Private The Night Finds Its Own

[Seo Linn]

Seo slowed her steps when he asked, not stopping entirely, but enough that the rhythm of their walk softened. For a moment, she said nothing. The lanternlight traced quiet lines across her features as she gathered herself, her gaze drifting toward the water before returning to him.

"I disappeared," she said finally, her voice low and steady. "Not by choice."

She drew in a slow breath. "I was pulled into the Netherworld. Not for hours. Not for days. For a long time." Her fingers tightened briefly against his arm before relaxing again. "It is difficult to explain what it is like to exist in a place meant for the dead. There is no proper sense of time. No true rest. Just… pressure. And silence. And voices that are not voices."

Her eyes darkened slightly with memory. "I was surrounded by the dead. Always. Some aware. Some not. Some are trapped in fragments of who they once were. You learn very quickly that hope is dangerous there. It makes you visible."

She hesitated, then continued, trusting him with the truth. "When I was finally forced back into the living world the first time, I came out with nothing. No clothes. No equipment. No sense of how long I had been gone. Bare as the day I was born." There was no embarrassment in the admission, only quiet matter-of-factness. "Lan Dai found me. He helped me. Without him, I would not have survived those first hours."

Her gaze lifted to meet Malcolm's again. "I thought that was the end of it. That I was free."

A faint, bitter smile touched her lips. "It was not."

"I was pulled back in," she said softly. "The Netherworld does not like to let go of what it has touched." Her voice remained calm, but the weight of the words was unmistakable. "That second time… I do not know if I would have made it out on my own."

She paused, then added quietly, "Vulpesen came for me. He led a rescue. He took risks no one should have to take. He brought me back."

They walked a few more steps before she spoke again.

"During all of that," Seo continued, "there was no way to contact my family. No way to leave a word. No proof I still existed." Her tone softened. "From their perspective… I vanished. Again. After everything they had already lost."

She looked at him now, fully, openly.

"So when I say they probably think I am dead again," she said gently, "it is not exaggeration. It is history."

There was no self-pity in her voice. Only honesty.

"I am still learning how to come back from it," she admitted quietly.

Malcolm Ironmaster

 

[Malcolm Ironmaster]

He blinked, trying to process the new information. "That sounds... horrifying. How does one deal with something like that?"

 

[Seo Linn]

Seo was quiet for a moment after he asked, her gaze turning inward as much as outward, as though she were listening to memories rather than sounds. When she spoke, her voice was calm, but it carried the weight of experience rather than theory.

"You need strong mental fortitude," she said simply. "Stronger than I ever thought I had."

She glanced toward him, then back to the path ahead. "In the Netherworld, everything tries to wear you down. Not all at once. Slowly. It feeds on doubt. On regret. On fear. On the parts of you that wonder if letting go would be easier." Her fingers tightened briefly, then relaxed again. "If you start believing those thoughts, even a little, you disappear."

She took a slow breath. "So you learn to build walls inside yourself. Not the kind that shut people out, but the kind that hold you together." A faint, thoughtful smile touched her lips. "Routines. Memories. Repeating your own name. Recalling faces you love. Anything that reminds you that you are still a person and not just another echo."

Her gaze softened. "For me, it was my family. Aodhan. My mother. My sisters. I held onto them like lifelines." She paused, then added quietly, "And the Force. Not as power. As presence. As something that reminded me I was still connected to the living."

She looked at him again, steady and sincere. "You do not conquer something like that. You endure it. One moment at a time."

Malcolm Ironmaster

 

[Malcolm Ironmaster]

Malcolm paused for a bit, reflecting on her words, and took a seat on a nearby bench, patting the seat next to himself, indicating she should join him. After a few minutes of silence, he finally composed his thoughts enough to speak as a few tears tracked down his cheeks.

"We should probably go visit your family," he said. "Obviously not tonight, but sometime soon. They deserve to know you're alright." He took her hand in both of his and just held it.

 

[Seo Linn]

Seo slowed when he stopped, watching as he took a seat on the bench. She hesitated only briefly before joining him, smoothing her robes as she sat beside him, close enough that their shoulders nearly brushed. When he took her hand in both of his, she did not pull away. Instead, she let her fingers curl gently around his, grounding herself in the simple reality of the moment.

"You… want to meet my parents?" she asked softly, a note of surprise and something like quiet wonder in her voice. She turned slightly toward him, studying his face with open sincerity.

After a beat, she continued more thoughtfully, "Before we do that, I think we should get to know each other better." There was no hesitation in the sentiment, only honesty. "Not because I doubt your intentions. Because my family will read meaning into it the moment you step through our door."

A faint, almost shy smile touched her lips. "Taking you home would be taken as us being in a relationship. Or already promised. Or married." She let out a soft, amused breath. "They are very… efficient that way."

