Private Perfect Imperfection

[Amani Serys]

Barrien Siegfried

Amani beamed happily at her accomplishment, an overwhelming sense of pride in herself swelled, and she was finally able to relish in the victory after what been a rather dour few days. Not even her first crystal held quite the same impact as this moment did. After admiring it for a few seconds longer, Amani carefully tucked the crystal away safely, making an effort to compose herself and give EmTee a nod, then turning to Barrien, "Thank you, Barrien."

She stood a moment in thought, suddenly going rigid as she scrambled to try and correct herself, "I mean, thank you, Master." Amani gave a deep, respectful bow. "I'll head back right away. I'm... not sure my superiors will be to happy when I return." She waved her hand dismissively, refusing to let it dampen the mood. "I'll deal with it when I get there." With that Amani, began her track back to the ship, turning once again back to Barrien, "...We really do need to figure out something about this whole... thing." She gestured to him, referencing the mental link they were experiencing. She climbed back into the cockpit, EmTee following suit, and prepared to take off.

 

[Barrien Siegfried]

A wave of the hand dismissed her correction.

"I much prefer being referred to as Barrien than Master," he said, offering a smile. "Formality has its place but I spent much of my early years dealing with it and prefer less of it today."

Perhaps he would have preferred it more if he had known how his father had hated being called Master. The reality of his father's life was not something he aspired to live up to. Being such a rude and terrible person just wasn't how he wanted to spend his life. And should he one day have children, he did not wish to be as terrible a father as Kamon was. In Barrien's case, he hadn't had much choice, but he could certainly have been a father to Spencer and Aston. Yet, he had failed to do anything of the sort. Sometimes life dealt an interesting hand of cards.

When she mentioned the mental link, he nodded and straightened.

"I believe if we both stopped focusing on it, it would diminish for the time being. Other than that, I believe it is outside of our control. Oh, and when you return, if anyone takes issue tell them to speak with me. As your master, it is I who they should come to with issues, not you."

Amani Serys

 

[Amani Serys]

Barrien Siegfried

Amani nodded, "Okay, Barrien." She was much more used to formalities, rarely straying from proper etiquette in any situation. Truthfully she was more comfortable with that anyway, it was what she was used to, but she accepted his terms and certainly had no qualms with it.

Her relief doubled when he offered to alleviate any troubles she might have when she returned. Force forbid she be given another strongly worded lecture on how she was supposed to be recuperating, not sneaking off. Of that she'd had plenty. Amani knew what she was getting into when she left, and was more than prepared to face any consequences for her actions. Nonetheless, she was equally happy to take her new Master's offer.

Testing his theory, Amani began to dry and divert her focus wholly away from the connection between them, shutting her eyes and attempting to actually cut herself off from the Force for a brief moment, delicately doing so in the process. The psychic link began to fade, and she left him one final farewell, "Thank you again, for everything." She opened her eyes to see his apparition gone, and sighed, looking back to the droid, "Alright EmTee, let's get back home."

"You will hear no complaints from me! We need to get you back on your medication! And-"

The padawan chuckled and rolled her eyes, expecting nothing less than for the droid to begin chattering endlessly. The cockpit closed, and the two began their journey back to the temple. A new crystal. A new master. And a new Amani.

 

[Barrien Siegfried]

"Be safe, Amani," he said in parting.

As she tried to turn her mind away, so too did he. It was only a short moment before she disappeared from his view and he didn't feel anything weighing on his mind. There wasn't a sense of relief that came with it. Honestly, he felt quite alone where he was. Things with Leda had not gone the way he had anticipated and now here he was with a connection to yet another woman, this time not one he had intended to secure. At the least she was interested in him teaching her and had made no motions towards anything else. That was a lot easier for him to deal with than anything else. If they were fortunate, they would avoid any unpleasant viewings.

A knock came at the door and he turned towards it.

"Who is it?"

"Room service, sir. Your breakfast."

Right. Breakfast. It might be a good idea to eat if he wanted to recover, after all. He'd almost forgotten.

Amani Serys