Son Of The Light v Daughter Of The Dark

[Connor Harrison]

”Knock it off.”

With a sigh loud enough for her to here, Connor stood up and walked back around the bed, his hands on his hips thinking about all the pain that family had brought, and would bring, to his life either directly or through others.

”Fine, maybe I don’t know him, but I know his genes. His DNA. His family. And there’s one thing you can’t escape from and that IS family. Thankfully I don’t have any, but I know people who do, and one day that bastard of Vornskr will hurt you and prove a danger to those children and when you come begging me for help I won’t remind you of this conversation.”

Connor kept his voice stern, but calm – not shouting or throwing out attitude, just hard facts and truths from what he knew of the galaxy and those he had encountered.

”I don’t care who you love. Just don’t let it kill you because people do care about you, if you get your head out your arse and see that. None of this armour or war-wounds washes with me.””[/color]

Looking at her, he swallowed a rising anger that seemed to want to come out when she goaded him like this. Her words echoed in his head and he forced a scoff. And with a quick nod, he leant in quickly and grabbed the back of her head in his hand and pulled her to him – and didn’t do anything but give her a hard kiss, that lingered on his lips so he could taste everything about her in those few seconds.

He let go and pulled back as quick as he had moved in and kept his face devoid of emotion, and shook his head.

”And I don’t represent the Jedi – I represent ME. ”

[member="Keira Ticon"]

 

[Keira Priest]

It took a lot to stun a Corellian into silence - in fact, they were notorious for having a comment regardless - but Connor seemed to have mastered the art of just that, as his actions left her with nothing to say or do other than simply stand there for what seemed to be an eternity but likely lasted no longer than a few seconds, a minute at most. Reaching up one hand Keira gently traced it along her lips, still able to detect the lingering sensation of the kiss. When it finally fell to her side she immediately lashed out with a punch meant for his jaw. There were, however, two kindnesses granted, if they could be called that: it had been with her right arm, not the cybernetic, and the strike wasn't nearly strong enough to break bone.

That had been an instinctual reaction to his touch, but also a retaliation to all that had been said about Slade. Once she found someone she cared about it was nearly impossible for her to let go, and she would lay down everything for them. Funny how it was one of those aforementioned individuals she nearly always found herself in some sort of fight with. Neither of them had ever been the greatest at getting along for an extended period of time, though the previous embrace seemed to hint at something of the opposite. Perhaps the two had grown closer in a manner neither had perceived until now, or maybe that was just a decision made in the heat of the moment without any rational thought behind it.

Regardless, it certainly did its job of throwing her off balance, and her face twisted in confusion, brow furrowing. Eventually she found it in herself to move, and she returned to sitting on the edge of the bed, some of that hardened edge to her gaze having softened within the past few moments despite that act of unmistakable violence. Even as she pushed him away she seemed to want to draw him closer, her pushing him away a manner of releasing the tension between them so they could once again exist as two halves of the same being. It was a strange sort of symbiosis, and one that seemed to work for no one else other than the two of them. And he had just added another, entirely new complex facet.

At the end of things she didn't really know what to say, or if there was anything to say for that matter, anything that would completely diffuse that awkward silence and allow them to return to a state of semi-normality. Drawing in a breath she held it for a count of five seconds before releasing it slowly, repeating the exercise a few more times until she felt adequately relaxed enough to not act or speak rashly. "I don't really know what you want me to say." Irony in its purest form. She had always been the sort to do everything not expected of her, but now that the tables were turned she was at a loss for much of anything at all. "What does this mean, Connor?"

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

He should have seen it coming, and he did when it was too late, but inside he knew it was coming. The punch to his jaw landed and knocked his head back slightly, that horrid dull ache bleeding out from his molars up to his nose and down to his neck. Pushing the cheek out with his tongue, feeling for a cut or something, Connor rubbed his jaw gently and let out a breath that was full of annoyance and pain.

