The Rising Tide

[Sobaan Palle]

With his first meeting of the day over, he settled for the second. And the moment he thought that he realized he was starting to sound like the businessman he didn't really want to become. There was a reason he'd told them to make his father's assistant the CEO of the company. He didn't want to run a business. He was willing to keep his shares to make sure that the company didn't go to ruin, being as he did see the potential for use in it, but that was about it. The day to day operations he didn't want to control. He was going to be too busy anyway.

The lake was how he remembered it. Nestled back in the woods and calm as a sheet of ice. He smiled as he looked at it and picked up a rock to skim it across the surface. It sailed with ease, skittering across the water with perfection. He didn't remember them skipping as well the last time he'd been there. Granted most of what he remembered about then was Sahna. The rest of it had gotten lost in the shuffle. Though he did beat her in a race that day. He smiled and figured he'd probably still hold that over her.

He figured he was more or less ready, so he reached out to Reet and gave him a nudge to tell Sahna that they should go to the lake. He knew he could count in the little guy, though was certain that even Reet would be surprised when he saw Sobaan. It was quite a drastic change and he'd already almost been bigger than Sahna when he was nine years younger. He'd gotten leaner and more muscular, not to mention developed into full maturity. It was sure to be a shock, if she even realized it was him when she saw him. Reet would, but would Sahna?

While we waited, he settled into a log near the waters edge. A few stones rose and he started spinning them about rapidly above his hand. He demolecularized one and then put it back together again, then partially demolecularized two of them and combined them into a new one. It was a fun little exercise in control. He wasnt really aware that such a skill wasn't commonplace among the Force Users of the Galaxy so he figured it was mostly parlor trick when not being used for purposes he preferred to forget about.

Still, better to practice.

[member="Sahna Te"]

 

[Valgærd]

The visit from Reet had been a surprise.

I chuckled to myself as I wandered through the trees down the well-worn path to the lake. It had been quite some time since I'd seen little Sobaan. Well... he was taller than me, but in my mind the youngling was still 'little Sobaan'. He was a sweet kid, and I had caught myself wondering where he was these last couple of weeks. So the little visit from his strange little friend had soothed my soul when I'd opened the door to my chamber and seen him there. In fact, I'd been so excited to see him again, I didn't even realise that it had been one of Ignis's coats that he'd left in my room that I had ended up grabbing to go to the lake to meet the half-togruta.

The path to the lake was one I knew well.

However, as I stepped through the trees, I stopped as a gasp escaped my lips.

I had expected to see little Sobaan, only slightly taller than me, crouching by the water, maybe skipping stones or perhaps drawing in the sand. His green montrals, still stubby with immaturity, bright golden eyes eager with curiosity. My own montrals had always been long for my age, and now even though I was still relatively young, hung down over my rib cage. It had been a pleasant surprise, meeting him for the first time. I hadn't realised how much I enjoyed the company of another of my kind, even if only half his blood was togrutan. But it was that boy, that curious, talented child, I had expected to see.

Not the tall, fully grown man who sat on a log at the water's edge.

It was Sobaan, it had to be. How many other togrutalians were there? Let alone ones with a little creature such as Reet at their side? But... It had only been two weeks, hadn't it? My heart stopped for a moment, my breath catching in my throat. His montrals were long, as long as mind. His shoulders were broad and he was much taller and more built than the last time I'd seen him. However, the skin tone was still the same as he sat on the log, deconstructing and reconstructing pebbles through the force. I could scarcely believe it.

I took a tiny step forward, unsure of what would happen next. The word slipped out of my mouth, barely above a whisper,

"S-Sobaan?"

[member="Sobaan Palle"]

 

[Sobaan Palle]

He'd felt Sahna approaching long before she'd appeared. His senses were far more in tune with his surroundings now. Paying attention was a good way to stay alive, even though he was in a relatively safe location. So when she appeared he knew she was there, but didn't look up immediatelt. He didn't want to startle her even more than he knew she already would be. He continued constructing and deconstructing the stones until she spoke,asking if it really was him.

