Private Turmoil Station

[Iris Arani]

Tribunal Station.

Honestly, Iris didn't know much about it. But, if she wanted to get Domxite back she needed to learn more about the galaxy. Travel to new places, meet new people. Figure out where exactly the Sith that'd taken them went. Not Sith. Maybe Sith? Just another thing for her to figure out. Her custom X-Wing exited hyperspace, began docking procedures, and soon enough she'd step out onto the station. Dressed in the usual Jedi robes, with her scars on full display. There was no reason to hide them, not anymore.

She wasn't weak or fragile.

Head high she walked from the hanger, intent on finding some place to get information. A booth of some sort, yeah. .. Information booth? She blinked, her eyes lingering on a sign saying just that. Convenient. With that as her destination she walked forth, peering through the colors to see where she was going. To be aware of her surroundings. Unaware of the familiar colors close by.

Arlo Renard

 

[Arlo Renard]

This was a mistake.

Such were Kai’s thoughts as he wandered the halls of Tribunal Station. He was just languishing here, hiding from his problems just as he had when he was in the wilderness. How could he make things right so long as he was away from the action, and from all that he held dear?

He started to walk towards the docking bay, his intentions muddy. In his mind he was thinking about leaving, taking a ship and simply flying away. No goodbyes, no questions asked. But deep down, he knew he wasn’t ready to go yet.

Still, he kept walking all the same—until a familiar presence washed over him, stopping him dead in his tracks.

Iris.

A knot of tangled, complicated emotions rose up in him the moment he felt her. What was she doing here? Had Asha told Valery, and Valery told Iris, and now—?

It seemed like she hadn’t noticed him yet, but given the spike of his own high-octane emotions rippling outward through the Force, she might feel their echo. Might come looking for him. Might try to talk to him.

His feet started to back away in terror at the thought of meeting her now, too soon, too early, before he’d made any progress.

But hadn’t he wanted to know if she was all right?

He stayed where he was, frozen in the hallway just off to the side from the information center. Waiting to see what she might do.

Iris Arani​

 

[Iris Arani]

She froze.

The sudden rush of colors around her were something she couldn't ignore. At first she just assumed it might be someone in trouble. Someone that needed help. So she reached out, looked through the other shades that made up her world of colors. All to see something she knew. Someone she knew. Arlo Renard . All at once whatever confidence she had coming here shattered. Grief, loneliness. Their argument, how much she missed him. All of it came crashing through her mind.

So she ran.

Not away. Towards where she felt him. He'd left Coruscant. No trace, no way for her to find him. Or at least, not one she'd known. Had she even tried? Should she have? Did she even deserve to after everything she'd said to him? Questions that kept telling her to go back to her ship and leave filled her mind, but she didn't care to listen to them. Logic never drove her before.

She rounded the corner, stopping her sprint just to see him again. And there he was. Unchanged. Standing, waiting. For her? Maybe. Did that matter? No. Tears streaked down her cheeks, scarred and unscarred as she stood there, just outside the hallway.

"Kai."

 

[Arlo Renard]

Suddenly, she was standing there at the other end of the hallway. Kai looked at her and wanted to shut his eyes. There were scars all along one side of her body, fresh and ugly, visible through her robes. An arm, a shoulder, one whole side of her face. Her tears mingled with the treads of scoured flesh on one cheek, the path of the stream’s course altered compared to the straight line dripping down the other.

"Kai."

Run, a voice in his head screamed. But he was of two minds on whether to run toward her or away from her. Rather than let himself be torn apart, he remained where he was, rooted to the same spot.

Still unworthy.

But he needed to say something. He should say something. Don’t leave her hanging, at least.

<Hi, Iris.>

Iris Arani​

 

[Iris Arani]

<Hi, Iris.>

His voice in her head, like she'd felt so many times before. But hadn't for so long. Too long. Despite her best efforts, her features continued to crack. Was she being selfish? He said he didn't want to be her friend, but here she was already in tears. What was she supposed to do? Iris was just too overwhelmed. She wasn't prepared for this, to see him again. So she bit her lip. Biting back everything she wanted to say and unload onto him. Instead just bowing her head.

