Private Shelter From the Storm

[Ishani Dinn]

He didn't care about his safety. That sounded very Jedi-like. She shouldn't have been surprised to hear it, and yet...

She listened as he spoke of his vision. A refugee city, with the possessive my used as the only descriptor, slipping through his fingers like water. For some reason, it reminded her of the dreams she'd had about her children. Only her nightmares had been of her own making. She'd seen herself causing them harm, in some dark abyss of a timeline.

Perhaps in a way, his people and his city were like his children. They were certainly precious to him, and it sounded like he would do anything to keep them safe from harm. "Your people have a stalwart protector," she said. "But you can't go on protecting them if you destroy yourself, even if it's a willing sacrifice."

It took his words to remind her, but it occurred to her that he wanted her help as well as Arc's. What could she teach him? What did she have to offer?

"If you want," she began, speaking slowly and deliberately. "I could teach you how to heal others with the Force."

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

He quirked a smile. Stalwart protector. He was just trying to keep everything together. Less like a knight with shining lightsaber, and more like a waterskin filled to bursting. It didn't feel very heroic, at least, not like the stories made protectors out to be.

"You're right," he admitted, albeit with a bit of difficulty. He turned away from the city beyond the window to look at Ishani. He tried to shake off Persis' words, water off a duck's back, as they say, but they lingered in the back of his mind.

He decided to direct his anxieties somewhere productive. His city-building partner suggested learning a new skill.

"Healing?" Despite his forced cool, Alicio couldn't help but look curious. "I've heard stories that some gifted in the Force can mend wounds. It sounds miraculous."

Refugee cities always had need for more doctors. If he could step in...

"Teach me."

- Ishani Dinn -

 

[Ishani Dinn]

“Yeah, I guess it is miraculous. If you become skilled enough at it, you can bring people back from the brink of death.” Or bring them back from the dead, period. But that was a Dark Side power that defied the natural course of events.

Alicio was quick to accept her offer to teach him. It certainly wasn’t a bad way to spend a rainy afternoon.

Except that they couldn’t just flagrantly use the Force on Chaldea, let alone in the middle of a Potentium monastery. Ishani would’ve suggested they arrange another meeting, but Alicio was a very busy man, and Arcturus would already be taking time out of his schedule. Better to do it now. But how?...

Ishani looked around the room cautiously, peering around corners as though checking to make sure no one was watching or listening. Once she was satisfied that they were alone, she held up her hands and closed her eyes, concentrating. An invisible barrier began to manifest around them, disguising their immediate area in the Force. From the outside, it would seem like nothing had changed—but what the monks and Mystic in the building with them would sense was only a lingering afterimage of Ishani and Alicio as they were in the immediate moment before she created the barrier.

“As long as you don’t use the Force outside of this room, we won’t be bothered by anyone,” Ishani said, opening her eyes and lowering her arms. “Anyway, Force healing. Uh…

“Let’s say you accidentally cut your hand or some other minor injury. You can use the Force to heal the wound. To start, you have to be able to meditate. Focus and concentration are required. You can’t allow the pain you’re feeling to distract you. Then from there, it's simply a matter of mind over matter. Envision what you want to happen, and impose it on reality. That's really all there is to using the Force...”

To demonstrate, she pulled out a dagger and made a small cut on the tip of her thumb. “I hope you aren’t squeamish,” she said, grimacing.

As she put the pain out of her mind in order to focus, her features gradually relaxed into a more neutral expression. Over the course of roughly half a minute, the flow of blood slowed and then stopped, leaving behind a red stream that trickled down her thumb from no apparent origin. The wound had sealed shut without leaving so much as a scab.

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

"When you put it like that, it sounds easy."

All you have to do is change the laws of reality. No biggie.

Alicio had puckered his mouth into a frown as Ishani made a small well of blood on her thumb, but the sight of the scarlet on her hand didn't seem to phase him. The healing, however, did. It amazed him.

After thirty seconds of watching, Alicio nodded.

"Alright. I'm ready to try. Mind if I...?" He held out his hand, palm up, to grab the knife, should it be offered.

He wasn't confident he would learn this skill today. But he would certainly put his heart into it, especially if it meant he could save someone later.

- Ishani Dinn -

 

[Ishani Dinn]

"Of course." She handed him the dagger. "I didn't cut my finger just because I felt like it."

In the absence of anything else to clean up the blood with, she stuck her thumb in her mouth and licked it off.

