Leaving Common Isolation

[Connor Harrison]

Sitting up, Connor nodded and gestured for her to step to where she needed to go.

"Don't get your clothes dirty," he smiled, and rolled up his sleeves. It did look peculiar sometimes - a healthy human arm, and a black cybernetic one. Still. That was the price he paid.

Outside again, the royal aides still to the other side of the tent, Connor walked a few yards from the front, just under the canopy. He circled and flattened some of the ground with his boot.

"Ok, your Highnessness. You get your provisions and unpack what you want so you can relax, and I'll go collect some wood and bricks." He turned, but then held up a finger. "Before you say you've got a stove or oven packed away, don't. Let me have this macho man moment to collect wood to make fire."

He smirked at her and walked outwards, not wanting to trample the flowers growing around them. There were many areas of trees around, all in range of the tent, so he could walk and still see where he was. It was going to be tricky finding enough that was still dry, and to do so before any rain fell. The storm rumbled ahead as the two figures began to prep for their camp.

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay laughed. Ha! Don't get her clothes dirty, indeed!

She followed [member="Connor Harrison"] outside of the tent and watched as he seemed to flatten a bit of ground for what she presumed would be for the campfire. The man slipped up a bit, once again giving her a title instead of using her name, to which she cleared her throat a bit as a reminder for him.

And just as she was about to speak, Connor interrupted her. Again she had to laugh. Macho man moment, huh? As he walked away, Kay shouted after him; "Are you sure that you can find...bricks randomly in a valley? You'd do better at finding stones. This isn't some hardware store, you know." Of course such items were available among the supplies that she had packed. But it was best to let the macho man feel useful.

So while Connor went off to look for wood, Kay headed over to one of the trunks that held their food. Some hearty sausages would do nicely for them.

 

[Connor Harrison]

He didn't even look back as he heard her make a point about her name via a cleared throat, and also her terminology.

"You know what I meant. Bricks, stones, slate...chunks of rock, ok?"

Maybe there would be others left from campers in the area? Or rubble from any outposts or small barns and buildings taken down by the storms? It was a long shot. All he came upon was thin chunks of rock, nothing really substantial. But that didn't spell disaster. They would make do. Instead he went to pull of thin branches from trees and bits strewn over the grass.

In time he had an armful and more than enough to fuel a fire for a while - and to be fair, for one who could summon fire from the elements around them, making a fire wouldn't REALLY be hard. But it was fun to do it the old-fashioned way.

Connor walked a full 360 around their tent and came back with his load, setting it down and fashioning them into a pile to burn, with some kept the to side.

"I hope you've got something to cook on, or over," he called out.

Some dry grass underneath the sticks, and a focus with his Force energy soon started a small fire and spark of the elements around the wood that he blew on and wafted carefully to start the beginning of a decent fire. He smiled to himself. Success!

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

"Yeah, yeah...suuuure that was what you meant." She smirked to herself as she gathered the sausages. A couple each would do. And while [member="Connor Harrison"] was gathering branches and twigs, Kay was busy with the vegetables, washing them in a little tub that she had filled with water and wrapping them in foil.

It wasn't until he called out that she walked out of the tent, carrying the food in her arms. "Something to cook on? You've prepared it right there." She crouched down beside the growing fire and placed the foiled veggies at the bottom of it, right on top of the stones. Kay then looked at some of the twigs, picking out two of them with her free hand and holding them out. "Care to de-bark these and sharpen them to a point? I've got some sausages that we could skewer." Oh there was a big opening for some really bad jokes in there, but she made no move to say them.

 

[Connor Harrison]

Connor knelt down to the fire, using his cybernetic arm to move the sticks and hot stones to better positions as the fire made full use of the elements around it to burn brightly. The small crackles and pops reminded him of many fires made as a Padawan on venture trails around Voss – surviving a cold night with nothing but the elements around you.

As Kay returned, he nodded and took some spare twigs, and just glanced up at her. He could say something wonderfully droll at this point, but she WAS royalty after all.

"Give me a moment…"

He extended the blade from his gauntlet, fixed under the right arm, and used it fashion points on the twigs. The soothing noise it made, the fire crackling, and the food being prepped brought them both right back to nature.

"I think this will do." He handed one over. "Don’t expect me to sing around this fire, because I don’t do that. And I don’t tell scary stories. To be honest, I’m probably a boring camp mate."

He grinned at her and stoked the fire.

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay waited patiently while [member="Connor Harrison"] prepared the sticks, taking them one at a time and placing the sausages on them. She tucked one under her arm while taking hold of the second, and once the meat was skewered on, she handed it back to him, then held her own to cook over the fire.

"Well I sing but...rarely. And as for telling scary stories, I only know of the scary things that have happened to me that still give me nightmares. Probably not the best things to talk about right now."

She sat down, getting herself more comfortable. "After we eat, we'll need to keep the lightning away from the tents. Ever use lightning rods before?"

 

[Connor Harrison]

Shuffling down under the shelter, but with the fire just outside of it from the tent, Connor took the skewer and got comfortable.