Her gaze lowered briefly to their joined hands before lifting again. "Remember, I grew up a slave. Life was not filled with weddings and celebrations." Her voice softened further. "I have never even been to one."

There was no bitterness in the admission. Only quiet truth.

"So when I bring someone into that space," she finished gently, "it means something. I want to be certain of what it means first."

Malcolm Ironmaster

 

[Malcolm Ironmaster]

"As of right now, I'm a friend. Though I could see us becoming much more," he replied, meeting her eyes. "I hadn't quite thought of my suggestion in terms of 'meeting your parents,' but I can see where they might read into it. I was mostly concerned with making sure they know you're alive." He paused. "I am, however, feeling strong affection for you that goes beyond basic friendship, and if you're willing, I'd like to explore those feelings with you."

 

[Seo Linn]

Seo held his gaze as he spoke, listening not just to his words, but to the care behind them. There was no rush in her expression, no attempt to deflect or soften what he was saying. When he finished, she remained quiet for a moment longer, her thumb brushing lightly against his hand in a slow, thoughtful motion.

"I think… I could as well," she admitted softly. "Explore what this might be." Her voice was calm, but there was sincerity in it, something unguarded.

She shifted slightly on the bench, so she was turned more toward him, her gold eyes searching his face with gentle curiosity rather than doubt.

"I will get in touch with them soon," she added gently. "They deserve to hear it from me. Not through rumors or silence."

After a beat, she continued, "Have you ever been in love, Malcolm?"

There was no trap in the question. Only honesty.

"I have," she went on quietly. "Twice." Her gaze drifted briefly toward the water before returning to him. "Both times were different. Both mattered. Both changed me in ways I am still learning to understand."

Then, just as simply, she added, "And I have known hate, too."

Her tone did not darken. It remained steady, reflective.

"I felt it when I was younger. When I was trapped. When I thought the galaxy had no place for mercy." She drew in a slow breath. "I learned that it is just as powerful as love, and far more destructive if you let it stay."

Her fingers tightened gently around his.

"So when I say I am willing to explore this," Seo said quietly, "I mean it with open eyes. I know what deep feelings can build. And what they can break."

She offered him a small, sincere smile.

"I would rather grow something real, slowly, than rush into something fragile."

Malcolm Ironmaster

 

[Malcolm Ironmaster]

"I have," he replied. "When I was a Padawan, I dated a fellow Padawan for a couple of years. Eventually we grew apart, seeking different things from life, but we remained friends. I still have fond memories, but they're clouded by time and nostalgia. Since then, I haven't really had time or the inclination with missions and studies and training, until recently."

He smiled. "I've reached a certain age where I want a stable, loving relationship. I'm looking for Ms. Right, not Ms. Right Now."

 

[Seo Linn]

Seo listened to him with quiet focus, her expression thoughtful rather than guarded as he spoke about his past. There was no trace of jealousy in her eyes, only understanding. The way he described his former relationship, with respect and without bitterness, told her more about his character than the details themselves.

When he finished, she let out a soft breath, something close to a laugh but gentler, and shook her head slightly.

"That is… reassuring, actually," she admitted. "Not because you have loved before. Because you remember it kindly, without pretending it was perfect." Her gold eyes held his. "That tells me you know how to let something go without discarding what it meant."

She rested her free hand lightly on her knee, posture relaxed but engaged. "I understand wanting stability," Seo continued. "Wanting something that lasts longer than assignments and deployments and temporary shelters." A faint smile touched her lips. "When you grow up without certainty, you eventually crave it."

At his phrasing, she smiled a little more.

"Ms. Right, not Ms. Right Now," she repeated softly. "That sounds like someone who knows what he is willing to work for."

Her gaze softened, thoughtful. "I am not looking for something fleeting either, Malcolm. My life is… complicated. There is my son. My family. My work. My past." She did not apologize for any of it. "Anyone who stands beside me has to be willing to stand with all of that."

She met his eyes again, open and sincere.

"If we are exploring this, then I want it to be built on patience, honesty, and shared purpose." A quiet warmth entered her voice. "So far, you have given me no reason to doubt that."

Malcolm Ironmaster

 

[Malcolm Ironmaster]

"The fact that we are both Jedi likely helps in that respect," he replied. "I'm willing to put in the work, to stand with you no matter what."

 

[Seo Linn]

Seo studied his face for a moment after he spoke, as though weighing not just the words, but the intention behind them. Whatever she found there seemed to satisfy her. A gentle smile slowly curved her lips, warm and genuine, softening her features in the lanternlight.

"I believe it does help," she said quietly. "Being Jedi means we understand duty, sacrifice, and the strange balance between attachment and responsibility." Her tone held quiet conviction. "It means we know that standing with someone is not just about feelings. It is about choice, made again and again."

