Private Mending

[Aaran Tafo]

The steady beep was maddening.

Intellectually, he knew that there was a good reason as to why he was connected to a heart monitor. It was meant to send out a warning if his vitals dropped too low or his heart rate spiked out of distress. Granted, being a Jedi what could be considered an uncomfortably low heart rate for a civilian was the normal resting pace of the Guardian. Huzzah for a lifetime of extreme athleticism, sadly such a lifestyle was not enough to spare him from getting injured as much as he would have liked.

Damned Voidstone tipped rounds. Penetrating his usual defences and puncturing his shoulder and chest, the grace of the Force allowed the rounds to avoid penetrating his lungs or any other major organs, but it was enough to put him out of commission for a time in order to heal. Requiring him and a few of the other Tetan Rebels and civilians to be snuck out of Maw space in order to be properly cared for.

And where better to care for a Jedi than The Prosperity, surrounded by their own in one of the most heavily protected ships the Galaxy had ever seen.

The bacta worked its magic well enough, the wounds had be closed and his body was on the mend, but trace amounts of voidstone remained in his body. Meaning that in order to get a clean bill of health, he had to wait until the last remnants were purged from his system, otherwise he was still at risk of having a shaky connection to the Force, and for someone who relied heavily on it to perceive the world around him, it was hardly an optimal situation to be in.

Even now his vision was cloudy, the normally clear sight the Force provided him blurry and frayed at the edges, his perception frustratingly limited to only slightly beyond the room he had been placed in. A surprisingly spacious one, all things considered. Maybe he'd been given priority due to previous service? He was a former council member after all. But he supposed whatever reason mattered little, there was space enough in this room that his companion could stay at his side, a giant furry beast that took up the far side of the room. Clearly there to watch over his friend during their time of recovery and weakness.

The Lurix was having a rather pleasant nap, the loud rumbling of its snores matching the hum of the ship around it, occasionally pawing in its sleep, making small rumbling noises that sounded more appropriate coming from a starship engine than a living being. Occasionally, a massive yellow eye opened, its head perked up at any interesting sounds or scents that crossed its senses, before eventually settling back down and resuming their sleepy vigil.

All while Aaran sat there in bed, hands flat on his lab, resisting the urge to pick at the bandages that lay wrapped over his bare chest and shoulder, wondering just how long it would be before he would be discharged and allowed out again. As there was always more work that needed to be done.

Amani Serys

 

[Amani Serys]

"Aaalright…" Amani pushed in the door with her back, her hands already full with a datapad and a cup of caf.

"Hi! I'm- oh woah, uhh-" She startled at the sight of the fuzzy behemoth in the corner. "…Good…boy?" Eyes darted back and forth between Luach and her patient, and she shuffled over to the opposite end to get her bearings.

"Aaran? I'm Amani. Looks like I'll be taking care of you today." Looks like. Was that an insensitive thing to say here? The healer scoffed at her own musings before continuing, "Most everything's been taken care of… well, other than the void stone fragments still stuck in you." She set down the data pad she was reading off, "Mind telling me what happened there?" As usual, she liked getting the story from the patients. It helped round out her perspective and decide how to proceed better than a computer screen ever could. While waiting, Amani set to organizing her things on the counter.

Aaran Tafo​

 

[Aaran Tafo]

The giant yellow eyes of the beast opened up again at the arrival of the newcomer, head craning as it regarded them, ears twitching upwards, intelligent eyes following their entrance, nostrils flaring as an inhale powerful enough to disturb the hair of his master was heard as a new scent was taken in, catalogued, memorised. The newcomer was measured to see if they were friend or foe, predator or prey.

"…Good…boy?"

And just like that, the ears relaxed, the head lowered, jaw opening slightly in the approximation of a canine grin, wide tail thumping once against the floor in approval, before his head rested against its paws again, eyes not leaving Aman., But the wariness was now replaced with a more benign and friendly interest, the Lurix now deciding that the newcomer was a potential friend and not an incoming threat that he had to deal with while his best friend was still recovering.

"Give it to me straight doc, will I ever play the Batanga again?" Not that he ever played the instrument in the first place, he just picked it randomly because the name was fun to say. Before he reached over and brushed his fingers against his wounded shoulder, eliciting a dull throb of pain to pulse through his body, jaw tightening slightly.

"They mentioned something about sonic surgery. Break up the remaining pieces into smaller bits that'll be flushed out of my system in a few days." He said, resisting the urge to shrug and further agitate his wounded joint.