"Hello, Sahna," he said, finally looking up. "I figured it would be easier to meet at your favorite place considering the surprise."

The stones gently moved to the ground as he watched her look him over. She was clearly in shock at how much he had changed since she'd last seen him. Two weeks and he was suddenly years older. In fact, he was pretty sure that he was older than her. That was definitely something different. On top of that, he clearly showed an advanced understanding of the Force which made that display of shooting a tree from last time they were together pale in comparison. Or, to him it did. The other seemed weak to him.

He lifted a hand and motioned for her to come over and join him. It wasn't as if he was going to hurt her or anything. On the contrary, he cared very deeply for her. That was the reason he'd fought so hard to remember her through it all. Certainly he knew that he would never take her away from Ignis, and to be frank he didn't want to. If the two of them were happy together then that was where she belonged. He wouldn't take her away from her happiness, though he did need something.

"It's really me, Sahna. I promise. If you come sit I will explain."

[member="Sahna Te"]

 

[Valgærd]

The man didn’t immediately react. I sensed that he was aware of me, but he hadn’t turned around straight away or acknowledged me. In that moment I could only hear my heart pounding in my chest, sending my blood thudding in my ears. Finally, after a few moments, he looked up.

I gasped.

It was him. His facial structure had grown, matured, but it was most definitely him. I was sure of it. How could this have happened? I felt with something of a shock, a pang of sadness. Everything else aside, all the swirling questions in my head, I could think only of one thing: he’d missed out on growing up naturally. I suspect it hit me because in a way, I had too. Although physically I’d grown normally, I’d been forced to take on adult responsibilities well before I was ready. It seemed that… now… so would Sobaan.

He spoke, saying my name and mentioning that the lake was my favourite place. His voice had changed too, it was much deeper, only his accent and mannerisms remained of the boy I’d met here for the first time not all that long ago.

At his gesture, I took one tentative step towards him, then another. Finally, I crossed the distance between us and approached him. Lowering myself onto the log, I sat, twisting my body to face him. I… I couldn’t believe it. Almost of its own volition, my hand reached out to touch his face, to make sure it really was him. He spoke, promising to explain.

“Sobaan I…” I began, my voice hushed with awe, “I can’t believe it. What happened?”


[member="Sobaan Palle"]

 

[Sobaan Palle]

It took her a moment to accept what had become of him. He couldn't blame her for it. Much had changed in a short span of time. The little boy she knew had become a man, though that wild streak was still there, just suppressed for the moment. Eventually she did approach, though, and he turned his gaze to look at her. Back then she'd only been the older girl he thought was cute, now he realized that she was actually rather beautiful, and he felt a small pang of jealousy at the fact that Ignis had her. He pushed it away, though, as he knew she was not the one that he was meant to be with and he'd come to more or less accept that fact over time. She was still his friend, though.

When she reached up to touch his cheek, he tilted his head into it lightly.

"Two weeks ago my father came to me in a dream," he began, not moving away from her hand unless she withdrew it. "He begged that I should come and see him. I being how I was, went. That's why I left Reet here with you."

That was something he overly glad that he had done. Had he brought Reet with him when he went to meet with his father he was sure that the little guy would have been either taken and dissected or just flat out killed as a means of breaking him. His father had a cohesive plan, and when he broke that plan, the man would likely have resorted to more extreme measures in order to gain compliance. Had he not been stopped, of course. It was better that he had left the little guy with her than had brought him. Safer that way for the both of them.

"When I got there we talked briefly, but the next thing I knew I woke up inside of a room with no door. I tried to find a way out, of course, but it didn't work. Nine years went by inside that room while nine days passed for you. I would come to find that my father had figured out how to manipulate time within his illusions. That's why I couldn't get out and why I aged. I figured this out when he thought that I still had not, so I used it to my advantage and got stronger so I could confront him when I got out of the room. Even though I knew where the door was, I waited another year before I figured on accessing it. I knew he was incredibly strong in the Force, and I couldn't risk not being ready to defend myself against what he threw at me.

