Private Where The Sandstorm Drifts

[Arcturus Dinn]

Tamiko was quiet as he spoke, but she was not ignorant; the bond shared between them, through which they spoke, made sure to inform him of such. She was contemplative and receptive, hanging on the words he saw fit to provide her with, and though he could sense the vague impression of further questions bubbling to the surface, a need for clarification here or there, she did not interrupt him.​

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A trust had begun to form. He felt her resistance to it initially, as she tried to stop herself from succumbing to it. Arcturus knew that well, the reluctance to lay all of one's cards on the table at once, he would not push her further or faster than she was able to handle for fear of shattering all that had been built in so short a span of time. He kept his thoughts even and measured, speaking with the confidence of truth and fact, and simply waited for it to happen naturally.​

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And it did. ​

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Eventually she permitted herself to ease into it, even with the temporary roadblock presented by the notion of exerting control over another. Where skepticism had lay, he felt apprehension rising up and with it anticipation, maybe even excitement.​

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Finally she answered the question she had first been seeking an answer to, in the correct fashion. A wash of affirmation and pride brushed from Arcturus to Tamiko in response, she was quick to learn, quick to read between the lines. He glanced at her.​

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Call myself? he inquired, taking the time to actually ponder the question. It was something he'd been actively trying to discover for himself, in truth. Who was he? Who was Arcturus Thesh..? The simple answer would have been Sith, but that would lack any semblance of nuance. As likely to push her away as anything. He was a Sith only in the purest sense of the word, only in how he sought to break the chains wrought about him through nature and happenstance, but all the rest? The politics, the infighting? No. That would never be him.​

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I am a maker, a crafter, he stated, his chin tipped up just a touch in recognition of this, pride of a different kind swirled around the boy specifically in response, yes, he took pride in his work, and his accomplishments. And the way in which he had informed her of it suggested it was a relatively new revelation for him. I have been called a Shaman, an Alchemist, a Mystic... And all of this I am, and more. Tell me, Tamiko, there was something about the way in which he had taken to stating her name so often as he did, a familiarity which made it seem as though they had known one another for a lifetime; the established bond could do that to a person at times. Would you be able to quantify the entirety of your being, your existence, in just one summary? In one title, one sect?​

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He reckoned she'd led a fairly simple life, at least by Force User standards. Pretty cut and dry, easy to follow though the experiences themselves could still be weighty and simultaneously intense on a personal level. Even so, even without the mysticism attached, he doubted she'd be able to do it.​

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You may know me best by my actions, not my words, not by the titles I've forged or been given. Tell me, girl, how you view me, for your perception is all that matters. It was all that would ever matter, in truth. No two people could ever have the exact same impression of another; therefore no one person could ever be condensed down into a singular perception.​

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Silence hung over them again soon after, when her answer was given or not as the case might have been, and Arcturus continued on with his leisurely lecture on the Force. They remained that way, with their heavily one-sided conversation, until the garage came into sight. It was the girl who faltered first, who refused to put one foot in front of the other and cross the threshold which lay before them. Arcturus halted alongside her soon after, quiet. He merely observed her as a brief war was waged within her mind.​

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She tried to keep him from her initial musings, and to his credit Arcturus pulled back ever so slightly from her mind to give her the time she needed to ruminate. He caught only the briefest glimpses of her feelings through the connection upheld solely in apprehension of her response, to permit her the space to speak freely among already established comfort. It was with bated breath that he watched, with bated breath he waited.​

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The quiet voice pulled him back, as realization came crashing down over her. She could not return to the life she had known, for it would never be the same; it was the burden of their birthright, in truth, that once those doors had seen fit to open, even just a crack, they were nigh on impossible to close again. It would find itself seeping into every fiber of her being over time, until she was forced to act in one way or another. This was by design. It was why most chose to take fate into their own hands.​

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Her answer was not direct. Even so he knew it for what it was, as she tested the waters, as she tentatively took that first step toward action. He felt her gaze pinning him, that painfully hazy gaze which still held so much within it despite its sightlessness. Nature dictated he turn to face her, gave her the respect of his full and undivided attention, so he did. How far would it extend?​