"It happened on Teta, Krath War Droids showed up as I was watching over some civilians trying to get out. They hit us while we were getting into the ship." He pursed his lips slightly. "Nasty things, one of them was loaded with these voidstone tipped rounds. Got hit while covering the escape. But I was lucky and someone dragged me into the ship when I went down." He shook his head.

"Things on Teta are bad. It'll be good when we go for a proper counterattack, still a lot of people there that need help." He mused, craning his neck over to regard Amani fully, his usual heavy bandages or sunglasses replaced by a shen sheet of gauze, the scarring around the edges of his eyes plainly visible. His brow curled into a frown.

"Also, I hate to be rude, but you're awfully familiar. Have we met before?"

Amani Serys

 

[Amani Serys]

Amani smiled warmly at the large beast as it seemed to respond in kind to her arrival. Aaran's joke was picked up on, "For the sake of my ears, let's hope not," She hit back, finding the instrument a bit harsh on the ears.

As the healer listened to his story, she walked over to a side door, offering Luach a quick pat along the way. Inside was a small storage closet, from which she wheeled out a tall medical machine, in the shape of an upside down L. It was brought over to Aaran's bedside, where he would be able to see some kind of scanner on the top bar.

"I wasn't there when things first went south. I'm sorry to hear," When Teta had gone underway, Amani was still operating in the Outer RIm, very specifically avoiding that level of conflict. "Hopefully they'll think of something soon. I'd hate for us to just sit around while things get worse."

She then rolled over a chair to sit in, and briefly switched to shop talk, "Just lay still for a sec, this machine is gonna give us another look at the shrapnel, see if and how it's shifted around." It whirred to life, and the scanner shot a bright wall of light down onto the patient, running up and down his figure as it analyzed his physical topography.

Her ears perked up at his apparent recognition, "...Oh! Yeah, actually. I think we were both Silvers once, right?" They hadn't exactly gotten to know one another, but she had sensed the same familiarity as him.

Aaran Tafo​

 

[Aaran Tafo]

"I'll let my agent know then." He harrumphed, faux-indignation on his face as he dramatically flopped back onto the pillow, only to let out a subdued grunt of pain as the sudden movement agitated his still tender wounds. "To be fair, I wasn't there either, I was running around the Galactic South hunting pirates. They were getting uppity with how long the war was going on and started causing trouble." Scavengers thinking that the Alliance was too busy to properly protect their periphery worlds.

As Amani went to retrieve the scanner, giving Luach a reassuring pat on the side, a small 'whuff' escaped him as his tail again lightly slapped against the ground, seemingly giving her his full approval.

"I see." He said, nodding along to Amani's explanation of how the scanner worked. Not it would be of much use to anyone besides the healer in the room. With his connection to the Force muted, he could not discern the finer details of what would appear on the screen, and as intelligent as Luach was, the finer details of medical science were beyond him.

But there was no need to let her know that, it cost him nothing to remain attentive.

He let out a sigh as she confirmed his suspicions that they were both former members of the Silver Jedi Order. "I haven't been back to Kashyyyk in years. Crazy how the time goes." He mused, shaking his head. Allowing the monitors to beep in silence for a few minutes.

"After Kintan.... I couldn't really stay passive, felt like I needed to do more instead of just waiting for the Sith to strike again. Next thing I knew, I was with Ryv in the Core helping put the New Jedi Order together." He shook his head ruefully, memories flashing back to the forefront of his mind, both good and bad.

He shifted slightly to get Amani back in his field of vision. "What about you?" He asked, curious as to how she found herself here after so long. "If you don't mind me asking of course."

Amani Serys

 

[Amani Serys]

“Well…” Amani hummed, thinking of how to best summarize things. She opted to keep it simple, “I think over time I just became more disillusioned with the Jedi. Not just the Silvers, mind you. All Jedi.”

“After so many battles, so many deaths, it all just kinda started to feel… pointless, y’know? Eventually everything just broke apart after this mission on Yavin,” The healer shrugged, leaving quite a few details unspoken. No need to dump the whole Dark Side corruption arc on some guy she had effectively just met, “Even lost my Force connection for a while. So I left. Spent the last few years working as a medic, mostly in the Outer Rim and other refugee-heavy zones.” Of which there were an exponentially increasing number, these days.

“Finally, I built that connection back up, and after Tython, I guess I just decided I didn’t feel comfortable watching from the sidelines any longer.” Whatever reservations she once held about the Code, or whatever other aspects of Jedi-hood played into her doubts, it was clear that there was no sitting in the middle. One side was trying to destroy planets, slaughter billions. The other was fighting to preserve them.