"Eventually I did leave, though. When I confronted him it was only an illusion of him that he was using to communicate with his workers. My father, you see, didn't know I could see into the Force. He was genuinely surprised that I could see through his illusions. But the worst part, the worst part was finding out that he had no intention of having a father and son relationship with me. He was aging me as part of his plan to take over the galaxy. He intended to force my being out of my own body so that he could inhabit it down the road, and so on and so forth for all eternity, inhabiting bodies genetically related to him and slowly taking control of the galaxy. He figured that in a different body people would be more willing to accept that he wasn't doing it for the power for himself, because he'd be pretending to be a descendant instead.

"But he killed so many people, Sahna. Thousands upon thousands he's killed. The galaxy doesn't even know it, but he was a mass murderer on par with some of the worst Sith the galaxy has ever seen. It made me sick to my stomach. He was going to kill you, Reet, Jyn and my mother, too, because you all would be able to see it wasn't me when he had taken over."

This part turned his stomach. His friends. The people that he cared for had been threatened. He lifted his hand and touched her hand upon his cheek, laying his atop hers.

"I killed him for it and imprisoned his soul inside of his holocron where he can't escape. I had to do it, but I feel so wrong for having done it."

[member="Sahna Te"]

 

[Valgærd]

Sobaan tilted his head, pressing his cheek into my hand. I’d felt a pang of something from him briefly. I didn’t catch exactly what it was but it stung, bitterness, perhaps, at losing the rest of his childhood? He began to speak, keeping his head resting in my hand. My thumb slowly stroked the skin on his cheek as the words came forth.

It had begun with a dream in which his father came to him, mentioning that he was glad he’d left Reet with me. I glanced at the little creature nearby. It had been a surprise, but I’d enjoyed caring for the little thing. In fact, I was going to miss not having him around.

My attention turned back to Sobaan as he went on. My heart broke at the words coming tumbling out of his mouth. How could a father do such a thing to their own child? How could he not even see Sobaan as his own flesh blood? Just a means to a horrible, insidious end? It wasn’t until I went to take a breath that I realised how heavily those words weighed on me.

I drew in a deep breath, my chest shuddering as if something inside me shattered. My eyes, hot and stinging from withheld tears, closed as they spilled forth, rolling down my cheeks. My chest ached, my heart feeling like every beat pierced it as if with a knife. Was this how Sobaan had felt when he found out? When his father had revealed himself?

My hand still on his cheek, he moved his own hand over it, telling me what he’d done with his father. To kill your own sire, to be made to do so, by their own actions… Even silently crying as I was, I couldn’t imagine what it must have been like to go through such.

“Sobaan…” I sniffled quietly after a few moments, “… I… I’m so sorry. I had no idea…”

I had to stop for a moment, take a breath, steady my breathing and hold back the sobs. After a few moments, I was able to continue,

“If there’s anything I can do…”

It felt like such an empty gesture. What could I possibly do to soothe such a pain?


[member="Sobaan Palle"]

 

[Sobaan Palle]

Was there anything she could do? Not crying would be a good start. He didn't want her to shed tears for him. If there was one thing he really couldn't take it was a woman crying. Not because he thought poorly of them for doing it, but because it hurt him to see them in tears. Moving his hand across, he brushed her cheek and her forehead before resting it lightly between her montrals and allowing a warmth to spread from him into her. He wanted her to feel better.

While he did this, he reached into his jacket and pulled out a rolled up bit of flimsi. It was a painting of her, and he knew what he was going to do with it, but there was something he needed to do with her before he could do it.

"Don't take this as me trying to steal you, Sahna. I have no intention of doing that to Ignis."

Before she could ask what he meant, and while his hand still rested upon her but moved back to her cheek and then to her neck, he leaned forward and kissed her. His first kiss, to be sure, but also a gentle one. He wasn't trying to force himself on her, just kiss her. And not a little peck, but a real, meaningful kiss. As he did so, he took the emotions he felt and transferred them to the flimsi he held in his hand, imbuing it with a power that when she looked upon it in the future would bring her warmth and peace.

