Private Faster Than the Hound

[Starlin Rand]

How to gift wrap a puppy
Can I put a puppy in a box
Is it bad to put a gift bow on a puppy
How to get puppy to stop barking

A weekend morning found Starlin searching the Holonet. In his lap was a boisterous Warghest pup. The runt of her litter, she didn’t seem aware of her own size as she barked in challenge at Cowboy, Samurai, and other creatures several times bigger than her. It was maddeningly cute, but all the noise she was making would give away the surprise before Starlin had a chance to, well, surprise his Padawan.

Eli was at the Temple. He’d gotten into the habit of going to the Room of a Thousand Fountains and staying there for long periods of time. Starlin didn’t know what the boy did there, but he hadn’t tried to stop him. Kid clearly needed the time to himself. That said, he was hoping the gift of a pet would help with the grieving process.

“Hey, my hand isn’t a chew toy,” he warned the pup. “Here, gnaw on this.”

She took the dog bone in her jaws, filling the lounge with crunching noises. Starlin took the opportunity to tie a little bow around her collar while she was distracted.

“All right, forget the gift box. When he comes aboard, I’m just gonna give you to him. ‘Eli, this is for you.’ And you’re not going to pee on him like you did to me earlier, got it?”

Lief​

 

[Lief]

When he wasn't at Lissa's bedside, the Room of a Thousand Fountains had become his typical stomping grounds. He haunted the place like some phantom, regardless of the time of day, and typically only returned to Bright Knight when one of the Jedi Stewards caught him trying to sleep and ushered him away. They hadn't at first, they'd let him take all the time he needed, but they soon realized that he was neglecting everything else.​

​

Himself included.​

​

She still hadn't woken up. They warned him that such might be the case, that it would take time for her body to heal from the trauma it had sustained just as his own had needed a little patience and grace. She was alive though, she hadn't succumbed to any unseen ailment.​

​

When he left the ward that afternoon he didn't even try to enter the Room, he felt more haggard than usual and he didn't feel like dealing with the pitying looks he'd begun to expect from those who also frequented it. So he hovered languidly back to the ship, head heavy and gaze low. Somehow he was looking even more gaunt than usual, despite the fact that he'd been working on bulking back up.​

​

He couldn't even recall the last time he'd actually had a proper nights sleep, as opposed to a quick and most necessary cat-nap.​

​

Starlin Rand ​

 

[Starlin Rand]

Starlin waited with bated breath as he sensed Eli approaching the ship. Even the puppy seemed to have gone quiet… until she suddenly began yapping at Cowboy.

The dog glanced between her and Starlin in confusion, his canine ears unable to comprehend her Warghest brogue. Samurai merely looked annoyed at all the noise.

“Cool it, will ya?” Starlin hissed. “You’ll wake the babies.”

He’d never had a pet—his mother’s apartment on Coruscant was too small—and he had never learned Beast Control, so he was largely unprepared to deal with animals outside of stunning or killing them. Out of exasperation, he offered her his hand to chew on (his prosthetic hand, of course) in hopes of quieting her down. It sort of worked. Maybe she just wanted to play?

Hovering up the boarding ramp distracted him. “Eliphas!” he called out in greeting, standing up and turning around with the pup in his arms. “How’s it going?”

For a moment Starlin forgot his script and just stood there staring at his apprentice. Eli was… a soggy mess, but that was nothing new. What was a little more alarming was the fact that he had seemingly stopped progressing… and may have even been regressing. Was it just the lighting and the angle, or did he look a touch more frail than he had yesterday?

Playful growling against his elbow reminded him of the gift. “Oh—uh, this… is for you.” He held up the puppy. Only a little bigger than his hand, with pale splotches amid her dark fur (including a patch of white encircling her right eye), she had a long bushy tail and a pointed muzzle filled with sharp fangs. She would’ve been frightening to look at, were she not so little and chunky.