It didn’t exactly feel like a nuanced decision to weigh over.

“Aaand that’s pretty much the gist of it. If you want any more, you’ll have to buy my autobiography.” Amani scoffed, then stood up as the machine pinged for her attention. The display screen showed a scan of the Jedi’s internal systems, highlighting the foreign objects still lodged in his chest, “Well, doesn’t look like they’ve moved much from last time. Which is good.”

“Sonic surgery is definitely an option. Either that, or I fish them out the old-fashioned way.” She gestured at a dish containing various tools, “Can’t exactly yank them out with the Force, or just heal it away, y’know?” As Aaran knew plenty well by now, Void Stone didn’t exactly play well with their space magic. “Don’t suppose you have a preference? I ain’t exactly getting paid more either way,” She laughed a bit, but wanted to do her due diligence and present both options to him. It was the sort of overcautious methodology drilled into her head over years of medical training.

Aaran Tafo​

 

[Aaran Tafo]

“After so many battles, so many deaths, it all just kinda started to feel… pointless, y’know?"

He actually did know. He knew exactly how it felt, to feel small and insignificant in the face of insurmountable odds, to wonder if one was actually making a difference in the end. "I hear you." He said, nodding once. "Went through the same bit for a while, went back home to farm for a year." He then gave the slightest shudder. "But after a while I figured that it didn't matter either way." He smiled slightly. "Other side hasn't won either despite everything they do. So if there's no point in it, might as well just do what makes me happy."


And that was really the end of it. The reasoning was nihilistic, but not negative. Regardless of his own feelings on the matter, the Will of the Force would win out in the end, he just ultimately decided that he was on the side of compassion and life, preferring to do what he could to help people, regardless of the scale of his actions. "Just really comes down to what you are at peace with doing." He mused.

At the mention of an autobiography, his lips twitched up again. "Send me on the audiobook." He shot back, a huff escaping him as he rested back against the pillow, the display meaning nothing to him, it was more for Amani's convenience than his own. "You get paid?" He asked, a note of faux-surprise in his voice at the Mirialan's turn of phrase, before weighing his options.

"Taking them out will be faster." He finally decided, nodding once. "And if what I hear is right, we're going back to Teta soon, a proper strike force to take it back." He looked at Amari and gave her a tilting head motion that could be considered an exaggerated wink. "But you didn't hear that from me." He said, raising a finger to his lips.

"So yeah Doc, yank the rocks out and stitch me up. I imagine I'm not your only patient today so I don't want to keep you too long."

Amani Serys

 

[Amani Serys]

Amani hummed approvingly, having found solace in a similar perspective. Her work in the Outer Rim was small scale, but each person helped was one more glimmer of good added to the galaxy.

On the question of payment, she smirked, "Hell if I know." The healer stepped over to the dish of tools, picking up a small syringe which contained a translucent liquid. "Alright, this is a local anesthetic, should make this process a bit more tolerable for you." A roll of her eyes, "Unless there's some specific allergies I need to know about. Or you wanna play the badass. Or maybe you're just afraid of needles? But digging around in your muscles isn't gonna feel nice." She assumed he would take the logical route, but you never know.

Another smirk as he mentioned Teta. Chances are he knew more than her. At least it was confirmation the Alliance wasn't intent to let things slide.

"I appreciate the sentiment," She rolled over a seat and set down a scalpel, pliers, sutures, and a roll of gauze. Everything she'd need to wrap up business. "Ready?" Amani slapped on a pair of gloves, and put on a large magnifying glass that made her eyes look cartoonishly big. Based on her dumb grin, she was well aware of this fact, and easily entertained by it.

Aaran Tafo​

 

[Aaran Tafo]

He eye'd the syringe as best he could in his current state, a small scoff coming from him. "A Jedi is trained to resist pain. We know it is but an illusion like all things." A smile then blossomed, one that reached his eyes, so to speak. "But I'm not feeling up to going into intense meditation right now. Dose me up Doc." He said, shifting slightly to ensure that Amani had access to the proper veins needed for the injection.

A slow exhale left him as the anaesthetic took hold, such a curious numbing feeling, he could still breathe fine, there was no tightness around his chest, but he could already feel his heartbeat slowing even more as the numbing solution worked its magic.

