Chained Beneath The Clouds Of What Was Everything...

[Lief]

Kyra's Workshop​

Azar City​

Aurum​

​

I know you'll be a star in somebody else's sky

Noise.

The pounding of durasteel, the whirring of machines, the fierce sound of a forge billowing, it was amidst what others might call chaos that Kyra felt most at peace.

Since returning to Aurum to support her sister in her ever evolving projects the spacer had found herself somewhat... Grounded. Given that the Capital was still in the process of being constructed in part it hadn't been too difficult to commandeer a warehouse for her own workspace and as such she happily set up shop. An attached hangar was able to fit her beloved Bucket but little else, just a speeder for quick transit across the jungle landscape she now called home, while the workshop itself was filled with various machinery and even a self-constructed forge to one side through which she had begun to truly grasp the art of blacksmithing and metallurgy.

Power tools lined the walls, on brackets which made for easy storage and retrieval. From the rafters various flags hung, most denoting places she had visited while others were purely aesthetic. It gave the place a more personal feel, while also making the room seem more airy than it was. Fans blowed at almost every hour of the day, keeping the interior cool and free of soot and other such debris.

Today the workshop doors had been flung wide open. Music rang through the speakers, and the little astromech she had fixed up shortly after returning to Aurum busied itself in one of the less occupied corners. Close at hand yet not necessarily at her beck and call. It wasn't her servant after all, it had the right to do what it pleased in her eyes.

Leaning over one of the smaller projects she had been working on, sat on a stool at one of the many benches, Kyra hummed along to the song which was playing overhead and continued to solder. Visors covered her eyes to protect them from the intensity of the light the soldering iron gave off, and as always her exposed skin was streaked with sweat, dirt, and oil.

Not that she cared...

This was her personal haven after all.

 

[Connor Harrison]

So engrossed in her work, she was oblivious to the outside world. The silhouette in the door could have been anyway, but if Kyra Sol had seen it, she would have identified the person who had been with her on and off through teenage years to now adulthood.

Connor had returned to Aurum specifically to find Kyra. After tainting their fishing home on Sarkany, something he regretted deeply, it was time to return to her place of comfort. Her arena. Her terms. If there was a bridge he needed to repair more than anything, it was the one he had smashed between the two of them. It had taken a while to find the city where Kyra was - Azar - but time was well spent in searching for "Kyra Sol, greaser".

Now, quietly and without intrusion, he had been directed to her workshop and stood watching her at work. Well, work or play, he could never know. She was so adept with fixing things she could simply be passing time. An astro droid tootled. Music played out. It was glorious to see, and there was noise and movement and colour in all directions of the workshop.

It was always nice seeing her. Like a constant reassuring light in his bleak outlook on life. Yet his bleakness had nearly extinguished the light in her for good. The last time he had seen her, he had been manipulative, hurtful and simply lost in direction. If she didn't want to have anything more to do with him, Connor wouldn't blame her. But that was the past. Now he was here for a future with the one he had known the longest in the galaxy.

He smiled. He wanted to have a little fun.

He manipulated the Force surrounding her grease stained skin, making the skin tickle. Then, he simply cut the oxygen from around her solder, killing the flame. It was just like the junkyard agian, and he grinned silently behind her, watching what she would do.

[member="Kyra Sol"]

 

[Lief]

Satisfied with the way the electronic circuit on the table was looking, Kyra took a moment to rub a crink out of her neck and admire her handiwork.

It looked as if the circuit had never been broken in the first place, one continuous loop, but that came with years upon years of well crafted learning and hard work. She had been doing this for as long as she could recall, all the way back to her time with the damned pirates who had stolen her away from Dromund Kaas in her youth. Onboard such vessels it was a matter of making yourself useful or suffering more menial duties. Toughen up, become one of the guys, or be walked all over. It had been a no brainer, and now those skills they had given her formed the foundation of her life, her livelihood. She could lose herself within her work for days, weeks at an end. Happily so.

When something in the room around her shifted, tugged at her senses through the illusive Force she tried to ignore for the most part, Kyra's brows furrowed into a frown. When the soldering iron was shorted she settled it down carefully, knowing it was still hot regardless, and turned her head to look behind.

What she saw, or more who, left her momentarily dumbfounded.