Lief​

 

[Lief]

As he came upon the ship Eliphas could sense little in the way of what was to come. He was surprisingly ready for bed, or maybe he'd just lie in his room and mess around with the Holocron some more. That was something he'd been doing a lot of too, maybe he could work on Astral Projecting again. He didn't need working legs for that, right?​

​

Starlin was waiting for him just on the other side of the ramp, and at first the sight of another dog didn't even seem to faze him. There were already two, what was one more? Cowboy bounded over to him as always, and Eliphas gave him an easy fuss behind the ear before he levelled his gaze upon Starlin.​

​

"Still no news" he mumbled, as though all anyone wanted to know about was the welfare of his sister. Simply put, that was all that Eliphas cared about.​

​

He was about to hover past, to head into his room, when the puppy in Starlin's hand was held out toward him. The chair stopped, and Eliphas stared first at Starlin, then the pup. It took much too long for his brain to catch up.​

​

For him?​

​

He blinked breathlessly, then shifted his gaze back up to Starlin.​

​

"Are you being serious?" he asked, as he fought to keep the rising emotion from his voice. He wasn't sure he could let his hopes be raised right now, he couldn't handle any more disappointment. "She's... for me..?"​

​

Starlin Rand ​

 

[Starlin Rand]

“I’m sure things will get better,” Starlin said. “Even if it takes a while. Took you months to come out of that coma. Maybe it runs in the family.” That… probably wasn’t very comforting. Oops.

Hopefully the puppy would save the day. “I’m completely serious,” Starlin said, sinking his eyebrows together as low as they would go in hopes of appearing more grave. “No, she’s for Luke Skywalker. Yes, she’s for you!”

He laid the pup in Eli’s lap. She immediately placed her front paws on his chest, sniffing him curiously, then began to chew on his shirt.

“This girl’s a Warghest. They’re bigger than dogs—although she’s the runt of her litter, so she may not get that big.” Starlin rested his hands on his hips proudly. “Got any ideas for names?”

Lief​

 

[Lief]

Cue the patented Eliphas Dune waterworks.​

​

Tears streaked down his cheeks, bubbling over something fierce. Ordinarily it probably wouldn't have meant much, but the truth of the matter was that Eliphas hadn't managed to really cry since they returned from Empress Teta. He'd been numb, as though someone had flicked a switch on his emotions. Depressed, that was the best word for it.​

​

But this bundle of fuzz currently gnawing at his shirt evoked something within him, and without warning he wrapped her up and bundled her close, earning him chews on his earlobe instead.​

​

"She's so beautiful" he whimpered, nuzzling his face against hers. She proceeded to lick up the salty tears, pulling from him more than just a much needed cry. Eliphas laughed, not a hollow or sardonic laugh either. Then he raised a hand and wiped his cheeks and eyes. "Mirar," he settled on, almost immediately, "Her name is Mirar... Lissa always wanted a kusak" he went on to explain, "Our uncle Octarnus had one... She begged, promised she'd take care of it, had a name picked out and everything."​

​

Mirar. Was it wrong to take that name now? What if Lissa ended up with a hound of her own in the future? Still as he looked down over the pup he couldn't think of anything else more suitable. Mirar. He hoped she'd help the girl when she awoke.​

​

"Thank you. Starlin, seriously... Thank you."​

​

Starlin Rand ​

 

[Starlin Rand]

Eliphas burst into tears, but for once they were tears of joy. Starlin stood by proudly as his apprentice gave the pup a name, Mirar, and thanked him profusely. “Don’t mention it, Eli. I saw an opportunity and decided to take it.” Free puppies? Who could resist that?

Just then, he heard a knock against the outside of the ship. Someone was trying to get his attention. “I’ll get it.” Starlin headed down the loading ramp… and stopped short, eyes wide.

Isolda of Ession stood before him. Starlin’s shock was quite justified; he hadn’t seen her in nearly ten years, not since the last Sith Empire crumbled. She had matured since then, growing even more beautiful—though he imagined she would’ve been even more radiant had she been wearing her golden armor. She seemed uncomfortable in the fine blue satin gown she wore now.

“Hello Starlin,” she said in a soft voice.