"I'm sorry."

 

[Arlo Renard]

She didn’t move from her spot, either. He wasn’t sure if he had wanted her to do something—close the distance between them to strike or embrace him, or walk away—or if it was just as well that she remained where she was. His own paralysis shouldn’t affect her, after all.

Then she apologized.

Kai’s eyes widened in surprise. What did she have to apologize for? He was the one who had been cruel, going out of his way to try and hurt her. All she had done was call him a liar—which he was. He was a liar, through and through.

<I’m sorry,> he said. <I shouldn’t have said what I said to you on the rooftop. I shouldn’t have left…>

The sight of her scars was becoming too painful for him. He closed his eyes, trying to center himself, feel the floor beneath his feet. Asha had warned him not to blame himself for her injuries, but he did. He blamed himself for not being there for her.

<I’m sorry.>

Iris Arani​

 

[Iris Arani]

"No."

His apology started in her head, and she immediately denied it. Maybe there were things for him to apologize for, but what happened? She brought it up. Pushed him too much. Even now she was only here because of some selfish desire to see him again. But not to make him feel bad. His colors bent to grief. Her scars? She'd seen it so many times now, people seeing her scars and immediately feeling bad for her.

She didn't want him to feel bad. Not for these. She reached up, wiping away tears with her ruined hands. No, she wouldn't let anyone feel guilty for what happened.

"These were my own fault. .. I hesitated." So she forced a smile. "It's what I get for hesitating, huh?"

 

[Arlo Renard]

Of course, she was denying his need to apologize, trying to sweep it all under the rug. How typically… Iris of her.

She blamed herself for her hesitation. Kai lowered his head, eyes opening to gaze somewhere off to the side. She was still a figure in his periphery, but he wasn’t looking directly at her.

<I heard that you got hurt,> he admitted. <But I was afraid to seek you out, because I knew you would be too eager to forgive me the moment I showed my face again.>

It was a beautiful thing, her childlike willingness to let bygones be bygones. She probably couldn’t even remember what had occurred between them. Kai on the other hand still held himself in the wrong. He didn’t feel like he deserved forgiveness.

<I needed time to atone. I want to be held accountable for my actions. That’s why I left. And it’s why I have to stay away.>

Iris Arani​

 

[Iris Arani]

<I don't forgive you.>

Arlo Renard didn't look at her. So she lowered her gaze to not look at him. The forced smile faded as she clenched her fists. "We pushed each other, in our own ways. I know I'm part to blame, but.. You hurt me. I don't forgive you for that." She took a breath. She needed to, before she got any more upset. She didn't want to fight with him. Not now.

"Just.. You didn't do this to me. .. You're not to blame for it. Stop looking at me like I'm your mistake."

 

[Arlo Renard]

Her voice in his head prompted him to turn and gaze upon her. He didn’t find what he had expected.

She had changed. Grown a spine, or toughened up and hardened. That wasn’t so surprising, given all that she had been through, but the contrast was startling.

Was it wrong of him to breathe a sigh of relief when she said she didn’t forgive him? It was better this way.

<Who did this to you?> he asked. He knew that she had gotten in a fight with a Sith, been thrown from a train. Honing in on the one directly responsible for her injuries was a better focus for his anger and grief.

Iris Arani​

 

[Iris Arani]

"A woman in armor. I don't know who they were. But they could use the Force. .. They weren't Sith. Not what I felt at least." Who they were Iris still didn't know. But if she wanted to get Domxite back, she needed to find them. Before it was too late for her friend. "They took Domxite. .. It's why I'm here. I'm trying to find them. The woman who took them." She pulled out a sketchpad. On it, the armor of Thalia Senn .

".. Do you know them?"

 

[Arlo Renard]

She showed him an image of the woman she described. He shook his head. <No, I don’t know her. She's not on this station, either.>

But if Iris was looking for this woman, hoping to retrieve Domxite, that was a worthy quest. Kai was in dire need of a goal to direct his energy towards.

