Private Nightmares

[Zachariah Conway]

Location: Zaathru
With: Ishani Dinn ​

He shot upright, sweating.

The young boy hadn't slept well since his arrival on Zaathru, not that he would tell Arcturus Dinn . He was worried his Master would try and offer him advice, try and find ways to fix his problems and he didn't want that. He appreciated that his mentor had been through a similar scenario, but sometimes trying to fix the problem didn't help. Sometimes it made it worse. He wanted someone who would listen, who would understand his issues.

Zachariah got out of bed and walked over to the edge of his room. The lack of any sort of walls was proving to be a useful design feature, the night air flowing in and cooling the young boy. He found himself spending most, if not all of his nights stood, facing out over Zaathru to calm himself down after a nightmare. They were consistent, memories of everything that he had been put through during his time with Brunas Drace.

Every single thing that man had put him through, he had replayed since arriving.

Softly, as to not disturb anyone, he opened the door of his room and stepped out. He wanted to go on a walk, he wanted to be alone with his thoughts somewhere. He grabbed a jacket and pulled the door shut behind him, so it appeared to anyone walking past he was still in his room asleep. He didn't want anyone to know where he'd gone, he didn't want anyone following him. At that moment, all he wanted was to be alone with his thoughts.

Carefully, he walked through the building and outside. He hoped the walk would do him good.

 

[Ishani Dinn]

With baby Star lying in a basket at her side, Rhi wandered the gardens outside the Sky Temple. It was a starry night, the sky open and clear in a way which no civilized planet in this day and age could be, and the air was fresh and fragrant with a dozen different night-blooming flowers.

It was the scent of those flowers which had drawn her. She was cutting the heads from the stems and gathering them in another smaller basket, intending to use them in her homemade perfumes. They were unique to Zaathru, and their fragrance was unlike anything she had ever smelled—in a good way.

Star cooed, and the sound drew her attention away from her work. "Hello there, doll baby," she murmured, bending down to kiss him.

When she raised her head again, Zach was in the gardens. She looked right at the boy, then said, "Hello, Zach." It wasn't so strange for him to be up at this hour. She was aware of his nightmares, having heard him cry out in his sleep a few times. Arcturus' slumber was also sometimes troubled, with him being either unable to sleep or tormented by night terrors. The lingering effects of what the two of them had been through would likely never fully go away.

Zachariah Conway​

 

[Zachariah Conway]

Location: Zaathru
With: Ishani Dinn
​

Hearing her voice startled him.

He was in a world of his own, so much so he hadn't even really been paying attention to where he was walking. He'd almost tripped down the stairs twice, through just not focusing. His mind was miles away, replaying the beatings over and over again like they were yesterday. He was feeling every slap, every punch that Brunas had sent his way over the years.

Rhiannon's voice startled him back into reality. He hadn't expected anyone to be awake at such an hour, never mind a mother with three biological children. Zachariah expected her to be the one who was soundest asleep, getting as much rest as she could before another busy day of being a mum to three kids, never mind Zachariah who just appeared in her house one day and never left.

"Rhiannon. Hello.. I.. What are you doing up?"

It took a few seconds for the boy to get his question out, as he was genuinely in shock at the fact she was awake. It was the middle of the night basically and yet she was up picking flowers as if it was the middle of the day, as if the sun was out and not the moon and stars. He knew certain flowers needed to be picked during the night, but he wasn't sure if that's what Rhiannon was doing or not.

At that moment, he realised his plans for a quiet walk alone had been ruined. He anticipated a hundred questions from the woman about why he was awake. He wasn't sure if she was aware of his inability to sleep, he wasn't sure if anyone was aware of it.

"Lovely night, isn't it?"

 

[Ishani Dinn]

"Rhiannon. Hello.. I.. What are you doing up?"

"Picking flowers." She nodded down at Star. "Baby woke me up. Figured I might as well get some work done until he falls asleep again."

It wouldn't be long, from the looks of the baby's drooping eyes. Rhi looked down at him in silence, just watching his sweet little face, as much in her own little world as Zach was. Only she was smiling lovingly, wrapped up in the warm tenderness of motherhood.

"Yes," she whispered, finally glancing up at Zach again. "Can't sleep?"

Zachariah Conway​

 

[Zachariah Conway]

Location: Zaathru
With: Ishani Dinn
​

Her story checked out.

Zachariah didn't know much about young children, but what he did know is that they didn't tend to sleep all that well. The fact that the little one had woken her makes sense, obviously a kid waking up in the night was liable of crying and making a fuss, as kids did. He wondered how he hadn't realised sooner that was likely why she was awake in the early hours.