Starlin opened his mouth to speak, but before he could get a word out an old woman stepped out from behind Isolda. She wore a fur-trimmed red dress, and her head was bound up in a white wimple. “Good evening, Sir Starlin,” she said. “I am Lady Ilena. I see that you have already met my granddaughter Isolda. We have come to speak to your apprentice.”

Blinking, Starlin finally managed to mutter, “Eliphas?”

“Yes, we have urgent business to discuss with Lord Dune.”

“Also, someone just delivered a package.” Isolda pointed to a box sitting on the ground near the ramp.

“Oh.” Starlin used telekinesis to lift up the box and bring it into the ship. “Uh, come on in. Lord Dune just got back from class…”

He led the way aboard Bright Knight and into the lounge. “Eli?” he called. “Some people are here to talk to you…” He checked the label on the box. “... and you’ve got a package.” This really was Eli’s day, huh.

Lief​

 

[Lief]

"Well," he said, quite breathlessly, "I love her... I love her so much." She was licking and fussing and wriggling about in his lap, and he looked upon her with such doting adoration that he almost looked like himself again. Life had returned to him, even if only for a short moment of distraction. Sweet little Mirar, she had stolen his heart from the first.​

​

Starlin wandered down the ramp to greet whoever was at the door, and Eliphas hovered right on past his room, where he'd been previously been hiding away in whenever he was on the ship, to instead reach the lounge. By this point the pup was lay down in his lap, belly up, and he was giving it gentle little fusses. "Fat belly" he cooed, "Who's got a fat tummy? Mirar's got a fat tummy tum."​

​

He brought her over to the refrigerator, and opened it up to scour the inside for... something. When he found his prize, he reached through the Force and deftly brought it down to his outstretched free hand. It was a package of deli meat. He didn't even realize that he'd drawn upon the Force so effortlessly for once, he was much too distracted, and as he hovered away from the fridge he opened the package and fished out a slither of meat.​

​

Eliphas tore a small piece off, and hovered it over Mirar's head just out of view. The pup lifted her head to try and look at it, sniffing all the while, standing up to try and catch it. He moved it a little further back, just out of sight, and in her attempts at finding it in the air Mirar sat. "Good girl, Mirar" he cooed. "Sit." Then he dropped the slither down to her eagerly awaiting mouth.​

​

Without thinking, he even went so far as to pull out a piece for himself. Not pudding, not a meal forced upon him, Eliphas just followed suit and even hummed in agreement to the taste of it. "Good stuff, no? What say we try again, pretty girl..."​

​

Another piece of meat, only before he could trick Mirar into sitting for it again, the way his uncle had once shown them with his kusak, Starlin had returned and he seemed to have company. And a package. He turned the hoverchair around to face his Master as the man yelled down the hall toward his room, no doubt expecting him to have squirreled himself away in there again. But nope, he was out in the lounge too.​

​

"A package?" he inquired, brows knitting together, "Who's it from?" Then he looked past Starlin to the two ladies, becoming all too aware of his now puffy features due to his tears. "Oh, nice to meet you both. What might I do for you, My Lady?" he inquired of the elder.​

​

Starlin Rand ​

 

[Starlin Rand]

“Oh hey,” Starlin said, spotting Eli as he turned around to face him. “There you are.”

Lady Ilena looked Eli up and down, frowning. “We asked to see Lord Dune, not his sister,” she said.

It took Starlin a full three seconds to even process what she’d just said. Rather than laughing (though it did nearly send him into orbit, he didn’t want to humiliate Eli further) he said, “Lady, I assure you, this is Lord Eliphas Dune.”

Lady Ilena seemed at least moderately embarrassed at her mistake. “My apologies, Lord Dune. My eyesight isn’t what it used to be.”