”You speechless, that’s a first.”

He looked at her and turned, turning on the cold water tap in the basin by her bed and taking a mouthful of water in his hand, swilling and spitting. No blood. Sure felt like she had done something though. He wiped his hands and looked up at the small mirror, seeing himself and instantly turning away from the reflection that confused him daily.

”It means nothing, don’t worry. Just showing you that someone cares for you more than you probably deserve. Part of me apologises, part of me doesn’t.”

Fidgeting again, he wiped already dry hands together and found somewhere for them to sit on his person as he stood before the bed. However there was that horrid urge Connor found he had towards danger; towards death. Staring it in the face, he thrilled at dancing around the fire, testing the strength of the bridge he was walking on to see if he could beat the odds with nothing to lose.

The way Keira held herself and acted was much like the bridge; he judged it, and was walking it, seeing what was on the other side, but getting there was the dangerous, unpredictable part. Did he tiptoe across without making a sound, or did he move with purpose and make his presence felt? He wanted to run, but instead he felt he should tiptoe.

”Do you have a place to go after this without being lynched? Somewhere safe – and I mean safe in general, not your definition of safe.”

[member="Keira Ticon"]

 

[Keira Priest]

"Funny, because part of me's sorry for hitting you, but the other half isn't quite as generous." And just like that they were back to their usual back-and-forth, exchanging comments that wouldn't have gotten anyone else near as far. It was how they demonstrated their own care for each other, those displays of kindness kept carefully guarded beneath half-meant insults. "It means nothing, huh? You make nothing look an awful lot like something without having to try very hard. You're not a very good liar." Of course, there was nothing to say that he wasn't being entirely honest, but as with many things she said the intention was to do nothing more than elicit some sort of reaction.

For just a few seconds Keira considered his final inquiry while knowing full well there was no venue in her life that would be considered genuinely safe by any standards. But there were places and planets she knew better than others, and those would have to suffice. "I don't think there's anywhere in the galaxy that's safe for someone like me." That held true for them both. "I'll probably keep myself busy in the Outer Rim until this all blows over. I know it isn't the greatest place to make a living, but it's what I called home for the better part of my life. I know how it works, and I know how to survive." Raising children there was another matter altogether. "But when it comes time to have the twins, I'll come back here. You have my word."

Everything about their conversation still felt surreal, as if neither of them were completely and wholly occupying their plane of existence in these moments shared. It was a sensation she welcomed yet longed to push away, but knew full well nothing would return to normal after all that had been revealed and discovered. Just as with every other meeting the two of them were irrevocably altered from their former state, and nothing would come about to change that. Their bond ran deeper below the surface than anyone could reasonably fathom, and it had only taken a chance few meetings to make it so. Force only knew what would happen if they ever made a consistent bond out of things.

"I think we both know we care about each other more than we probably should, and more than anyone else has in awhile. I might not be good at saying or showing it, and I know I've said it before, but thank you. I don't really think there's anything I can do or say that'll repay you for what you've done for me. You're right, you've given me more than I probably deserve. You saved my life." Just once her gaze broke from his, but she centered herself again easily enough. "I just...I don't know. I want to let you know that I appreciate it more than you'll ever really know. And I don't...I don't want to let you down." That by itself was easier said than done, but she was trying.

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Rubbing his fingers together as he watched her with concern on his brow, Connor felt his mouth go dry and saw a big crack - a ravine - in her emotional armour. By talking, and not being stubborn, he was tapping into the fragility behind the bravado, and it proved she was the human he knew she was.

”Look, Keira, I'm here as part of an Order but I'm more alone than ever. I've burnt so many bridges with friends and allies, I'm surprised I'm not pyrokinetic by now.”

He stepped forward and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

”Stay here with me.” He reached out and took her hand. ”Please. A day, two days, a week. However long. Until the twins are born. I have a place for you with me here and I'll look after you, help you, protect you, talk to you...I'll be here.”