And then her expression of confusion, of hope, and pain, all mixed together, seemed to disappear entirely. As though locked behind a steel door in her mind.

She didn't say anything to him. The music continued to blare overhead, the fans continued to whir, everything continued on as they had all day, but Kyra seemed suspended in time. He looked different, better than he had in years, and while he wasn't free of taint she could sense that the corruption had eased up even if only a little.

Despite this, she could not bring herself to be the one to break the ice. Perhaps that was petty of her, but it wasn't as though she had any cause to believe he was here to do good. Not after Sarkany.

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

The grin on his face dissolved steadily as Kyra stood and turned to see him. Her Force connection was still strong. Regardless what she had said in the past, while she didn't want to serve the Jedi or an Order - wise girl - she still had her ability honed in and in use.

Connor could read her expression; the fact there was none meant she had built the wall back up. And he didn't blame her. He had brought her nothing in the last few visits except upset and uncertainty. So, his grin faded into a sheepish smile.

"Hi, Kyra."

He stood in the doorway and looked around her world again, the loud whir of fans, machinery and music providing a much needed atmosphere to a situation where there was only one that could be cut with a knife.

"I see - " he started, trying to pick up on something amusing or unrelated to him being there, but he couldn't. He knew how much he had hurt her, and had kept ON hurting her. A sigh left his lips and he looked to her. "I'm sorry for everything, Kai. Everything I did, everything I said and how I acted. I hurt you, and I am sorry."

Somehow he knew the words would be rebuffed, because in between the faux tears and anger, she had heard them all before from him. Her aura was cold, and almost ghostly. Never had he felt her so distant being so close.

"I see you've not given up fixing things?"

Maybe she could fix him in the end?

[member="Kyra Sol"]

 

[Lief]

"That's what I do," she said, after what felt like an eternity, ignoring everything else he had said for the time being, "I fix things."

Part of her wanted to stand her ground, to remain precisely where she stood in an unflinching manner, but in the end so much had happened since Sarkany that she honestly didn't even feel threatened by his presence. And so with a very light shrug she turned from him and began to cross the floor of her workshop, toward one of the few rooms which were closed off to one side. One was for grinding and sanding, kept the worst of the dust away from the 'shop, while the other was more of a mini studio apartment.

It wasn't her official home, the Je'daii had actually provided her with a pretty nice suite in the Academy, but more often than not she fell asleep here after a long day.

She didn't say anything, but she did gesture for him to follow. A certain confidence radiated from her in that moment: this was her area, not his, not theirs, hers. She wouldn't be intimidated or cower away from him... Because truth be told she was tired of all that nonsense.

That was a different version of herself.

Pushing open the door to the apartment, she turned and waited to see if he would follow.

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Her response was a little sharp, and to the point, and evasive. But, still, what did he expect? An outpouring of support and a willingness to let him in again to talk and go over old wounds? He had moved on from that era, and so had she.

In a second, she moved. It was like she was about to leave him standing, but instead she indicated for him to follow. Not to satisfy her desire to talk, but simply if he wanted to carry on. Connor felt the barriers up, and that she was being very cautious and strong. She was so different. Had this been a price of his dark follies? To make a girl once naïve and wide-eyed to things now hard, strong and independent from the outer world?

Maybe it seemed a curse to him, but to Kyra it was possibly the best thing he ever did.

He followed, moving through the workshop directly to the open door and stepped into her world. It reminded him a little of what he saw of her place on Jakku. It was all Kyra.

"You still have your pup?"

He glanced around at the décor; some intentional, some from bits of junk and material lying around.

"What are you up to now?"

Connor felt he was in the weaker position. He was out of his depth, and not sure what to say. Two questions that were soulless.

[member="Kyra Sol"]

 

[Lief]

As if on schedule Kyne lumbered down the steps which left to a loft.

Far from a puppy, yet he still displayed many of the tendencies and to Kyra he would never be anything but her pup. He bounded over to Connor, ignorant to the ongoing feud between the two of them, and leaped up in a familiar greeting which revealed his excitement at having the man back. Even if only for a short while.