Isolda meanwhile crouched down and held out a hand for Mirar to sniff. Starlin’s gaze lingered on her for a moment before he answered Eli's question. “Uh, I dunno. I’ll check.” He went over to the package and carefully opened it up, poised to fight anything that might pop out…

It was nothing but clothes. Neatly folded, finely tailored clothes. There was a note on top of the pile of various fabrics. “From Padawan Thelma Goth, to Padawan Eliphas Dune,” Starlin read, turning to Eli with a grin. “Looks like she made you a whole new wardrobe. She must’ve really liked you, Eli.” He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, having no idea what had actually transpired between them.

Lady Ilena cleared her throat. “We’ve come to discuss an arrangement your late father made with us,” she began. “My condolences, by the way. Prior to the tragedy that befell your family, we made plans to join our two houses together. My granddaughter Isolda was to marry your brother Danithel. But with his passing, the proposed union would fall to the next male in your line.”

She didn’t need to say it outright for everyone to know what she was getting at. Starlin stared at her, then at Eli, before his beleaguered gaze finally settled on Isolda. She rose up from the floor, her eyes cast to the floor, her expression unreadable.

“I have brought copies of all our correspondence as proof,” Lady Ilena continued. “Along with signed documentation. The deal is still legally binding. Unless your… present condition prevents you from fulfilling your duties.”

Lief​

 

[Lief]

His sister?​

​

Eliphas paled, even the briefest reminder of Lissa bringing him straight down from cloud nine and back to reality. He looked over to Starlin, soft frown lines marring his brow, an unuttered plea so clearly upon his lips. He was no longer so sure he could do this, no longer so sure he could exist within a state of normalcy. His bed was calling for him, and he almost motioned the hover chair that way.​

​

Then Mirar pawed against his chest, right against where the worst of his suddenly heightened anxiety was radiating from, and the pressure calmed him. He said nothing, but rewarded her with another slither of meat and a kiss atop her fuzzy head. Thankfully Starlin had spoken for him, setting right the confusion, and Eliphas could not help but feel his pride stinging. He was used to being judged for his present state, but never so... openly. ​

​

Lord, Lord, Lord. He looked from Starlin to the nameless woman, then back again, and shook his head. "I'm... I'm not a Lord" he tried to dispute, "I'm a Jedi now, My Lady." Mirar seemed keen to gain fusses from the girl who accompanied the older woman, and it provided a nice enough distraction while Starlin unearthed the contents of the box. Thelma?​

​

His cheeks grew red. "Thelma? You're... You're sure?" They hadn't exactly left on good terms, had they? Eliphas had tried to assure her all was well, but she'd fled regardless. Now she'd sent him a whole box of clothes? He couldn't focus on that though, couldn't look for any more explanation, because the elder was drawing their attention back to the present matter.​

​

Eliphas settled a hand through Mirar's fur, and gave the woman his full attention. Lord or not he'd definitely retained his noble traits.​

​

As each word struck him he felt himself being pulled further and further from his body. Talks of his family, his brother by name, legally binding documents, and an engagement hanging between them. Next in line...​

​

That was him, wasn't it?​

​

It all culminated in yet further harm to his pride when his eligibility was called into question solely because he was hoverbound. He shook his head, forgetting the rest of it for now as he focused on that slight. "I'm getting stronger every day, My Lady" he said, still respectful but with a very slight undertone that Eliphas was not exactly known for showing. He felt... Humiliated, in truth. "And even if I was made to remain in this chair for the rest of my life, it wouldn't keep me from any duties I set my mind to."​

​

Clearly he didn't understand the duties she was suggesting. It was a battle he'd been waging internally ever since waking up, would he even be able to be a Jedi? Val had helped to settle his mind on that, and now here this woman was calling him into question again. His mind... His mind didn't need that.​

​

He turned his gaze from the woman to Isolda, then to Starlin. The pleading expression only deepened. "M-Master?" he queried, fear spiking through him. Were they here to take him away? But Lissa was here, in the Jedi Medical Bay, everything he had left was here. "I... I can stay here, can't I? Please, I..." He backed up, and held Mirar close, looking between the trio. "Lissa" he whispered, "I, I want to be with Lissa."​

​

It was too much to remain here.​

​

Starlin Rand ​

 

[Starlin Rand]

Lady Ilena raised an eyebrow. “You have inherited the title of Lord from your father, along with all of his property and holdings. Your being a Jedi has no effect on your position.”