"Whenever you're ready Amani." He said, giving a nod back to the surgeon, this being a very rare instance where he was fine allowing someone to cut him up. Usually those who came at him with a blade were a touch more psychotic, the debacle involving a great deal more threatening motions and much less banter.

He'd give Amani that, she was someone who he could banter with, such a rarity in this day and age.

As the incisions started, he simply looked down with a more clinical eye, frowning slightly as he watched her work. The Voidstone in his chest made his sight frustratingly fuzzy whenever he tried to stare too closely at his own torso. "So, aside from me, any interesting patients?" Technically a breach of doctor-patient confidentiality, but Jedi don't exactly need to care all that much about laws and legalities, they were beholden to a greater authority.

That, and honestly he was just looking for a conversation.

Amani Serys

 

[Amani Serys]

Once the anesthetic took hold, Amani began her work in earnest. The first tear in Aaran’s flesh was plied open, and with her magnifier the healer searched for the first pieces of void stone, occasionally checking the image on the machine to confirm her trail.

She shot him a glance, somewhere between suspicious and amused, “Depends on what you mean by interesting.”

“Jedi healers still have to abide by some sense of medical confidentiality, you know.” As if she had read his line of thought. Still Amani sighed, not outright dismissing the topic, but playing it close to the chest.

“Plenty of troublemakers. You NJO boys sure like hitting things that hit back.” Dag and Corin jumped to mind, both coming to her in succession for a quick patch up, only to no doubt run headlong back into the fray .

“A dark side curse here and there.” Ishida Ashina, now relieved of her little darkshear scar. Amani smirked as she ran her mental victory lap, but it quickly shifted into a slight frown as another crossed her mind. The job that couldn’t just be fixed in a single session, or wrapped over with a bacta patch.

“Started dipping my toes into rehabilitation, too. Mental rehabilitation, that is. Got a few pickups back from their falls to the Dark Side. But that’s uh… a bit more of a process,” Thalia Senn, namely; So far her only patient in that field. Perhaps if Aaran had heard anything about her plight, he might pick up on it. But for now at least, Amani made no admission of names.

With tweezers she pulled out one of the larger pieces, still reddened with blood, and dropped it into the metal pan with a clink.

Aaran Tafo​

 

[Aaran Tafo]

"I mean, of course they hit back!" He protested, a mock pout appearing on his face. "You'll find the type we hit are people who like hitting others for fun. They're just as surprised to find someone who hits back." His pout turned into a grin, not even flinching as the initial incision was made, Luach however perked their head up at the scent of blood and let out a surprisingly canine whine, only to be shushed by his friend.

He was in no danger, Amani was not going to suddenly reveal herself as a Sith infiltrator and attempt to open up his neck with that scalpel. And after a moment the great beast was mollified, if still sitting up and paying more attention. He knew his friend was in no danger, he knew Amani meant no harm, but he was simply on alert for a moment, only for their body to slowly relax over the course of the surgery.

"Lemme guess, the Curse is annoyingly stubborn to go away. Like a mynock on a power cell." He grumbled, having his own experience with cursed artefacts, Sith ghosts and haunted grounds. So many of their magicks and lingering influence acted like a cancer, eating away until nothing remained, killing the host unless removed properly. In a rather tedious fashion. "Well, lemme know if you ever need someone to back you up when it comes to breaking those curses." An offer at least, usually breaking such spells was a matter of finesse over force. But a little extra strength or another set of eyes never hurt.

And Aaran's eyes were better than most when it came to discerning the subtle flows of the Force. Not to cheapen Amani's efforts, but the offer of aid was there.

"Ah, rehab. Used to work a lot with some Sith acolytes back during the Imperial Civil war, lots of them were just scared kids. Most of them just rejoined civilian life after going cold turkey off the Dark Side." It always was heartening to know that some people were capable of recovering from their trauma and making something of their life. For a moment his mind flashed back to a certain clash on Ziost, an interesting encounter with a certain conscript. A faint smile appeared as he wondered just how well Eva had gotten on.

As the first shard was removed, it felt like a breath of fresh air. An open curtain on his soul, allowing fresh sunlight to stream into a darkened room. The air around him tasted less stale. He inhaled deeply, not with his lungs but with his spirit, breathing in the universe and breathing out the self.

And then it hit him, the image of a scowling face, the scent of the ocean air, a familiar accent that brought back memories of home. Not plucked from his doctor’s head, but a simple premonition that he could sense through the murmurings of the universe.

"Thalia." He said, the smile fading as a look of clarity appeared on his face. It was not a question, but a statement, Thalia was on this ship, and she was in pain.