His other hand came up and cupped hers. Then he reached up and traced her lips with his finger and drew it down to the nasty scar he gave her. Not a nice bunch of flowers, or a new bracelet...a scar on her neck from a lightsaber. The old romantic. The blue eyes bore into her and his voice a hard whisper.

”Stay with me. But if you won't, let me hold you until the morning so I know you're safe at least.”

[member="Keira Ticon"]

 

[Keira Priest]

The sensation of his fingers tracing across her scar tissue - something Keira could at once perceive and cease to feel thanks to the damaged tissue and nerve endings - was just as strange an experience as the sentimentality and tenderness bridging between them. While she wasn't entirely a stranger to being treated gently and carefully by those that cared about her, this was a new sort of care, one that crossed a boundary they hadn't been so much as the smallest amount aware of previously. Already it had been torn down before they could acknowledge it, an unsurprising occurrence given the turbulent and unpredictable nature of their relationship. Nothing was ever set in stone between them.

Even as he asked her to stay she knew the possibility of following through with that request was fifty-fifty at best, but she wasn't quite ready to admit that aloud yet. Just for a short while she wanted to pretend that everything was going to be okay, even if that wasn't the case. It was easier to simply nod and go along with his request, to play this game for a time and act as if they were nothing more than two regular people going about their lives. So she nodded, gently squeezing his hands as they held her own, looking to him with a gentle smile. This was the most vulnerable she had been in a long while, ever since the talk they had had after their clash on Ziost. "I'll stay."

*The next morning*​

​

For a moment she thought it was Slade holding her, and nearly rolled over to meet his lips in a clumsy, sleepy kiss. But she stopped herself as she realized the bed wasn't familiar, nor was the room it was situated in. Voss was a far cry from Antecedent, and Connor was far different than that Zambrano. Despite all of that she didn't pull away, relaxing into his arms and releasing a slow breath, all tension bleeding from her form. To have a chance to simply exist alongside another in such a simple manner was a rarity, and one she took fully to heart. "Chakta sai kae." The words were whispered almost without thought to his supposedly sleeping form, a phrase in Old Corellian that more or less wished well.

Moving slowly so as not to disturb him she shifted position in order to face him, doing what she could not to wake him from what she had a feeling was a much needed rest. Asleep he was a far different man, much more peaceful than she had ever seen him, his expression tranquil and free of worry. This was far closer to who he was meant to be, someone whose concerns weren't on the next war, or whom he would have to clash with on the next battlefield. It was nice to see him have a chance to be one with himself. Once again that peaceful smile crept onto her face, a warmth emerging behind her amber eyes that hadn't been present in months. Be safe, Connor.

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Sleep was always welcome for Connor, and he slept well that night.

The movement under his arm at first alerted him to something not normal, but before he reacted, he suddenly remembered who and what it was. So the sleep was disturbed, and a voice drifted over him, and without opening his eyes, still on his back, head lolled to the side, he stirred gently.

The request had been granted, and she was still with him and thus she was still safe, and she hadn’t fled. That showed that Keira Ticon was much more faithful to her word than she gave herself credit for. Connor felt a dull ache in his left jaw, which was also a painful reminder of what Keira Ticon was good for.

At her voice, she sighed and opened his eyes lazily to prepare for what sight greeted him. She was still there, beside him and with a dreamy, relaxed look in her eyes.

”I don’t know what that means, but I figure you’re not cursing me.”

Connor looked back and let the faint ambient noise of the gardens outside the Temple hand over them. He hadn’t been in the quarters for months, but it was just as he had left it – sparse, comfortable and clean.

”Sleep ok?”

As if in some dream state, without thinking, he brought his hand up over his body and reached to hold hers, draped lazily by her side.