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Hands came free from his pockets, and spread forth as though to lay all of his own cards upon the unseen table between them.​

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How far would you like it to extend? he asked of her; for once his tone left no room for interpretation, his intentions were made abundantly clear through their connection. He could teach her just this one thing she had spoken on, to speak within the mind of another, or, should she wish it, he could teach her all there was for him to teach. The latter impression was underpinned with the understanding that should she choose it, things would never be the same again.​

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Tamiko Sabo ​

 

[Tamiko Sabo]

His patience wasn't missed, allowing her to guide her thoughts in relative silence for a conversation happening in her mind. He had after all given her some substantially heavy information to mull over, which she made a clear effort to decipher, apply it in whatever sense it could be to herself.

A maker, a crafter. His response coursed through the link along with a sense of accomplishment. In another context those words could’ve been referring to her, it was essitently her job description after all. But the characterization felt nowhere within her realm, the difference in life experiences far too jarring. Her mind tracked back to the years it must have required to hone his skills to this depth, only driving his later point home further.

The slew of assigned titles he offered surprised Tamiko, her understanding of such a collection of labels far removed from the nature of the person before her. Unwittingly she regarded him differently. He then posed a challenge, using her name with the ease of talking to an old friend. Perhaps it was a side effect of the force bond, such a personal connection having been made. Whatever the cause she only seemed surprised by it not withdrawing. Her gaze flitted to the ground for the briefest second before meeting Arcturus's gaze.

Most people do. She responded with a slight shrug. Of course people did, the infinite factions, sects, alliances that covered the reaches of the galaxy was proof of that. Someone could easily devote their life to a single word if it held enough power over them, if it's something they had blind allegiance towards. She reasoned, however it wasn't delivered as a rebuttal to his point. But I take it's more complicated for you? A slight edge of humor was apparent in her voice as she looked up at Arcturus. The circumstances of life never seemed to stand still long enough for one to fully understand themselves, that she understood.

It's not hard to say dirt poor mechanic and know who you mean. She exhaled a laugh through her nose and turned. But you do have a point, that's not the only person I am or have been. As for what I think of you? Shifting she faced the man she'd put so much effort towards understanding. That you're some sort of an anomaly. In regards to her life, that much was true. She'd never interacted with the likes of him before, some invader to her world view.

In no time the threshold for a decision approached as the garage manifested before them. Her breath hitched in response.

Once the mediated words had slipped her mouth, her anticipation crept through the link, trying to sense Arcturus's response long before it revealed itself. She didn't know entirely what she was asking for, but nonetheless felt every ounce of conviction course through her. Whatever path she was setting herself down, even though the outline was unclear, even though no guarantees could be made there was no other choice in her mind. No other desire.

Her answer came slow, calculated but convinced.Take me on as some sort of student. Teach me everything you know.

Arcturus Dinn

 

[Arcturus Dinn]

Her response brought mirth chuckling through the man, so much so that it rose up within his core and burst free from his lips; it wasn't loud, or drawn out, just a quiet laughter that could not quite be contained.​

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No, you're right of course; there are many in the Galaxy who beholden themselves to just one virtue, or vice, or title. But... I'd like to think even they have more going for them, beneath the surface. Else what sets them apart from the next? Perhaps he should have anticipated such a response, she was smart and seemed quick to the draw - even if she kept most of those thoughts bottled up. If I were to introduce myself to you by the titles first thrust upon me, by my earliest years, you would place your prejudices upon me; you might even have walked away entirely by now. It is important to know the person, their entity, before ascribing them to preconceived notions and roles.​

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Though truthfully, she could do as she pleased. He supposed that forming ones own prejudices were not quite the same as believing them because someone else had said them, without context or clue. Arcturus could not hold sway over the musings of another sentient lifeform, he could corral and caress and gently ease them along a line of thought, but exert too much will, too much force, and things were likely to buckle under the pressure. Who knew where such could lead.​