"I'm getting stronger every day, My Lady. And even if I was made to remain in this chair for the rest of my life, it wouldn't keep me from any duties I set my mind to."

“I am glad to hear it,” Ilena replied. “Since you are the last surviving male of your line, I am sure it would be in your interest to produce an heir—”

“Grandmother, we haven’t even properly introduced ourselves,” Isolda finally spoke up, looking deeply uncomfortable with how all of this was unfolding. “I am Isolda Aleramici. My grandmother is Lady Ilena Aleramici. We have come from Ession.”

“Isolda of Ession,” Starlin muttered. He looked at Eli when the boy appealed to him, but his expression was clearly distracted. “Yeah, of course,” he replied. “They can’t make you do anything against your will. Just… relax, okay? Talk things through with them.”

Running a hand through his hair, Starlin walked over to one of the lounge chairs and sat down. Apart from being in shock, he was completely out of his element here. Eli was a noble. Surely he would know how to manage this situation much better than Starlin ever could?

Or he could just, y’know. Tell them to leave and come back some other time, or to never bother him again...

Lief​

 

[Lief]

"They... They aren't even buried yet" Eliphas stated once the trio had spoken. Starlin was assuring him that he didn't have to go anywhere, Isolda was giving introductions, and her Grandmother just seemed hellbent on pushing them toward the altar. ​

​

Despite his sad face and his puffy eyes, there was a sudden jolt of annoyance which underlined his words. "Mother, Father, Dani, they were left to rot, bones picked clean, where were you then? And Lissa... Have you even seen her? Did you know that she's unconscious? That she was left alone in the estate, wandering with a broken mind? Where were you then?"​

​

Eliphas looked between the trio, but ultimately his rage-laced words settled on Ilena. "You knew enough to come seek me out here. It's been mere days since we returned from Teta, days, and you want to talk about engagement terms? Danithel isn't even in the ground!"​

​

He could feel himself quivering, shaking with a sudden jolt of adrenaline, and his throat seemed to constrict as a result. Lips turned briefly blue, before he managed to gasp at another breath. "Get out" he wheezed, "I don't care what was promised, just get out."​

​

Starlin Rand ​

 

[Starlin Rand]

Silence fell after Eli’s outburst. Even Starlin was pulled out of his brooding. He couldn’t recall seeing his apprentice become angry like this before. The boy must’ve reached his limit. Starlin couldn’t blame him.

Lady Ilena opened her mouth to speak, but Isolda beat her to the punch. “I've been away at the front for years, Eliphas,” she said, her voice low as she stared at Eli. “Whenever I had the chance, I searched among the refugees from Empress Teta for your family. I held out hope that they had survived. Then the Maw fell. Finally, I had all the time in the world to search for them. Just in time to hear the news that you had already found them, dead.”

Her gaze was hard, but her lip quivered. “I loved and respected your family. My grandmother might only be concerned with material gain, but I came here to honor their wishes. Your father and mother wanted to secure your family’s legacy. What you decide to do with that is up to you.”

Turning to leave, she cast a brief final glance toward Starlin before exiting down the boarding ramp. Her grandmother followed close behind.

Starlin exhaled a breath he didn't know he had been holding. "Eli, are you okay?" he asked.

Lief​

 

[Lief]

He was visibly surprised that an answer came from Isolda, and not her grandmother. Furrowed brows turned from the matriarch to his supposed betrothed, and then his expression softened. With it the last of that brief burst of anger was dispelled too, and in its place he seemed even more haggard, even smaller. Mirar licked at his face, and he crumpled, burying his face down against her, as an urge to cry rose within him... Then passed. No more tears remained within him. It was as though his grief had finally plateaued.​

​

"Legacy" Eliphas muttered, even as the girl and her grandmother ventured from the ship. Was it truly what his Father had wished? That their two houses be united? Was he the last hope for the Dunes of Empress Teta to even have such a legacy? "I want to see it" he called after them after lifting his head, hoping that they had yet to actually leave the ship, "The documents... F-Father's seal. Please."​

​

Then his gaze shifted to Starlin. "I don't know what to do" he confessed. The boy looked to be in shock, medical shock. "If... if that was his dying wish. What, what do I do, Starlin?"​

​

Starlin Rand ​

 

[Starlin Rand]

"I want to see it. The documents... F-Father's seal. Please."