"Right, uh, if it doesn't work, don't worry. I'll heal you." Would be a shame to get blood on such nice clothes.

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

"Right, thank you."

Alicio took the knife in his hand, holding it gingerly. He studied the blade for a moment, gathering up courage, before placing it on his finger, and poking it slightly. He winced a bit as the blood began to bubble at the tip of his index.

He stared at the blood, frowning deeply in thought. She had said to focus. To concentrate. To impose his will.

He tried to empty his mind first. He tried to brush all that harried his mind to the side, although that was proving to be far harder than it should have been. Each anxiety was like a piranha, stripping his peace of mind down to the bone.

Once he had gotten himself to a serviceable amount of calm, Alicio opened himself to the universe.

And immediately, he winced.

The very air around Alicio seemed to grow heavy, pressing against him on all sides as his fears were made manifest. There was the slightest audible hum of the Force, as Alicio fought back against the weight, attempting to push it aside to concentrate on his finger.

It was as if he were fighting against himself.

- Ishani Dinn -

 

[Ishani Dinn]

The room fell silent as Alicio made his first attempt. Ishani quietly observed him, her gaze fastened upon his finger. It left her slightly cross-eyed.

Seconds turned into minutes. Nothing happened. Blood continued to well up from the wound, trickling down his white hand. Ishani's eyes un-crossed in order to focus on his face.

"Uh, I think you might be trying a little too hard?" It was a guess, not a statement of fact. Green eyes searched his, her brow furrowing slightly at the tangle of his emotions. Fear and uncertainty. Her voice softened to a near-whisper. "Whatever you're feeling, you're either going to have to face it or embrace it."

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

"I'm trying not to try too hard," Alicio mumbled, trying too hard not to try too hard.

It felt as if he were deep beneath the ocean, with thousands of gallons of water pressing into his very being. It squeezed his skull, his arms, his legs, even as he was only trying to focus on his finger. The drop of blood on it had slowly flowed into a stream down his pointer, and onto the back of his hand.

Face it, or embrace it.

"I..." He was about to say 'I have no idea what you mean', but he stopped himself. He knew exactly what she meant.

"Which should I do?" he asked quietly, feeling the pressure all around him. Should he confront his fears for the future? Face them head-on, dispel them? Or should he use them? Let his anxieties fuel his efforts to help others? The choice from his vision echoed in his mind, mixed on his tongue.

Hold on or let go?​

- Ishani Dinn -

 

[Ishani Dinn]

"Which should I do?"

Ishani hesitated. "Uhhhh..."

These types of questions were best reserved for wise sages, not overgrown little girls like her. She wasn't the right person to ask. Yet she had placed herself in the position of teacher, so it was only natural that he ask and she be expected to respond.

Well, if she couldn't give him a straight answer, what did she think was the right one? "It depends?" she eventually replied, her questioning tone betraying her uncertainty. "It depends on the nature of your fears. If you're afraid of something outside yourself, face it. If you're afraid of something within, embrace it."

That wasn't too bad, right? It gave him something to work with, at least.

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

Alicio could feel Ishani's uncertainty.

He didn't need the Force for that, of course. It didn't seem like she particularly tried to hide her questioning cadence as she sounded out her answer. Alicio found wisdom in her words regardless. Even more than if she had told him there was a right or wrong answer.

Where was his fear? Did it come from him? Or did it come from around him? What did he fear, exactly?

"I... fear that I'll fail," he began, speaking just to hear his words out loud. "What if I can't do this?"

The 'this' he was referring to wasn't the healing. It was the high hopes of his people. His House. Faith. They expected great things from him. He took on heaps of extra work, attempting to impress them, prove to them their trust was well-placed. But it was tearing him apart.

His voice had dropped to a whisper, as if it was meant to be inner monologue. "I need to meet their expectations. I need to be better. I need to do more." Alicio, for the first time, felt a brief shift in the Force. For a split second, that pressure had turned into power.

The blood began to flow a bit faster.

- Ishani Dinn -

 

[Ishani Dinn]

"Embrace it, then." She took a small step toward him. "Accept that you may fail, but try anyway. Because if you don't, well..."

Determination. That was the first thing taught to both Sith and Jedi. Good parents taught their children not to give up. Not that he was like a child—it was a lesson everyone had to learn at some point.

“It’s up to you, here at least. But if you get the chance to heal someone else this way, it can affect the people around you. Something to think about, if you can’t muster up the motivation to save yourself.”