The flimsi was a painting of her that he had done while he was locked away for nine years. It was important to him that she have it. So when he broke the kiss and sat back from her, provided she hadn't ever pulled away, he held the piece of flimsi out for her to take and said nothing more. To be frank, he didn't know what else to say at the moment. He'd just kissed her and he'd already told her what she needed to know. He didn't want to upset her any more than he already had.

[member="Sahna Te"]

 

[Valgærd]

I felt Sobaan’s hand between my montrals, resting in a comforting position. There was warmth in his touch, I felt… soothed by it. A soft smile crossed my face, the boy was a gifted empath.

Boy? No… Sobaan was a man, now.

As the tears dried on my cheeks and my heart settled back to a normal rate, Sobaan reached into the pocket of his jacket. I watched, curiously, as he produced a rolled-up piece of flimsi. I was intrigued, what was on it? Had he carried it around with him for that entire time? Or was it something more recent? However, before my thoughts could run away with me, he spoke. His words… didn’t make sense. Steal me from Ignis? What did he—

Before I could even process what he’d said, his hand moved from my cheek to my neck, and he leaned in and kissed me.

His lips pressed against mine, his flesh warm and soft. It was a tender kiss, and yet his touch was both soft, and passionate. Caught by surprise, I’d had no chance to pull away, and my body simply yielded to him. Without entirely knowing what was going on, I kissed him back. My lips pressed against his, my heart fluttering as I felt the warmth passing between us. In that moment, every thought left my head.

He pulled away, leaving me to catch my breath for a few moments. I could still feel the tingle of his lips on my own, his hand on my neck. There had been… something powerful in that kiss, something had passed between us. I moved a hand to my cheek, feeling how warm it had gotten. Should he have done that? Well no, but I wasn’t exactly mad at him for it. In fact, I felt no sour emotions at all, as if for the moment, they’d all been banished.

I watched as he handed over the flimsi. It was… a picture of me. As I held it I felt the force imbued into the painting. It was… a moment, that moment, the peace and comfort of the kiss we shared, captured and preserved.

I turned my eyes up from the portrait to the half-togruta,

“Sobaan…” I murmured, my words soft and my voice trembling, “it’s beautiful. I… I can’t thank you enough.”



[member="Sobaan Palle"]

 

[Sobaan Palle]

Sobaan shook his head and smiled.

"Don't thank me," he said, resting his hands at his sides. "I just stole a kiss from a woman who is with someone else. You can't thank me for the painting for the reason."

Mostly he couldn't be thanked because he'd just taken something from her that really he had no right to. The kiss, he didn't take anything else. She was with Ignis and while he did feel some jealousy towards the man for that fact, he wasn't about to try and steal his girl. He just wanted to kiss her once, and he needed that moment to get the emotions needed to imbue the painting. Now when she looked on it, it would have a calming effect on her in addition to reminding her of him. He was certain it was worthwhile.

"While I was locked away I took up painting because I needed something to do. At first I didn't know what was going on so painting was just me being a child. But with how long I was in there I got relatively good at it. I went through a phase of painting some not so savory paintings but I did destroy those, so you know. I needed to paint you, and Reet and Jun so I wouldn't forget. I thought about my mother constantly and I did paint her once, but I wasn't afraid I'd forget her."

The paintings were very personal for him. They had been his lifeline to sanity. He wanted her to have it so she would know that even though he may not always be there, she'd still be his friend. Plus he knew that her past still bothered her so he wanted the painting to help calm her when she was hurting, and to encourage her to continue forward in her dreams. She wanted to do something and she needed to really apply herself to do it. He was going to apply himself to gaining more knowledge so he could become a great teacher.

It was good for them to do the things they wanted to do, within reason. Growing up had also awakened other urges, but having no outlet had led to him to repress those for the most part. The kiss had somewhat reawakened them, but he would wait until he found the right person for him, and that wasn't Sahna even though a part of him wished that it was. He turned his eyes from her to their surroundings; watching them while remaining quiet in thought.