"Of course. We used them a few times across Silver space, some volatile planets had really sporadic climates so planting some away from where we were often saved the day." He looked out to the storms. "Certainly a majestic thing. I mean, I like them, but I won't want them literally cracking above our heads. We'll never get any sleep."

For some reason, he looked and smiled at her. Then, made sure his food was cooking evenly. Glancing around, there was no sign of the entourage.

"Where's the escorts gone? They were there a second ago...?"

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay nodded, glad that [member="Connor Harrison"] at least knew some of how to handle the storms and how to keep the worst of it away from the camp. Their biggest worries were just rain and wind. Yet she had planned for those too in case they occured.

She admired the storms at a distance as Connor did, turning over her sausage so that it didn't burn. "They are fun to watch. And to see the bands of rain...We're just lucky that it isn't tornado season."

To his question, Kay glanced around. Her brows furrowed slightly as she didn't see them either. "I'm not sure. Probably eating their own meals." She didn't hear anything that would cause concern, so it didn't really bother her.

 

[Connor Harrison]

He wasn’t worried – ok, for a few moments he was. This was the set-up; out in a quiet place, get the Queen in a false sense of security and then try to either assassinate her or kidnap her. None of which would even work with Connor around, but still. His imagination was rife.

"No, I know, it’s…" the young maiden to the Queen emerged from the rear of the tent, folding over a blanket and another carrying a box. "It’s fine, I see them. Used to them being around, you forget they can do things on their own."

Turning back to his food, he rotated it, making sure it was well done on all sides and brought it a little higher from the flame.

"I’ll do the rods after we’ve eaten and you’re happy you don’t want to go anywhere after. It won’t take long. And when has a bit of rain hurt anyone? That doesn’t bother me. I hope you brought an umbrella!”

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay smirked as some of the staff appeared for him. She took a thicker branch and used it to flip over the veggies so that they'd roast a little more evenly in the foil. "Well it's a good thing that we haven't told any scary stories. Otherwise you'd never get to sleep." Maybe that was why he only read non-fiction. It held his imagination at bay.

Her sausage was nearly finished. Kay touched it gingerly to inspect the temperature. Her eyes rolled ever so slightly as [member="Connor Harrison"] remarked on himself doing all the work. Like she was going to let that happen. "You know...I am perfectly capable of helping out with the rods. It's not as though I'm some helpless fragile flower."

"And as for the rain, I like a good shower every now and then. The pitter-patter helps to lull me to sleep sometimes. But it doesn't look like it'll be reaching us anytime soon." The wind seemed to make it seem as though the storm would only be side-swiping them. But the wind could always change.

 

[Connor Harrison]

Connor looked up and around into the sky. Sometimes one could smell the rain - he never understood that statement. Rain wasn't something you smelt. It was something you felt when it lashed down on you and soaked your skin.

"If I were here alone, and it was raining, I'd sleep with the opening bare and watch and listen to it fall. I do like the rain too. It's soothing. I mean, many planets I have been on see little rain, but when I find the climate where it DOES rain, or thunder like this, I find some sort of peace."

Rhen Var had been a wonderful experience. Sub-zero climates, ice rain and nearly killing himself climbing a mountain. Oh, the carefree days of a Republic Padawan.

The aroma of the food was getting strong, and it was very homely. He stood up and pulled two plates from the pile of items brought out and set them down between the pair.

"I'm looking forward to this," he said, tending to his meat. "And I don't think you're helpless, far from it! I did see you in action remember before politics extinguished your thirst for living on the edge."

Just as he was poking his food to tender, he was poking the Queen with little teasing words.

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

"I can't figure out what it is with people and the rain. I guess that most life can't exist without it, so there's some kind of connection there. I'm not sure. Just guessing..."

Kay took the plate next to her and set her sausage on it, using the edge of the plate to help pull the meat off the stick. Then she grabbed the other stick and used them both to pick up one of the veggie bundles and placing it on the plate next to [member="Connor Harrison"] before putting a veggie bundle on her own. "Enjoy..though it's hot. Just in case you forget."

She smirked as he teased her while she opened up the foil to let the aromic steam spill out. "Living on the edge? Ha! I'm living on it far more than you are, my dear Connor. Politics is very cutthroat, I'll have you know. Not only are there threats from without, but within as well." Of course he already knew that. She stuck out her tongue to prove that she wasn't being entirely serious. Her mood hadn't gone dark yet.

 

[Connor Harrison]

He looked at the food with wide eyes - it smelt good. Living alone in a ship for months, you easily let the taste buds dry out and miss real food after packets and ready meals were all used. The smell lingered, and he was eager to tuck in.

"Mhm, mhm, all good to me."

Resting the plate on the ground before him and the fire, Connor bent over and blew on it, picked up the sausage with his cybernetic hand and bit into it. Yes, it was hot! But he inhaled, chewed, inhaled again and tossed the food around his mouth. But, by the Force it tasted good.

All he did was nod, and eat.

"That..is so nice. Mm." He wanted to eat a little longer, but looked at the Queen with a glint in his eye. "Living on the edge hm? Maybe, but you want to remember that spirit when the politics gets too much. Keep feeling alive. That's the key."