[member="Keira Ticon"]

 

[Keira Priest]

Her thumb gently caressed his hand in a gesture that was just as thoughtless as his taking it in the first place. They functioned as two halves to the same whole, light and dark, in many cases too similar to ever be truly distinguishable. They were just as opposite and unified as chaos and peace, life and death opposing each other and yet existing as one being central to existence. One represented destruction and the other reparations. Problem came about when it was impossible to discern who was who. Oftentimes they didn't even bother, brushing past the subject and focusing on nothing more than simply living. And perhaps that was what made their bond and relationship so impossibly beautiful in its simplicity.

A low, sleep-ridden chuckle passed her lips at his commentary in regards to her slipping into what was her secondary language. "It's Old Corellian. Something that's been passed down in my family for as long as I can remember. It's just me wishing you the best, more or less. One of those things that gets lost in translation if you don't speak it yourself." Gently she squeezed his hand, noting the bruise that had begun to bloom in dark shades of blue and purple on his jaw. No pang of regret surfaced within her as it likely should have, and she knew that somehow this time spent together made up for any superficial physical injury inflicted. Besides, he had given her the scar that cut from her neck to her collarbone. She had only returned the favor.

"I think that's the first time I've truly slept in a long while." It was difficult to find a proper place to rest your head when the entirety of your life may well have been a warzone for all the actual rest you ever received. Oftentimes she would sleep wherever she found herself at the end of the day, whether that be the barracks or in the cargo hold of a dropship with her men. Other times it would be sitting up, or simply closing her eyes for a few minutes on this or that shuttle. Now that she had finally slept the whole night through with no interruption, she couldn't ever imagine going back. And she had a feeling she wouldn't be, at least not until the twins were born. Motherhood was something else entirely.

"How about you?" A quiet yawn escaped her after she returned the question, and she did what she could to stifle it. "Now I can see why you've stuck on with the Jedi, if you get to rest like that every night." It was amazing how the simplest things could become a luxury if you were departed from them for too long a time. And departed she had been. "Hopefully I won't intrude too much staying on Voss. I know already how some of the Jedi must feel about someone like me being here. Rest assured they don't have to worry about me luring any younglings or Padawans to the Dark Side. That's just a waste of time when they might find it themselves eventually." Her smile made it clear the statement had been made in jest. "So, what is it you Jedi do on a day off?"

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Connor slipped an arm under his head and looked up to the low ceiling, not thinking about anything really. In fact, he was simply enjoying being back in the 4 walls he called his own. And sharing the company of Keira who had changed in his perspective totally. She was human, after all.

”On a day off? What’s one of those?” He hummed to himself in thought for a moment. ”I don’t know really – I never see myself as having days off, because I always seem to be on the move. I’m still not comfortable here yet, I’ve not settled since my return and I feel like a ghost among the corridors at times.”

Truth was, he hadn’t connected with his former friends, and he doubted if they even wanted him to. The Order had moved on; new faces had replaced old, and new territories had been discovered and new establishments made that he hadn’t been a part of. Instead he’d been secluded in the Outer Rim, or helping Republic Jedi find relics, or training young wanderers and guiding them to Voss.

”Maybe every day is a day off for me now. I don’t know, which is sad.”

He turned his head to her, still surprised she was there, even touching his hand. He’d expected her to give him an earful, get up and storm out. But she radiated calm and peace.

”You can stay here as long as you need to. I’ve vouched for you before. And I said it last time; I doubt people even know I’m here so…go figure.”

Nothing else seemed to matter again. All the stresses and worries outside the Temple, even his room alone, weren’t there. He hadn’t heard from anyone close in while, except Sera, but she had left Sanctum space now. Who knew what tomorrow would bring once their paths were split yet again? He didn't want to think about the father...she would be safer without him. The children would, also.

He leaned over and moved direction in a heartbeat, and kissed her forehead, touching the side of her head as he did. As his lips met hers, his eyes closed and he took in her scent and aura. It was more radiant than she gave herself credit for. There really was something special under the façade of this Dark Jedi.

[member="Keira Ticon"]