[member="Sahna Te"]

 

[Valgærd]

I chuckled at Sobaan’s answer,

“I will thank you for whatever I damn well please.” I winked.

I could feel the guilt he’d saddled himself with by stealing the kiss. He was a gentle soul. It hurt to think what he’d gone through this past little while; how much he’d suffered and changed. I glanced down at the painting in my hand. It almost felt as if he ought to have it, not me. He was the one who likely needed comfort and peace more than I. But I was grateful for the gift. No doubt even though now my thoughts were on him, perhaps in the future this would be a godsend.

I listened as he spoke of the painting’s creation. How he had to paint us, myself, Jyn, little Reet, so that he wouldn’t forget us. It was sweet, a moment of purity in the chaos he’d suffered those years. I was touched that along with Jyn, the woman I revered the most, he’d thought of me in those moments.

I sensed that there was something else, a repressed flair of… something. At first, I didn’t recognise it, but I’d felt he was trying to keep it at bay, even as the kiss threatened to bring it forth. I decided to respect him and left it alone.

He turned his eyes to the lake, and I did the same,

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” I mused, half to him, half to myself, “I think… no matter where I go from here, just knowing this little place exists… it’s enough.”

I paused, closing my eyes as the breeze rolled over my montrals,

"I should go, Ignis... is probably waiting for me. But Sobaan... I can't tell you what this means to me. Thank you."


[member="Sobaan Palle"]

 

[Sobaan Palle]

"It is," he agreed, looking out over their surroundings.

It was hard to imagine that just two weeks ago they'd been out here and he'd only been twelve years old. Everything was different then. He'd been afraid of her, only to become friends with her. He'd fallen into a love struck trance with her, only to leave and realize that she belonged to another, which meant it wasn't his place to have such feelings for her. Though a part of him probably would always have those feelings, he'd realized that it was best if he move on rather than linger and waste away while she was with Ignis. He didn't begrudge the man. On the contrary, he wished the two of them well. If nothing else he hoped that Ignis would make her happy for the rest of her days. He knew that he would find someone else.

She mentioned leaving and he looked over at her, with her eyes closed, and leaned over to kiss her forehead lightly before he stood, offering his hand to help her do the same. If they were going to part ways then he was going to make sure they parted on friendly terms. Though he was certain she was still on friendly terms with him. Her demeanor said enough. He offered a smile, and when she was on her feet drew her into a hug. It was much easier to realize how much he'd grown when they embraced than it had been when they were sitting. She felt tiny in his arms now.

"You're welcome, Sahna. We'll always be friends and I'll always be here if you need me."

He released her and took a step back.

"Remember, put your best foot forward. You'll be integral to the Order in the future, so don't doubt yourself, and don't hide away."

[member="Sahna Te"]

 

[Valgærd]

Sobaan stood from the log and I followed him.

He pulled me into an embrace. I wrapped my arms around his form, sinking into the hug. It was almost strange, the last time I’d hugged Sobaan he’d been a child around whom I could wrap my arms. Now, my head was buried in his chest, my arms barely reaching around his waist. He was… a man now.

It was a warm, comforting, enveloping hug. He felt so much bigger now, so safe. I could feel his heart beating against my montrals as I rested my head against his chest. He told me we’d always be friends, his deep voice rumbling in my ears. I realised with something of a start that it… was no longer strange to hear him. He was an adult now. Nine years had passed in two weeks, but this was how it was now.

When we parted he spoke again, and I gazed up at him with a smile.

“You too, Sobaan. Remember, your scars are what make you shine.”

I… paused. Why had I said that? The moment had taken me over, my words had been unguarded, unhampered by what was considered socially appropriate. They were… spoken through the force, perhaps. But I kept my eyes on him, nodding as I pulled away and turned towards the jungle.

We would remain friends for some time to come, but for now, our paths diverged.


[member="Sobaan Palle"]