She glanced down the path in the direction they had been walking before, then back to him, her smile lingering.

"Would you like to keep walking and find somewhere to eat," she asked lightly, "or would you prefer to stay here and talk a while longer?"

After a beat, her expression grew a touch more thoughtful.

"There is something else I should ask you," Seo added gently. "Does it matter to you that I am a Knight, while you are a Master?" She held his gaze, open and calm. "The Silvers may be scattered, but there are still people who care about such things. About rank. About appearances. About expectations." A faint, wry note entered her voice. "Outside of the ones you mentioned tonight, I mean."

She shrugged lightly. "It has never mattered much to me. But I would rather know how you see it."

Malcolm Ironmaster

 

[Malcolm Ironmaster]

He shrugged. "The way I see it, you'll probably go through your Master trials soon enough. I think a romance between a master and a Padawan would be inappropriate, given the teacher-student relationship, but we don't have that sort of relationship. Our difference in rank doesn't bother me at all."

 

[Seo Linn]

Seo considered his words for a moment, her gaze steady and thoughtful. When she spoke, there was quiet certainty in her voice.

"I do not have any issue with that either," she said simply.

A half smile curved her lips, soft and understated, carrying both warmth and relief. "Rank is a measure of experience, not of worth. And you are right. We are not in a teacher and student dynamic. We meet as equals."

She shifted slightly on the bench, her posture easing as the weight of that concern lifted.

Then, with gentle curiosity, she tilted her head just a little. "Have you ever been to Lorrd?"

Her tone was light, but there was meaning beneath the question, an opening into another part of her life she was slowly allowing him to see.

Malcolm Ironmaster

 

[Malcolm Ironmaster]

"I haven't," he replied, "but I'm hoping to visit there with you sometime."

 

[Seo Linn]

Seo's half smile softened into something warmer at his answer, her gold eyes brightening just a little in the lanternlight. She looked ahead for a moment, as though imagining the idea before letting herself respond.

"I would like that," she said quietly.

There was no hesitation in her voice, only sincerity.

"It is not a beautiful world in the way Naboo is," she continued gently. "It is harsh. Dry. Demanding." A faint, fond note entered her tone. "But it is home. It is where my family is. Where Aodhan is."

She turned back to him then, meeting his gaze openly. "If I bring you there someday, it will mean I trust you with that part of my life." A small, honest smile followed. "So… yes. I hope you do visit with me."

Her fingers brushed lightly against his hand again, a quiet, reassuring gesture.

"And I think you would understand it."

Malcolm Ironmaster

 

[Malcolm Ironmaster]

He stood and offered his arm again. "I've been lots of places in my years, but I've never been to a planet just because it was important to someone I cared about."

 

[Seo Linn]

Seo looked up at him as he stood, her gaze lingering for a moment on the arm he offered before she accepted it, resting her hand there with familiar ease. As she rose to her feet beside him, her expression softened, touched with quiet reflection.

"Me either," she admitted gently.

They began to walk again, their steps falling into an easy rhythm along the lantern-lit path.

"I followed investigations," she continued after a moment, her tone thoughtful, "and I was kidnapped more than once." A faint, wry smile appeared at that. "More than enough, in my opinion."

She glanced toward him, honesty in her eyes. "But I never went to a planet just because one of my loves was there."

"Most of my life has been about necessity. Duty. Survival. Very little of it has been about choice." Her fingers tightened lightly around his arm. "So the idea of going somewhere simply because it matters to someone I care about… that is new to me."

There was warmth in her voice now, and a quiet openness.

"I think I would like to learn how to do that."

Malcolm Ironmaster

 

[Malcolm Ironmaster]

He nodded. "So would I," he replied. "I'm looking forward to getting to know you better."

 

[Seo Linn]

Seo met his gaze as he spoke, her expression softening into a quiet, genuine smile. There was no rush in it, no attempt to make the moment bigger than it needed to be. It was simple, and that was what made it meaningful.

"So am I," she replied gently.

She kept her hand resting at his arm as they walked, comfortable now in the closeness, in the shared direction.

"I think we have both lived lives where people only saw parts of us," Seo continued after a moment. "The Jedi. The survivor. The investigator. The soldier." A faint, thoughtful note entered her voice. "Very few take the time to learn the person beneath all of that."

Her gold eyes glanced up at him briefly. "You are doing that," she said quietly. "And I appreciate it."

A small, sincere smile followed.

"Let us take it one step at a time," she added. "No expectations. Just honesty, patience… and good conversation."

Malcolm Ironmaster

 

[Malcolm Ironmaster]

His blue eyes met hers as she looked up at him. "Sounds perfect," he replied. "Dinner, conversation, drinks, just learning about each other."