There was a pause, before Lady Ilena returned. Her expression was only slightly smug as she held out the documents, written on paper as was tradition among Tetan nobles. Danithel’s name was still written in as the betrothed of Isolda, and at the bottom of the page there was the signature of both Ruthe and Oskar Dune. The seal of House Dune was imprinted in wax the color of dried blood.

“This is a copy of the original documents,” she explained. “For your perusal. I imagine you will need time to look it over. You may contact us here when you are ready.”

Isolda remained halfway down the ramp, waiting for her grandmother to finish before they departed together.

Once they were gone, Starlin looked at Eli again. The poor kid was in shock.

"If... if that was his dying wish. What, what do I do, Starlin?"

Every fiber of his being was crying out no, don’t do this. Eli was still a kid. He was sickly, he was mourning the loss of his family, and he didn’t even know Isolda. But all of those issues were things which would pass eventually. Eli already seemed older now, aged by grief, and from a legal standpoint he was already an adult. He would eventually get better, relearning how to walk and run and fight. His wounds would heal with time. And once he got to know Isolda, if he had even a hint of attraction toward women, he would see that she was the very flower of the fairer sex.

“I knew her,” Starlin admitted quietly. “Isolda, I mean. Back when I was the apprentice of Cedric Grayson on Ession, I fought with the Ashlan Crusade. She and I were in a few battles together. I… had a really big crush on her. I wanted it to be more, but she refused because I didn’t have the same religion as her…”

He rubbed the back of his neck. “I don’t know what you should do either,” he finally answered Eli’s question, with a hint of miserable resignation in his voice. “I can’t make this decision for you. You have to decide for yourself.”

Lief​

 

[Lief]

"You... You said, if Danithel was unable to fulfil this contract it fell to the next heir?" Eliphas took the document from her, and before reading any of it went to verify the signatures and the seal. "Am I to presume that I'll find legal documents stating as much here too?" After all what he could see here was pertaining to his brother. The initial clause of intent. Of course there was more than one piece of paper now in his grasp.​

​

With such confirmed, and the ladies on their way, he slipped the papers onto the table and leaned his head back against the support of his hoverchair. Was it possible to age a decade in the span of mere minutes? He certainly felt as though he had.​

​

Starlin's revelation had him lifting his head again, and this time when he looked upon his Master he couldn't help but frown in compassion. Religion had come between them? "I don't follow any religion" he mumbled, would that mean he too would be ineligible? Now even more than before he hoped to find a loophole. Being forced to marry someone his Master had feelings for?​

​

That was just... Wrong. The whole thing was wrong.​

​

"Why didn't Father ever tell me?" Starlin couldn't decide for him, and Eliphas knew it was wrong of him to even try to have his Master weigh in on it. Instead Eliphas let out a long sigh, and kissed the top of Mirar's head. She was chewing on his collar at this point, though he didn't much care.​

​

"I don't want to get married" he finally confessed, though there was a whiney undertone to his voice, "Can... Can we get away for a little while? Just, somewhere else. Somewhere nice. Surely Miri and Kyell could do with a little time away too, we could bring them somewhere nice and warm with the twins..."​

​

But then... Then he'd be far from Lissa, wouldn't he? And what if she woke up? That realization weighed heavy on his face. "Too much" he whined, "I don't know how to be everything everyone needs me to be."​

​

Starlin Rand ​

 

[Starlin Rand]

Lady Ilena answered both of Eli’s questions with a single word: “Yes.”