Ishani thought he was referring to the Force, not his duties, but perhaps the encouragement still held up regardless. She fell silent, hoping he would find what he needed.

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

He could fail.

It was his worst fear. Not just failing to use the Force, as Ishani seemed to believe he was speaking of. No, the idea of letting down his home and his family hurt him. Just the thought of it sent a shot of pain through his stomach. It was why he couldn't rest. Why he took on so much responsibility.

He was doing everything he could to succeed, because he couldn't stand the alternative.

As Ishani stepped forward, mentioning those around him, Alicio's eyes intensified. He feared failing them. That fact of his psyche wouldn't disappear. His fear kept him from helping them. So why not acknowledge it? Why not embrace it?

Instead of letting his fear weigh him down, why not use it?

Grimacing, Alicio stared daggers at his hand. The pressure around his body lessened, while the pressure on his finger became nearly unbearable. But slowly, surely, the wound closed on it's own accord.

The nobleman relaxed his body, and shook out his hand, as if he had burnt it.

"It worked!" Alicio grinned, shoulders sagging from the effort. "I feel awfully tired, but it worked."

"Thank you."

- Ishani Dinn -

 

[Ishani Dinn]

“Yeah!”

The tension in the room releasing, Ishani jumped up and down in excitement. She slowed down after a few seconds, thinking perhaps she was being too enthusiastic. It was hard not to be jubilant—she’d never taught anyone how to do anything with the Force before, and surely having it be successful on her first go was worth a little whooping and hollering over.

She was soon fussing over him. “It’s very tiring, especially the first time. There’s no getting around it when it comes to healing, because you’re expending your energy to do it. Here, give me back my dagger—” She took the weapon. “Man, that is a lot of blood. You aren’t feeling faint, are you? If you are, you should sit down. Otherwise, you should probably clean yourself up. Are you too tired to learn anything else?”

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

Any noble worth their salt didn't leave home without a handkerchief.

Alicio unfolded a black cloth from his coat pocket, and began to wipe his finger down, smiling and chuckling despite the dirty work. He showed his excitement in more subtle ways, but it was clear he was just as, if not more happy than Ishani.

It was the first time he had ever used the Force. His dalliances with his power in the past have felt more like the Force using him. He had never willed himself to see things before they happened, and creating his crystal felt more like he was being compelled to. This was something he sought out, something he did, on his own.

Well, not entirely on his own.

"Honestly," Alicio said, taking Ishani's advice by sitting down. "I'm a little woozy. Does the room usually spin like this?" He figured it was because of the blood loss, mixed with the exertion, mixed with a poor sleep schedule.

"That was exhilarating. I see why some people enjoy using the Force as much as they do." His eyes sparkled like schist. "But I don't suppose you have something less... straining to teach?"

- Ishani Dinn -

 

[Ishani Dinn]

“Less straining?” She snorted. “How about a hibernation trance? It’s like putting yourself or somebody else into a medically-induced coma, except it’s a Force-induced coma. It’ll speed up the healing process in a less direct way, over the course of hours or days. Or you can prank your friends into thinking you’re dead, since it slows all bodily functions to a crawl.

“Or, oh, here’s a good one for a politician: learn how to detoxify poison.” She grinned. “Nobody will ever be able to poison you at a state dinner, and you can drink copious amounts of alcohol without getting drunk."

Ishani had only learned how to do that recently, or else she wouldn't have had twins. Can't complain too much, though.

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

Alicio considered the options, smiling along as Ishani laughed and explained his options. "The more practical option would be to the poison one." Then, losing a bit of humor, "Alderaanian politics can be harsh."

Trying not to entirely kill the good vibes, Alicio moved on quickly. "I'd also venture it's not entirely different from healing. I might be able to build on what I just learned. Let's do it."

The nobleman eyed Ishani dubiously, regaining his good mood. "I don't suppose you keep poison on you. Or does Calabiyau have a functioning bar?"

- Ishani Dinn -

 

[Ishani Dinn]

“I actually do keep poison on me!” she replied cheerfully. “But I’d feel a lot better about teaching you if the consequences of failure didn’t include death or a trip to the hospital, so alcohol it is. Only your dignity will suffer.”

She remembered passing by a bar on the way there. Opening the door, she caught the attention of the nearest monk. “Excuse me, do you have an umbrella?”

The monk blinked at her, then went and got her an umbrella.