"How is she doing?"

Amani Serys

 

[Amani Serys]

Amani chuckled, "Maybe I should clarify. The problem is that you seem really bad at the 'not getting hit' part." She spared Luach a warm smile in some effort to assuage the beast's conference.

On the mention of curses the healer shrugged, "They always are," a cocky smirk curled at her lip, "But I'll let you know if I find one I can't handle." Her overconfidence was largely in jest, but it'd be a lie to say she wasn't still patting herself on the back for that last curse removal.

And in spite of her ambiguity, it seemed Aaran recognized at least one of the people she had alluded to. Amani resigned with a sigh, "She's… It's hard to say." A few of the smaller stone fragments had all lodged into the same flap of muscle, and Amani set to pulling them each out in quick succession. "Frustrated, definitely. With a lot of things, I think. Not that I blame her. She just hasn't given me much to work with so far."

"Recovery is a tough road. Far more when it comes to the spirit than the body. But the fact that she's still here is a good enough sign for me."

Aaran Tafo​

 

[Aaran Tafo]

A sigh escaped him as he was informed of what he could already guess. Seems things had gone a little worse than expected since his absence from the Core. Thalia had fallen in with a bad crowd, taken up some unsavoury habits, and now ended up back here.

It was only a small relief that she was not dead. Or in a far worse state. At least here she could recover, get better and eventually find peace in a more permanent way.

"Thalia is stubborn." He said a soft whine was heard emitting from Luach as he sensed his friend's distress. "But she can burn out quickly, logic and patience is your best defence, she's an exceptionally clever young woman once she stops allowing her emotions to cloud her judgement." And chances are that was how the Maw got her, keep her angry, keep her focused on targets, keep her emotionally stimulated and never give her a chance to calm down.

Seemingly growing impatient, the shaggy beast at his side began to stir, beginning to stand up on their forelegs, intent on leaving the room, only to be stopped by a hand on their hindquarters.

"Best stay put." Aaran gently urged, giving the beast a reassuring pat. "You can go see her when the Doc says she's feeling better." Chances are that seeing his fellow Parmarthen would only result in heated tempers right now. Nothing would result from a meeting at this point beyond hurt feelings and an even harder rehabilitation.

Another huff escaped the great beast, their giant head turning to look at Amani, eyes widening to to the size of saucers, pleading, intelligent and surprisingly gentle. A soft whine escaping them again, as if expecting that would be enough to sway the Healer's decision, preying on any weakness they may have in an attempt to manipulate them into getting what they want.

Amani Serys

 

[Amani Serys]

"Hm." Amani nodded, taking Aaran at his word. She took out a final piece from his shoulder injury, and then moved on to the chest.

The healer paused a moment to spare the large beast a glance, their puppy face eliciting a sympathetic pout from Amani, but no more. "I'm sorry buddy, right now she needs some time to herself." Both for her sake, and for others, most likely. The Dark Side was a powerful agent, and its corruption rooted deeply. But Amani seemed unconcerned, almost tranquil.

"She'll get better." A firm reassurance was given, directed at both Aaron and Luach, before she refocused on plucking out shrapnel.

"How do you know her? Is Thalia your padawan, or…?"

Aaran Tafo​

 

[Aaran Tafo]

An annoyed grunt rumbled from the great beast as Amani proved resistant to his charms. With a sigh, Luach turned his giant head away from the two Jedi, head resting on his paws as a snort escaped him, making a conscious effort to not look in either of their direction. Content to sulk in the corner as they were denied the chance to spend some time with one of their friends who clearly just needed a great big furry beast to shower them in affection.

"No, not my Padawan. Never had that formal relationship. But we're both from the same homeworld." He said, letting out another grateful sigh as a large pierce of the voidstone was removed from his body. Step by step, he could feel his connection to the Force coming back stronger and stronger, like the trickling of water before a dam burst.

"While her master was away helping out during the Imperial Civil War, I was keeping a bit of an eye on her." He shook his head, disappointed in his own lax nature. "Apparently not a close enough eye." His hand went to his forehead, massaging his temple.

"I thought she'd be safe, that she had a good enough support network without me." He shook his head. "Sheer fucking arrogance on my part." His jaw tensed, tightening hard enough that the muscles began to ache.

He rested his head back against the pillow, focusing his breathing and attempting to bring his emotions back under control. Refusing to allow his sense of guilt and shame to overwhelm him and render him useless.

