didn't really make an effort to hide where she was going. It was back to the archives, a place where she knew that her work couldn't bother anyone. Or, more accurately, the one place she knew she could be left alone. She didn't really know how to process what it was she was experiencing, so the only thing she could lean back on was work. Turn that confusion into productivity, keep her mind away from that comprehension to maintain the composed facade that her face always seemed to present.

Naysayer... What a strange thing to be called. The Ogemite wasn't really sure how she had earned such a reputation in the mind of the young Michael Angellus . Was it just her flat voice? Perhaps she was simply coming off as too stern, when really she didn't have any other means of presenting herself. She had never meant to cast doubt on if the padawan was capable or not. But it had occurred, and now the knight was left to wonder what it was that she could have done in order to prevent this. After all, Echo didn't want to cast doubt on the capabilities of the Order's youth. She understood what it was like to be seen as a weak link, after all. It was the very thing that had left her without a Master.

Yet no logical solution seemed to present itself.

Now she wasn't even doing anything productive. Echo was sorting and resorting records that didn't need to be rearranged, making changes only to revert them back to the state they had once been. There was no logic in any of it anymore, now purpose for her work other than to hide.

She simply was incapable of comprehending what it was she was hiding from.

 

[Lorn Reingard]

Echo Athoth

​

Lorn stepped away from the gathering watching the holofeed of the Southern Systems Alliance, the voices of debate fading behind him as he made his way through the corridors. The earlier scene replayed in his mind, a chaotic moment where Michael had labeled Echo and himself as naysayers. He had seen the hurt flash across her face, a flicker of vulnerability quickly masked by composure. Concerned, Lorn felt a strong urge to ensure she was okay.

He didn't know Echo well, but he suspected she'd find solace in the Archives. As he approached, he spotted her, a solitary figure surrounded by towering shelves of records, lost in a futile endeavor of sorting and resorting papers. It was clear she was trying to distract herself, but Lorn could sense the weight of something unspoken pressing down on her.

Careful not to startle her, he took a slow breath, gathering his thoughts before speaking. "Echo," he began gently, his voice low and soothing. "Try not to take what he said too seriously. Michael's going through his own turmoil, I doubt he meant to hurt you."

He watched her for a moment, hoping to gauge her response. The silence hung heavy between them, filled with the hum of the Archive's lights and the rustle of paper. Lorn wasn't sure if she had heard him, but he remained patient, allowing her time to process his presence.

 

[Echo Athoth]

Naboo
Tags: Lorn Reingard

Echo Athoth's Locket, Epo-1 Interceptor, BB-055TN "Boston"
​

"Michael didn't do anything," Echo was quick to defend. "I... am just perplexed. I wasn't aware that my actions were bringing him turmoil."

If she was certain of anything it was that Michael had done no harm. The last thing the Ogemite wanted to do was invalidate his experience. It was a sore spot in her own life, so she had very little internal debate on the matter. Echo paused what she was doing for a moment, letting out a sigh. Her expression remained the same, her face unchanging. Her tone just as flat as it had always been. Some signs of change were there, but on the whole it was almost as though she were unaffected.

At least one could sense that this was not the case.

"I'm unsure how to proceed," she stated. "The primary point of confusion seems to be myself. I... no doubt come off as terribly cold. To some extent, I'll admit, the complexities of emotions... escape me."

Especially her own.

 

[Lorn Reingard]

Echo Athoth

​

Lorn watched Echo silently for a moment, his brow furrowed with thought. He didn't believe for a second that Echo's actions were the source of Michael's turmoil, Michael had plenty of his own demons to wrestle with. Instead, Lorn sensed a deeper unease within Echo, something unsaid that weighed heavily on her. Her attempt to rationalize her emotions, her flat tone, and her insistence on Michael's innocence all pointed to a struggle he couldn't quite grasp, but he was determined to try.

"Echo," he said, carefully choosing his words while the dim lighting of the Archives cast soft shadows on their faces. "I don't think you're the cause of any turmoil. Michael's life is a storm right now, and it has little to do with you or how you speak with him."

He paused, letting the silence envelop them for a few heartbeats. The hum of the overhead lights filled the space as he leaned casually against a table, his arms crossed. "Honestly," he continued, his voice warm and thoughtful, "I find it refreshing. The way you view the galaxy, it's like seeing it through a different lens. Your analytical nature, the way you cut through the noise... it's a quality not many people have."

"Everyone in the galaxy is unique," he added, a gentle smile playing at the corners of his lips. "We all bring something different to the table. You, Echo, bring clarity. And I think sometimes, that's exactly what's needed."

He hoped his words would provide her some comfort, a small light in whatever uncertainty she was feeling.

