Private Where Control Slips

[Lumiya Dara]

Lumiya listened quietly while he spoke, her attention lingering on the calm matter-of-factness in his voice when he mentioned Sithspawn and the work that followed them. There was no pride in it. No dramatics. Just acceptance of a burden long carried.

For a moment, her gaze lowered thoughtfully toward the food in her hands. Then she shook her head faintly. “I appreciate the offer,” she said softly, sincere enough that it carried no hesitation. “Truly.” A small pause followed as she chose her next words carefully. “But I think I’ve already taken enough of your time.” The faintest trace of tired warmth touched her expression then. Not distancing. Just firm in that quiet way people became when holding onto the last pieces of themselves they still understood. “And if Sithspawn are putting people into hospitals often enough for you to speak about it so casually,” Lumiya added gently, “then I suspect the galaxy probably needs you elsewhere more than I do.”

She took another small bite of food after that, slower this time, allowing the quiet between them to settle naturally instead of rushing to fill it. “I’ll find my way from here,” she said at last. There was stubborn independence in the words, certainly. But not rejection. More the quiet insistence of someone trying to prove to herself that she still could stand on her own feet after leaning on others for longer than she was accustomed to.

Her eyes lifted briefly toward him again, softer now. “And besides,” she added with the faintest hint of weary humor, “I think you’ve already rescued me once this week. It’s probably best not to make it a habit.”

Tag: Syn

 

[Syn]

Lumiya Dara

"Perrhaps, though spending time conversing with you has not been terrible." He said it while eating and finished as the droid came around. The jedi master givign the plate to the droid and nodding his head for a moment as he rose up. "Should you need or want to find me. Alema can feel the force from anywhere in the galaxy and move with the call." He said it and turned as he started to walk towards the doors with one of the droids speaking about what had been requested for restocking on the ship and he was confirming whatever was needed from the ship as he went towards the doors. Soon enough the jedi master was heading towards the airlock and his ship with a roll of his shoulder. A nice relaxing time as it were.

 

[Lumiya Dara]

Lumiya watched him quietly as he rose to leave, her hands still loosely wrapped around the warmth of the untouched cup near her meal. The mess hall had thinned somewhat while they’d spoken. Fewer voices now. Softer movement. Somewhere nearby, a service droid passed with a muted hum while the station carried on around them in steady, practiced rhythm. A faint smile touched her expression at his words. “No,” she agreed gently, “it really hasn’t.”

The offer lingered with her more than she expected; the idea that someone could simply be found again somewhere out among the stars if needed. Not obligation. Not duty demanded. Just a door left quietly open. Lumiya inclined her head slightly toward him as he turned toward the exit. “Then I’ll try not to abuse that advantage,” she said softly. “Though I suspect Alema may regret making herself so difficult to avoid.” The faint humor in her voice faded into something quieter afterward. More sincere.

Then, just as quietly, she let him leave. Lumiya remained seated for a little while longer after that, listening to the distant sounds of the Crucible beyond the transparisteel walls. Medical staff moving through corridors. Ships docking somewhere far below. Lives continuing. Lives saved. For the first time in what felt like a very long while, she allowed herself to do nothing at all. And somehow, the galaxy kept turning anyway.

Tag: Syn