He listened as she asked if he couldn't sleep, and he shook his head in response. All he wanted was one decent night sleep but it felt impossible, especially after everything he'd been through. He wasn't really a deep sleeper anyway, he could survive on just a few hours sleep (and Brunas made sure of that) but just once he would appreciate a good nights sleep.

"Not since I got here. After everything, it's like the memories just replay over and over"

Words flowed from him. He wasn't sure why he told Rhiannon, when he wouldn't even tell Arcturus. Maybe he assumed she wouldn't judge, she wouldn't try and offer fixes that he didn't want. Part of him thought that maybe she'd listen and understand. That's all he needed, was someone to listen to him, listen to everything he had been through so he could just unload it all.

"Every horror that monster put me through. I'm sure you're aware of his capabilities, considering you seem to have a history with him"

The young boy remembered why he'd been on Zaathru anyway. Rhiannon was the reason that he was free from the grasp of the Slave Master, technically anyway. Brunas had brought him to Zaathru to find Rhiannon, without that he would never have been free. He technically had Rhiannon to thank, although it was Arcturus that gave him the tools to finally break the chains.

"Sometimes a change of scenary helps"

 

[Ishani Dinn]

Rhi was silent as Zach spoke, listening but not saying anything. She figured the boy would find a kindred spirit in Arcturus, since they had so many shared experiences. Well, Rhi certainly had her problems, but she had never been a slave.

They did have one thing in common, which Zach was quick to point out: they had both been under Brunas Drace's thumb. "He was... less vile towards me," she said. "I was his student, but I had a certain amount of protection. I had connections who wouldn't take kindly to my mistreatment." She inclined her head. "But he was never a kind man. Most Sith aren't."

She returned to her work, cutting off the last few flowers. Star seemed to have fallen asleep. "In time, you'll grow stronger," she said, picking up the basket holding the baby. "I have faith in you and Arcturus. You need only be patient."

But she didn't have the heart to tell him that the nightmares would never end.

Zachariah Conway​

 

[Zachariah Conway]

Location: Zaathru
With: Ishani Dinn ​

Stronger.

He wanted to grow stronger. He wanted to be rid of the troubles that plagued him night on night on night. He was better than nightmares, even during all his time under the thumb of Brunas Drace he'd never been cursed by them. He wanted to know why all of a sudden now he was free was he haunted by the memories of everything that man put him through.

"The pain, the beatings. He held a lightsaber to my throat and I genuinely believe he would have killed me if he had not been distracted. He took everything from me, he made me into nothing. There's cruel, there's Sith levels of cruel and then there is Brunas Drace"

Zachariah though about the flight training. He'd been flying a fighter that Brunas had given him, tracked with it's hyperdrive disabled so that he couldn't flee very far. Brunas was following him, shooting at him to simulate a dogfight. However Brunas wasn't training, he was shooting to kill Zachariah. The young boy genuinely believed Brunas had wanted him dead that day.

"I want one good night of sleep"

It wasn't too much to ask, of that he was certain. All he wanted was one night where he could shut his eyes and enjoy his new life on Zaathru, living amongst the populations pantheons. Instead, he spent every night wandering alone just to try and shut his mind off from the haunting images that had been burned into it, that the evil monster had given him.

"At least Star can sleep. That makes one of us"

 

[Ishani Dinn]

Again Rhi was silent. What could she have said? There was little to say which would make Zach feel better. She listened in sympathy, gazing down at her basket of flowers, until an idea struck her.

"I want one good night of sleep. At least Star can sleep. That makes one of us."

"I may have something that could help you sleep," she said. From a pocket of her dress, she produced a small pouch. "It's sleeping sand. Sprinkle some on your eyelids, and you'll be out like a light."

Zachariah Conway​

 

[Zachariah Conway]

Location: Zaathru
With: Ishani Dinn
​

Zachariah took the pouch.

He listened as Rhiannon explained what the sand was. He hadn't ever heard of sleeping sand before, but he was definitely willing to try whatever she was offering him. He trusted that she wouldn't try killing him off, she wasn't Brunas, and she definitely seemed willing to help.

The young boy took a breath, and looked around the gardens. He wasn't sure how long they'd been talking, he wasn't sure if it had been minutes or hours. He wasn't even sure if it was worth going to back to bed, as Arcturus would expect him for training at some point soon. They'd been working on his Force technique and he was honestly quite proud of himself.

"I appreciate your help, and I will definitely try the sands. I hope it works as well as you say it will. Now if you excuse me, I think I'm going to finish my walk before breakfast. I hope you manage to get some more sleep now that Star is settled"