That left master and apprentice to figure out the legal stuff themselves. Starlin watched Eli go through the documents, then leaned back, closed his eyes, and opened himself up to the Force. Strength and comfort filled him.

“I thought you believed in the Empress,” Starlin murmured. He couldn’t say for sure whether or not Eli’s lack of faith would be sufficient to stop something like this. With Isolda, he got the impression that she couldn’t allow herself to care for him, knowing they would be, er, unequally yoked. But an arranged marriage was done for more practical purposes, wasn’t it? “Was your family religious? Your brother—could he have converted…?”

"Why didn't Father ever tell me?"

“It might’ve happened while you were comatose, or right around that time, and he just never had a chance.” Force, this was such a mess. It couldn’t have been sprung on Eli at a more inopportune time.

In search of something easier to deal with, Starlin's gaze landed on the wardrobe Thelma had sent. “I’ll put this in your room for ya,” he said, picking up the package and carrying it into Eli’s quarters.

That was right around the time Eli started to get whiny.

“Hey,” Starlin wagged his finger. “No whining. The only whining I’ll tolerate in this house… er, in this starship, is from Mirar. Take deep breaths, Eli. You’re a Jedi. Be calm and look at this with a clear mind.”

He waited until Eli had settled down some before he spoke again.

“Now, I want you to make a list of all the reasons you have to marry Isolda, and another list of all the reasons not to marry her. Then you decide which list is more important to you. All right? Write it down if you have to.” He gave Eli’s shoulder a squeeze. “You’re gonna be okay.”

Lief​

 

[Lief]

Eliphas shrugged.​

​

"I mean, we had a Chapel, and funeral rites, and services to attend, but... It was never really pushed on us. Mother and Father found time for their faith, and I suppose Danithel could have in my absence, but... I guess, I guess I never really believed in any of it." He used the phrases of course, By the Empress was a frequently uttered term, but when it came to actually believing?​

​

The boy frowned, then shook his head. "And now? How can I now? Everything I touch breaks, if there is some higher power beyond the Force then clearly I've offended it somehow."​

​

Devastation followed him as though he was cloaked in death's raiment's.​

​

Starlin was soon bringing the package of clothes through to Eli's room, and he found himself following behind curious as to what exactly lay within. Of course he was fast hushed insofar as his whiney nature was concerned, and urged to remember his Jedi training. "Yes, Master," he whispered, "I'll... I'll give myself a day to clear my mind." ​

​

Naturally sweet Mirar would help matters, help to shale up the current dynamic and give him something more to focus on. something to live for. He settled her down upon his bed, watching as she curled up on his pillow and fast sought rest, then turned back to Starlin.​

​

"Bet you're regretting taking me on right about now, huh? I'll get through this, I'll be strong again, I promise, and then I'll make you proud."​

​

Starlin Rand ​

 

[Starlin Rand]

“Well, file that little tidbit away in your brain for later, because you might be able to use it as a get out of jail card, if you know what I’m sayin’,” Starlin said, raising his eyebrows meaningfully. “Essonians love the Ashla. I don’t blame them, their goddess is pretty based.”

"And now? How can I now? Everything I touch breaks, if there is some higher power beyond the Force then clearly I've offended it somehow."

“Religious people do, even when they get the chit end of the stick.” But now wasn’t the time for a discussion about theology. Not when Eliphas might be forced to wed, bed, and put a baby Dune in Isolda. Eugh, when he put it that way…

Looking a little paler than usual, Starlin nodded in approval as Eli asked for a day to think. But then Eli started self-flagellating. “No!” Starlin said at once, shaking his head vigorously. “Don’t talk like that. Listen, Eli—Isolda and I were never really a thing. It was an unrequited crush from almost ten years ago. You’re my apprentice. I’m worried about you, not… jealous, or bitter and resentful, or whatever. Don’t worry about any of that. Just figure out what you’ve gotta do to get out of this.”

He stood in the doorway, then turned back to face Eli before he walked out. “Put some of those nice new clothes on for dinner, why don’t you? Looking good always makes me feel better.”

Lief​