 

[Echo Athoth]

Naboo
Tags: Lorn Reingard

Echo Athoth's Locket, Epo-1 Interceptor, BB-055TN "Boston"
​

"I find it refreshing. The way you view the galaxy, it's like seeing it through a different lens. Your analytical nature, the way you cut through the noise... it's a quality not many people have."

"That... is very considerate of you."

It was a bit reassuring. Lorn seemed to be able to recognize her emotional state past the facade of her collected demeanor. How very curious. It spoke well to his traits as a leader, at least. What it meant for her in this moment?

Echo wasn't sure.

"I feel as though I've been a bit withholdant in regards to the complexities of my... uncharacteristic reaction," Echo finally stated. "Perhaps it was all more circumstantial than anything. Michael's struggles in regards to proving his worth resonated with me. The last time I was told I wasn't capable enough for something... I was left behind while someone dear to me left. I would not see them again. Logically speaking, there's no statistical evidence that my presence would have altered that occurrence. Yet even so..."

The Ogemite paused for a moment, taking a breath.

"The organic mind is consistently irrational."

 

[Lorn Reingard]

Echo Athoth

​

Lorn listened intently as Echo spoke, his brow softening as she revealed a sliver of her past.

"Echo. I think… I understand what you mean. Being left behind…"

He knew, in a different way, what that felt like. The battlefield had a way of leaving people behind, in spirit or in body. "And logically," he tilted his head slightly "you're right, of course. Logically, none of this is your fault. Maybe… maybe logic isn't always the point, though, is it? Sometimes feelings, even… irrational ones," he offered the word back to her with a soft smile, "they just are. They're real, and they matter."

He paused, letting his words settle between them. "But Echo, truly, look around you." Lorn gestured gently to the quiet Archives, to the implied safety and community they represented. "You're here, with us. With Michael, with me, with the Order. No one here, and I mean no one, is going to leave you behind. You're family now, Echo. Shirayan family."

He let that word hang in the air, the weight of its meaning unspoken but felt. Lorn's own journey had been one of finding family after believing he was utterly alone, and he wanted Echo to grasp that same sense of belonging he had found.

"I lost… most of the people I grew up with." he confessed quietly, his voice tinged with a hint of old sorrow, but quickly replaced with a stronger, more hopeful tone. "For a long time, I felt… adrift. Like there was no anchor. But Naboo," he spread a hand, encompassing the space around them, "this Order… this is home now. And you, and Michael, you're part of that home. We're not going anywhere. You're not going anywhere."

He chuckled softly then, a warm sound that aimed to ease the weight in the room. "Actually, if we're talking statistical evidence, I'd say there's overwhelming proof that you're stuck with us now, Echo. Welcome to the Naboo family, whether you like it or not." he finished with a genuine, reassuring grin.

 

[Echo Athoth]

Naboo
Tags: Lorn Reingard

Echo Athoth's Locket, Epo-1 Interceptor, BB-055TN "Boston"
​

"Very well. I concede," Echo finally stated after a moment of silence.

It's not like she was getting anything done like this anyways. It was far more logical to accept these irrationalites than try to ignore them. How peculiar... it was almost as if they had found themselves in a complete role reversal. It was, if anything, good to signal out where Lorn's strengths lie.

Something to keep in mind for later.

"You're quite efficient in regards to consulting others," she observed. "Perhaps this is why you have found yourself in your unique position. It's fortunate that the Order has your service."

Echo did manage to crack a smile. Perhaps playful, though she hardly changed much visually speaking.

"It's quite amusing," the Ogemite observed. "If you were two people, I believe you'd have a high level of success at consulting yourself."

If only... perhaps he wouldn't get wrapped up in his own worries then.

 

[Lorn Reingard]

Echo Athoth

​

Lorn laughed. Echo's words had a particular cadence to them, blunt, precise, and yet laced with a subtle affection that he was coming to recognize. He inclined his head in mock humility at her compliment, the corners of his eyes crinkling with amusement.

"Well," Lorn said with a quiet chuckle, "I'll take that as a compliment coming from you, Echo."

He regarded her for a moment, eyes thoughtful but kind. "Though I think even if I were two people, I'd still find a way to overthink everything and argue with myself about it."

The smile lingered, but his tone shifted just slightly, softening again. "Still… thank you. That means more than you might realize."

He didn't press the moment further. Echo wasn't one to dwell in emotional waters longer than necessary, but he held her gaze just a beat longer, letting her know he heard her, understood her, and appreciated the connection growing between them.

"Now, come on." he added, standing and offering a hand as if to help her up, though it was more symbolic than necessary. "Let's go make sure Michael hasn't set something on fire in our absence."