As Amani continued to poke and prod around his chest, she could hear him take ten deep, calming breaths as he centred himself.

"Sorry about that Doc." He said, his voice somewhat more hoarse than before. Another sigh escaped him as he reached up with his uninjured hand, reaching behind the bandages that covered his eyes to scratch around the edges of his sockets that had suddenly become rather irritable.

"Don't suppose you've got a good cure for crippling guilt?"

Of course he knew the cure, he needed to forgive himself for his failings and hope that Thalia could in turn forgive him as well. But such a thing was easier said than done.

Amani Serys

 

[Amani Serys]

“I see,” Amani listened, and frowned when she realized he was starting to turn it all on himself. The healer said nothing at first, letting him work through those feelings in his own way, before he spoke again.

“I can read you a few Jedi mantras. Although I find that usually just makes me more annoyed.” She smirked, offering to lighten things up, if only a little.

“When I was a padawan, guilt was the biggest challenge of them all. When I saw the things I did wrong, it was easy to turn every problem under the sun into my fault.” Whatever loose connection could tie it back to her. Which in turn created a domino effect of every minor thing that spiraled out from the source. “It led me down a… messy path.”

“Truth is I eventually found my solace through time. Time and reconciliation.” One less piece of void stone. And another, “Once she’s ready for visitors, you should speak to her. Shed some of that guilt. Maybe by then you’ll have had enough time of your own.”

Amani smiled, “I’m sure she’d be glad to see someone familiar. Rather than some green lady she never met before.” Or it could trigger a worse emotional response. The possibility hadn’t escaped her, in spite of her optimism. But that was why time was a factor.

Aaran Tafo​

 

[Aaran Tafo]

"That's the thing about time." He grumbled, but the slightest smile appeared on his face. Years of training, of discipline and just generally being used to experiencing overwhelming emotions allowed him to process his circumstances quickly. The pain did not fade, not entirely, but it had been reduced to something far more manageable. "It either goes by too quickly, or doesn't go by fast enough."

"But yeah, guilt spiral bad. Trust me, I'm well used to it." He gave Amani a sympathetic glance, understanding just how bad guilt could hit you. He had more than a few marks on his ledger that he could sit there and dwell over until he was paralysed with doubt and indecision. Refusing to act in fear of making things worse.

And both the Jedi present knew where fear would lead to.

As the last shard was plucked from his shoulder, he let out a sharp inhalation of breath. Senses expanding fully, reaching outwards, consciousness brushing against Amani's own as he stretched his spiritual legs once more. He could again allow the self to dissolve into the background of the universe. The sense of clarity returned, any lingering guilt he felt regarding the Thalia situation seemed smaller by comparison to the rest of the galaxy. No less important, no less dire. The healing of another person's heart was just as important as anything else in the galaxy. But connecting to a greater part of the whole tends to give a fresh perspective.

Thalia was in good hands, she would be taken care of. Sitting around and wallowing in his own guilt helped no one. He was better off putting it out of mind and continuing on helping others until it was time to deal with an angry young woman who felt abandoned by her peers.

"Thank you Doctor." He finally said, his being recentered, an old sense of serenity returning. Emotional control reinforced by his connection to the larger world around him. "If you ever think it will be good for me to have a meeting with Thalia, don't hesitate to ask." His lips then quirked upwards slightly.

"And for listening to my rambling, know that I'm more than happy to listen in on any of your woes if you ever need an ear or another perspective."

Amani Serys

 

[Amani Serys]

Amani smirked, agreeing with Aaran’s musings, “That’s a good one. Hope you don’t mind if I steal it.” Her smile became more genuine in turn as they commiserated over the weight of guilt, the topic then being overshadowed by the end of their little operation.

The healer dropped the last piece of void stone into the pan with finality, and could feel his relief vicariously. His presence in the Force became clearer, even as she noticed her own feeling a bit duller just in proximity to the shrapnel. “Just doing my job, Master Tafo.” Amani smiled again, and went to patch up his open wounds, “You’re welcome. And I will. It’d do you both some good.”

The stone pieces were slid off the pan and into a biohazard container, along with the anesthetic syringe from earlier. She chuckled a bit at his second offer, “At this rate, I might just have to take you up on that one of these days.” Amani smirked again, picked up the container, and began walking towards the exit, “But for now, wallow in your own problems a while. I gotta dispose of these rocks.” They’d all feel a little cleaner once the stones were gone completely. She opened the door, and gave both her patient and his fuzzy friend a final parting nod before it closed.

Aaran Tafo​