<Do you need any help?> he offered. He tried not to seem too eager, but no doubt his need to do something that would make up for his behavior was fairly obvious.

Iris Arani​

 

[Iris Arani]

"Domxite needs help." Did she want Arlo Renard 's help? Would he actually be of help? Iris wasn't so petty to deny that he'd certainly be of use. But how he looked at her, the grief that tainted his colors. Would she be alright with seeing that more? .. Yeah. If there was anyone in the galaxy who's help she wanted the most, it was still Kai. She closed her eyes and took a breath, trying to calm her mind.

"She's part of the Maw. I don't know what she looks like under her armor. .. I don't know where to even start."

 

[Arlo Renard]

Part of the Maw, and yet she wasn’t considered a Sith? That wasn’t unheard of, but it was unusual. Someone like that would likely stick out.

<I wouldn’t really know where to start, either.> They were wholly unprepared for an infiltration mission into the Maw’s ranks, and with no other clues as to the mystery woman’s origins or whereabouts, they had no starting point to begin their search.

<But I will help you, Iris. If you’ll let me.>

Iris Arani​

 

[Iris Arani]

"Chit." Well, should she be surprised Arlo Renard didn't know where to start either? Would anyone? Iris's shoulders slumped as a more defeated look took over. A slip in the confident guise she was trying to hold now that she saw the guilt in Kai's colors. Her more scarred hand reached up, rubbing at her brow as she tried to think. Maybe a search through the holoweb might work?

<But I will help you, Iris. If you’ll let me.>

".. Okay." Right, she didn't actually answer him. "Two brains are better than one." She read that somewhere. Or something close to it. Her hand fell as she turned to meet his gaze.

"But you work on that guilt. .. It's distracting to see all the time. Stop blaming yourself for something you didn't do."

 

[Arlo Renard]

She accepted his offer, for which he was grateful. His journey to the hangar bay no longer felt like a pointless exercise in cowardice. He could leave now, with Iris, and go in search of Domxite.

"But you work on that guilt... It's distracting to see all the time. Stop blaming yourself for something you didn't do."

<Maybe it's more guilt for something I didn't do,> he replied, meeting her eyes. The only change in his appearance since he'd left was a violet ring that had appeared around his pupils.

Iris Arani​

 

[Iris Arani]

She couldn't keep her gaze on him for long. It made her feel vulnerable, meeting his gaze like that. Iris didn't want to feel that, not with him. Not now. A frown settled as she lifted her hood to cover her scars. If he was going to keep feeling guilty, she'd at least try to lessen how often she'd have to see that shade come from his colors. "We'll take my ship, unless you have one." Oh, wait. There wasn't exactly room in her ship.

Not without them having to sit close together.

".. Do you have a ship?"

 

[Arlo Renard]

<I can arrange for one,> he replied, watching as she raised her hood to hide her face. <I haven’t exactly joined the Je’daii Order yet, but I imagine they would be willing to help.>

He could ask Asha Hex for a vessel on loan, or if nothing else, this quest could motivate him to finally get a starship of his own.

Or they could go in her starfighter. He wouldn’t mind the cramped confines, but it seemed like she was reluctant. It wasn’t hard to see why.

Iris Arani​

 

[Cotan Sar'andor]

Kai's commlink started to beep, saying he had an incoming call.

"By the Force, can you kids stop being awkward and take my old backup freighter? Seriously, it's fine, just take it."

Cotan and Kai hadn't had an opportunity to meet yet, but Asha had already let him know about their newest student, and he and Iris were proving the most entertaining thing to watch and listen to on the station right now.

 

[Iris Arani]

".. You're leaving the Jedi?" That was the take away Iris got from what Arlo Renard said. He was joining the Je'daii. Iris didn't know much about them, but she knew enough that they weren't Jedi. What happened to push him from that? After everything he said and did, believed in when it came to his want to be a Jedi. Not that she could ask anything further. The com beeped, and a voice she didn't know echoed through.

Oh. .. Well. At least they'd have a freighter. As nice as her Xwing was, it wasn't something for long term trips without paying for hotels or the like. She just waited for Kai's answer, watching him from the corner of her eye.