"Do you want a drink?" she asked him, as she moved over to the kitchenette and got two glasses out. Apparently she had already decided he did. Typically Kyra did not drink, she had so many other things to spend her time and money on, but surprisingly enough she cracked open a bottle of whiskey which had been a gift at some point or another and poured them both a glass. Then she shifted it across the counter toward him, watching man and hound.

"What are you doing here, Connor?"

There was no exasperation behind her tone, or frustration, if anything she just sounded... Tired. Slightly monotonous in truth. How many times would they go through these same few motions? How many times would he leave her stranded and heartbroken?

"You look well, by the way."

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Now there was a face who forgave easily. Kyne bounded over and Connor knelt, careful to avoid his cloak getting in the way, and gave the pup…far from a pup now…a fuss.

"Well look at you! You didn’t forget me, eh!"

He ran his hands over the soft fur, behind the ears and across the torso. He still heard Kyra while he fussed the hound, and still heard how worn out she was with it all, and also how suspicious she was of him. How long would it be until he questioned her again? Pushed her buttons again? Left again?

"Whatever you have, thank you Kyra."

With a final scratch to Kyne, Connor stood, and held his hand down for the dog to sniff and nuzzle, walking slowly to where she had moved to.

”I’ve looked better, but, thank you – you look well too." What a lazy retort. ”Short answer anyway is I’ve come to say sorry. Again. I have made some mistakes in my time, and I’ve not been thinking straight. I was consumed by something…something selfish, narrow-minded and it was rancid. Clouded everything about me. My senses, my vision, my aspirations."

Connor wandered to the steps of the loft where Kyne had come through and glanced up for a second, before turning around.

”I’m not here for sympathy, or anything from you. All I want is to hear you forgive me for how I treated you, and then I’ll at least be able to feel I’ve started to repair some damage. I feel like I’ve wasted so much of my time by wallowing in self-pity. Time to get out of that now. And that was the longest short answer ever. Sorry."

He offered a small side-grin, ready for her protest at how he had done this before and it had ended sour.

[member="Kyra Sol"]

 

[Lief]

The slightest sign of a smile cracked her otherwise stoic expression.

Kyra could not help it. The sight of Kyne in loving mode was a rarity indeed these days, he wasn't so fond of the quiet life they had discovered here on Aurum. Much too used to their adventured onboard the Bucket or exploring the sands of Jakku. Apparently her pup wasn't quite so fond of the jungle setting, but he'd live.

Taking a long sip of her drink, she lifted up the glass for Connor and stepped over to him. Whether or not he liked whiskey was irrelevant to her in that moment, she truthfully did not care. It would take a lot more than one measure of the stuff to get them through this day, and that was coming from someone with virtually no vices. The girl who didn't even drink caf.

She listened without interruption. Every word he used was subjected to mental analysis. Another sip of her drink, before she set the glass down on the counter and looked him square in the face.

"I forgive you."

Her tone was oddly... Matter-of-fact. As though it wasn't even really up for debate, yet she provided him with no explanation as to where that decision had come from.

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

In silent thanks, Connor took the drink and raised it in a small toast. It was...whiskey. The small burnt his nose, and he sipped it. The drink blew away the cobwebs; warm and wild down his throat. It had been a while since he had touched such a bevvy.

"Ooh. Strong."

He smacked his lips, but before he had chance to have another sip, Kyra had given her answer. It was short, to the point and without need to analyse, debate or discuss. After everything, it was as simple as that. Three words.

Connor frowned a little. He didn't expect much, but he expected something more than a soulless reply.

"Right, ok." He swilled his drink. "And that's it? Or are you saying it because you meant it once, and you expect me to hurt you again."

[member="Kyra Sol"]

 

[Lief]

"What do you want me to say, Connor?"

A sigh accompanied the words she spoke. Back pressed against the counter she shifted her arms into a crossed state and tipped her head slightly to the left. Searching his expression in earnest for something... Something specific. After a few moments she looked away.

"I have tried to keep you from my thoughts, and each time I succeed you return. Like you subconsciously know. I'm tired of this back and forth, Connor. I want my friend back, but if you can't promise me that - with the intentions of keeping that promise - then so be it. You can leave here guilt free, you have my forgiveness."

She wanted him back, truth be told, even after everything. But she wasn't going to chase him any longer. She wasn't going to let him hold that sway over her. No more nights of lamentation. He had his way out if he wanted it, guilt free.