“Thank you.” She fiddled with it a little, making sure it worked. “Ooh, it has polka dots on it!” Turning back to the monk, she added, “And would you please tell Miss Solusar that we’ll be back in, uh… well, actually, I suppose there’s not much reason for us to come back here. Eh, tell her to meet me at my ship within the next two hours.” It couldn’t take that long to get Alicio drunk, right? Unless Alderaanians were alcohol resistant. Looking at him, Ishani somehow doubted that was the case.

The umbrella was just so that they could get to her speeder without getting wet, and from there make their way to the bar. It wasn’t much—a small building alongside a road, forest trees dripping with rainwater behind it. “Me and drinking don’t mix well,” she told Alicio. “So regardless of what happens, I’m staying sober. You also probably shouldn’t wait until you get plastered, or else you won’t be able to focus on detoxifying. How well can you hold your liquor? Two drinks, three...?”

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

“I actually do keep poison on me!”

Alicio chuckled a bit at her comment, thinking she was joking, before he stopped. His mouth was open slightly, as close to a dropped jaw as he was going to get. "Poisoned dignity is is, then," he said, catching the stride of the conversation quickly again.

The nobleman followed behind Ishani as she acquired an umbrella, and shuffled next to her as they boarded her speeder. As they walked outside, Alicio took in a deep breath through his nose, and his mood visually improved. He'd always loved rain. The smell of it, the sounds, the feeling of droplets pattering against your skin... Some found poor weather depressing, but not him.

The bar was a lovely little establishment, rustic in a way that nowhere on Alderaan was. Alicio stepped out of the speeder, hearing Ishani's disagreeance with libation. "I've never tried to test my limits before. Not the biggest fan of the taste. But I will let you know when I'm feeling... out of sorts."

Alicio increased the length of his strides to reach the door to the bar first, and opened it for his city-building partner. "You and drinking don't mix? What sort of falling out did you have with alcohol?"

- Ishani Dinn -

 

[Ishani Dinn]

Upon seeing his reaction, she quickly clarified, “It’s a joke. I don’t actually carry poison on me. Not right now, anyway.”

Skipping forward to the bar, her eyebrows rose when he asked her what her problem with alcohol was. “I got knocked up while drunk,” she answered. “I suggested we drink to celebrate after, uh…” Conquering a planet. “…a victory. We had a bottle of whiskey, I think—it was just something we’d found among the cupboards of his ship, which he’d salvaged from a junkyard. ‘Hey, I found this old bottle of booze, let’s drink it! It’ll be fun!’ y’know? We were just a couple of goofy nineteen year olds and neither one of us had much experience with drinking, so we had no clue what we were doing. I actually don’t remember much, but it’s… well, it’s the only way it could’ve happened.”

She shrugged. “It turned out okay in the end. But feth alcohol. It’s literally a poison, and it doesn’t even taste good. People wouldn’t have to dress it up all fancy to make it appealing if it wasn’t nasty. Anyway, let’s go teach you how to flush it out of your system with the Force, so that you never have to pay child support.”

She headed inside. The bar had only a few patrons milling about. Upon taking a seat, Ishani was immediately asked by the bartender to show her ID.

“Every time,” she muttered, fishing around for it. “You know, Chaldeans are supposed to be tall. But not me, nope…” She flashed her card. “I’m not here to drink. He will, though.”

The bartender confirmed her actual age—twenty-three—then glanced up at Alicio.

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

Alicio was a good listener.

He was the kind of person that appeared to hang on every word in a conversation. Always attentive, even in his tired state. His face said go on, I won't judge, I'm listening.

"Thank you for sharing." He gave Ishani an encouraging grin as they walked into the establishment. "My favorite part about alcohol is that it gives me something to do with my hands at a party. Frankly, I don't find it all that appealing either."

Still, it might be fun to drink with a friend. Even if he were the only one getting buzzed.

The pair of them marched to the bar, and sat down on comfort-adjacent bar stools, where the employee carded them. It wasn't the first time he'd been asked to show his ID. As Ishani showed off her own, Alicio dug into his suit, and produced his identification.

Count Alicio Organa of Alderaan. Twenty-two.

"I would love to try a local beer," he said to the barman, suddenly very conscious of his accent. "Whatever's easiest."

Then, after an appreciative smile to the bartender, he looked back to his companion. "You mentioned when we first met that you had kids. What are their names?"

- Ishani Dinn -