Now, he used the stick to pop a couple of veggies in his mouth and crunched them, waiting for her response.

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay smirked once more while [member="Connor Harrison"] used his cybernetic hand to pick up his food. Show off. As she ate her own, she watched him savour his meal as though he hadn't had one like it in a long time. Maybe she did have it a bit too good, always having ample meals ready or a kitchen to cook in whenever she wanted. But it was quite obvious that in either a kitchen or campfire, she could cook.

She took another bite of her sausage as he spoke of what she should remember when politics got too much for her. In her mind it was easier said than done. But such an argument was one that she had made before. Delegation was key. Yet she didn't want the fall of her government to fall on anyone elses' shoulders but her own.

"I'll try. Can't make any promises though until I can think with a clearer head." And that was the truth of it. She knew that she was muddled.

 

[Connor Harrison]

Connor made a few noises through eating to say he understood and heard her. It was a fair comment – with a muddled head, nothing could ever seem clear even when right in front of you. With a final hot bite, he finished his sausage and wiped his hands, savouring the taste.

"Mhm." He swallowed. "I get that. If you wanted to talk and try unload what’s in your head, you can. I won’t answer back – you can just let it out and try to make sense of things. If you wanted."

He shrugged and picked up a few veggies to crunch on.

"Or not, it’s your shout. Just try to think on here and now, don’t let things worry you when they don’t need to."

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

"Maybe later. I'm not quite ready yet." Which was the truth of it. She didn't want to end up saying too much, or ending up as a sobbing mess of tears. Yes she had a lot of things to get off her chest, but she was far too used to keeping secrets and not letting things out that could harm her. There were plenty out there that liked to take advantage of such things.

Kay saved the final bite of her sausage for last, and worked on finishing the veggies first.

Now she wanted to shift the attention off of herself and onto [member="Connor Harrison"] instead. "So...what made you go onto the path that you are now? And does it feel like the right one? Or is that something that you'll probably figure out later?"

 

[Connor Harrison]

Picking at his food, Connor always seemed to hate the attention coming back to him. Only because he never knew quite what to say. How to explain things. One couldn't understand, truly, unless they had walked the path themselves. Just as Connor couldn't understand much about others, no matter if he thought he could.

His fingers played with a small hard orange cube on the plate.

"Because I didn't want to die as worthless as I felt. I deserve better than that."

He looked up at her so she could see in a statement, he was nothing but honest.

"I owe it to myself to keep going. To do what I can for the good of the galaxy - no matter the cost. If one can survive the Light and Dark and live to tell the tale, then it means I have something else to give. Dying didn't tempt me on Maena, so something inside carried me through to repair some bridges and get back a life I once had."

The cube tapped on the plate as he stared at it. He couldn't quite go back to the beginning, before the dark times, but he could make the best of it.

"Better to burn out than to fade away."

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay nodded. She understood what [member="Connor Harrison"] meant, for she had gone through it herself. Although she didn't have any bridges to mend.

Had she ever come near death? Oh yes. During her captivity she had come close to it for what felt like hundreds of times. Did it give her a different perspective on life? No. Becoming a mother for real did that.

Now there was just so much that was expected of her that she felt as though she was only partially herself. Stress does that.

"I think that I'd rather fade away. Seems a lot quieter, as though it means that I'll have a break. Maybe even be stress free before the end."

 

[Connor Harrison]

Fading away was something he had tried, but fate never let him.

"It’s not an option to me to fade away, I couldn’t even if I tried. And I have, once. Death didn’t want me, so I’m still here and I’ll burn as much as I can."

He tapped his fingers a little more, feeling the distinct lack of appetite all of a sudden, but still calm and relaxed. He rolled his tongue around the inside of his mouth, picking away the last bits of food to chew and swallow, and hearing the storm in the distance with a faint cool breeze coming in now and then.

"You just be sure to keep burning. You’re too important to do that. A lot of people count on you, remember."

Leaning forward, he used his stick to stoke the base of the fire. A small whisp of fire snaked up into the sky.

"You radiate a lot of confidence and beauty behind that self-doubt. Don’t fade away."

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

Yes, a lot of people counted on her. And that was the problem. If she burned out than they would all have to scramble. As it was, Kay hadn't made any preperations yet as to who would take over after she dies. [member="Bradshaw Ku"] was the obvious choice, yet he had taken some viw of silence and was away from home far more than he was there. [member="Caedyn Arenais"] was next in line, and between him and his twin sister [member="Loreena Arenais"] , he had more of the qualities of being a good leader. But he wasn't ready for it yet.

And things change, as they always do. It could be that Loreena is the most suited of the bunch. Or that neither of them were. It could be that the Monarchy gets abolished or that they are all conquered by some enemy force.

There were far too many things that could happen.

Kay finished up her sausage, watching as [member="Connor Harrison"] stoked the flames. It was always sort of hypnotic in the way that they moved.

"All of my confidence comes from those around me. Without their support, I can't get a lot accomplished. Running a government is a lot more complicated than rescuing slaves." She chewed the inside of her cheek as she decided to change the subject. "What are the Hutts doing these days? I competed against one at an auction, but that's about it."