The choice was his.

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Connor nodded. That was what he wanted to hear. What he needed to hear. His eyes drifted to her brow and he pointed.

"I can still see it." The scar from her ill-fated battle. "Maybe it's faded from everyone else, even you, but I still see it. I still see you in my ship half-dead after trying to do something right. And I see you lying there everyday nearly. I think about what I did, how I pushed you, how I failed you."

He took a breath and finished his drink in one mouthful, letting the burn diminish his nerves.

"When I lost my arm on Maena, I lost a piece of my humanity and I was worried I'd never get it back. I became something ugly. Something undefined. Yes, the Light and Dark makes me who I am. But I will not be defined by codes or conventions anymore. Nobody is going to make me their servant again."

Connor had a look in his eyes - not one that showed he was angry, or losing control, or worried, but more that he was IN control and confident for once.

"So I've come here to say sorry. To let you look in those eyes and see if you can see the boy who tried to crush you in that junkyard all those years ago. I've come for my friend. I miss you Kyra Sol. When I pushed you away, it hurt. And that hurt more than losing my arm or nearly losing my eye."

There wasn't a need to smile, but just to look and let her see if she could find him inside once more.

[member="Kyra Sol"]

 

[Lief]

"But, don't you see?"

She half gestured around the room, at all these totally obvious signs of Kyra Sol. Junk, and grease, and half-finished projects. Every inch of the apartment had her name written all over it, bright as brass, bold as day.

"You're not responsible for my actions, Connor. You didn't push too hard, or too little, you didn't fail me. It wasn't a matter of failing. I do not regret a single decision I made, even if it left me without an arm, even if it scarred up my face. Not one ounce of regret. Because I stood up for what I believed was right, to keep you from harm, to keep my integrity. That is not your burden to shoulder, it never was. If you pushed me away because I was hurt, then... I'm sorry but that's ludicrous. And that's on you. I didn't ask you to leave so I'd be safer. I'm no safer at your side than I am alone, because you can't watch me every second of the day. Nor is it your responsibility to do so. If you knew the places I'd been, the things I'd seen and done... I need a friend, Connor, not a Master, not a protector. A friend."

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Hearing such a response from Kyra was really hard. It was nothing BUT hard. In fact, it was testing his patience to the limit. At one time he thought patience was for the weak. Now? He had to have it before he blew his top.

Being spoken to like this – with hard truth – had never been easy for Connor to take. He wanted to argue his point; to stand his ground; to make others see they were also in the wrong. The fact Kyra had taken what he said and turned it around to make him seem like everything was about him was partly embarrassing, partly annoying.

He looked down and let it wash over him. He felt his skin tingle and his heart pound a little harder. This was never going to be easy, and he knew it.

"Well, sorry you think I did what I did just to give you a leg up in life."

Connor sat the glass down on a wooden table with a heavy clunk.

"I don’t shoulder the burden of you getting sliced up. That was your choice. I told you not to pursue anyone, you didn’t listen. We moved on. I didn’t push you away because of you, I pushed you away because you were safer without me around, regardless if you accept that or not. Friends actually do want to look out for each other at times, remember. It’s what they do."

He paced across the room, looking at various objects of nothingness to help distract him.

"I am your friend, Kai. I always have been. Difference is I’m never going to ask you to follow me here or there, to learn this or that, to teach, to understand… you are you, and I am me. That’s all it is now. Two souls who can get along. "

[member="Kyra Sol"]

 

[Lief]

Kyra let out a long sigh.

Was this to be their fate? To forever misunderstand one another? For everything to end in confrontation? Not anymore. She crossed her arms, and stood upright so that she was no longer leaning back against the counter.

"All I meant to say was you didn't fail me."

Perhaps being a little more specific was the way to go. She had gotten a little lost in her response she supposed.

"I wasn't trying put that on you, Connor. Far from it. I'm sorry if you felt I was, that wasn't my intentions. Can we just start over, here? I'm tired of this constant back and forth between us, somehow we always manage to take offense from each other's words. I've been guilty of it in the past, and it isn't fair on either of us."

Watching as he paced around the room, looking at her various nick-nacks which were scattered about the place, she couldn't help but frown. Stepping to where he was, she settled one hand on his shoulder from behind, trying to regain his attention even if he was trying to avoid her.

"I forgive you, Connor, and hope you can extend me the same courtesy. I'm just glad you're doing well."

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

She was right, and damn him for over-reacting.

Her touch upon his shoulder was soothing. He reached up and patted her fingers gently with his left hand; his cold, dead limb. A small bank of LEDs on a bench were flashing and it captivated him and he couldn’t take his eyes away.

"I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to snap. Old habits."

He still wasn’t right, but he was getting there.

"The transition isn’t easy. Defences are still up, pride is still paramount. It’s pathetic really." He tore his gaze from the lights and slid from under her touch and took her hand between both of his, flat out in front of them. "I forgive you for anything you think you need forgiving for if that helps. And I am proud you are here, doing this, doing what you love, instead of following some foolish path that promises untold greatness."

He gave a little of the head and sniggered.

"Those things don’t always pan out, believe me."

[member="Kyra Sol"]

 

[Lief]

When he lifted a hand to pat hers she couldn't help but smile.

How long had it been since they'd actually felt comfortable in one another's presence? Since they'd managed to diffuse a potential outburst back into calm serenity? Progress was being made, slowly but surely, and she could finally see the boy she had once known stood before her in the man who had been bent and broken by the chaos of this Galaxy.

"You don't need to rush, or to pretend you're one hundred percent okay, not with me. You should know that by now. I'm just glad the jerk who tried to squish me in a junkyard is back, I see you there Connor... He who is not beholden to unachievable standards. It is okay to be yourself instead of what others wish you to be. Those damn Forcies... I wish I could've talked you out of joining up with them. Imagine all the things we could've seen and done if I had selfishly kept you all to myself."

Sh smirked at that last part, knowing full well there was no chance in hell she'd have been able to ever tempt him away from a path he was hellbent on pursuing.

Stubbornness was a trait common among them both.

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

He couldn't help smile; a genuine one. So many memories, so far away, but they never left. The junkyard. It was a time when he had no worries and no Order to care about. He was just travelling and exploring, full of zest and adventure with nothing holding him back.

If Connor today could look back and see himself as the young man, it would be a sad sight to see a life once so full of...well...life.

"I'm not a hundred percent, not at all. I won't lie. And that's a start. Not lying - no pretense about how I'm in control and full of magic and wizardry. To be honest, I'm stronger in myself for admitting my weakness."

Part of what she said resonated with him, and he wanted to take it.

"I wish you had kept me for yourself. At least I'd have known who I was and not lost touch with myself and nearly my own humanity."

His eyes were sad, and he was showing a great deal of regret.

[member="Kyra Sol"]

 

[Lief]

"You can be whoever it is you want to be. It might take time, it might be frustrating at first, but the only one holding you back now is you. You're conquering the hold the darkness had on you, that's your first step forward. Where you go from here is up to you. What do you want, Connor?"

Taking his hand in hers she slowly led him toward a sofa thrown to one side of the room, urging him to sit. She fetched both of their drinks, setting them down on the makeshift coffee table which consisted of a few stacked bricks and a slab of refurbished metal. The whole place still needed fixing up, but she was happy to live with what she had for now. Kyra had always been a simple person after all.

Kyne came over to curl up by Connor's feet. The lazy pup was already feeling tired, so he lay his chin on the man's foot and began to doze off. That made her smile.

"Are you hungry? I can sort you out something to eat, I'm sure you traveled a while to get here."

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Connor followed Kyra, and sat. He took his water and drank some more, looking around. He noted the makeshift furnishings, but he was no way un-impressed or worried about her conditions. She was practical - saving credits and time when using basic bricks and metal would suffice. Kyra Sol didn't answer to expectation, and this table proved it along with how comfortable and content she was.

As the pup came for a fuss and a snooze, Connor reached down and gave the dog a few scratches behind the ear and a rub down of his fur.

"Only something light, really, that's fine, thank you."

He was a guest in her home, and he had total respect for that. Connor tapped his fingers on the glass, not knowing where to start.

"So. What, ah, have you been up to recently? Any big projects on the horizon?"

[member="Kyra Sol"]