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Then she spoke of herself, and he hummed under his breath as she mentally spat out three words. Dirt poor mechanic. A frown settled over his lips at that, and there was a small amount of disappointment he could not shake. Not in her, at least not inherently, just in the way the game was rigged for so many from the start. In the way that she was right, most would see her just for that all due to the happenstance of her birth and her upbringing. They would not see past it, they would count her out of certain opportunities which might otherwise be afforded to others. ​

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You are far more than the sum of those parts, he assured her, though it was largely unnecessary. She was quick to attest to the fact that there was more that made her her. He might have pressed on with that thought, waxed poetic to the very nature of her being in so far as he had witnessed her, if not for her quick slide into the next point. An anomaly, was he? He knew he could not read too much into it, because all things considered that must have been how he'd seemed. A stranger who had strolled on in to a place not meant for him, and who now was stood talking into her mind, of things she'd only the most basic grasp of prior.​

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With time, he hoped she'd see beyond that.​

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Well, it seems you have seen fit to prove wrong every point I have made, he mused curiously, with a shallow nod of his head; of course, in the same vein she had not. It was all about perceptions, after all, and such were flimsy and unreliable. They were not objective... And that was the very point.​

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From there he sank into that silence, and waited. Waited for as long as she needed the time to wait. He could sense her answer brewing before it was uttered, the thoughtfulness of it, and then the conviction as each word was uttered to his mind. It wasn't a question, nor a request; in that moment, Tamiko made known exactly what she wanted from him. Who was he to deny her such?​

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He tipped his head into a bow, a rather low and impactful one that spoke to not just the sincerity but also the severity of the situation. This was no simple demand to have been made, after all, it would turn all she knew on its head. And, just as likely, all he knew too.​

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"Pack your things," he uttered, to the air between them this time; the bond established between them dissolved in an instance, leaving a slight haze on the edge of their minds in its wake. "Whatever you see fit to bring. I shall wait for you here; take all the time you require." He waited, responding to anything she might see fit to ask or state, and then once she was out of sight he moved to lean against the wall, more or less where the shopkeep had been when he'd first approached the place earlier that afternoon. It felt like an eternity ago now; how strange time was.​

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While he waited, he pulled out his commlink once more and called for a ride. It wouldn't be a bike which pulled up, but something a little more suitable to carry the pair of them and any luggage she had. If she hadn't asked, and if he hadn't been forced to make it abundantly clear, lessons were to commence forthwith. There was little sense in tarrying, after all, a decision had already been made.​

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Tamiko Sabo ​

 

[Tamiko Sabo]

Weighing his thinly veiled lesson in the confines of her mind, its truth was evident. What real value would she ever be able to surmise from a title? From a person whose history was largely unknown to her? Her perception mattered, but it didn't need to be boiled down to a few digestible words, it was allowed to be complicated. And so far, for the man in front of her, it was.

What he spoke of next stuck with her. An admission that some branding from his past might've turned her away. For what reason was left unanswered, hanging in the air. She felt the inclination to push on the subject. But she’d never been forthcoming with her own history and prodding someone else’s registered as an invasive strategy. Her own past was marred with enough regret for some semblance of understanding to emerge. Deciding on searching for her answer outside of the moment she brushed past it.

I suppose that’s only fair. Trudging on, she rolled her shoulders in a shrug. Categorizing your worldview just leads to it being smaller.

When she spoke of herself, handing over some surface level answer, the reassurance he extended wasn't lost to her. More than the sum of her parts. He’d told her repeatedly of the potential he believed resided in her but these words were paired with deeper understanding. Not sympathy, but acknowledgment. She gave no audible response but something akin to gratitude brushed the link.

To his next claim she responded with an exhaled laugh. I don’t think I’ve quite managed that. She offered back, feigning surrender. Just pushing to see if your argument stands.

After that she was allowed the time to make her decision. To which Arcturus gave her as direct a response as she hoped for. The impact of the bond dissipated and she was subsequently sucked back to the moment, reality doubling down on her. The opportunity had presented itself and backing down from the moment was well outside the realm of possibility.

Again he exercised patience, extending her as much time as she needed. Grateful, she nodded. “Won’t take me long.” Disappearing under the overhead doors, she made her way up a dimly lit set of stairs leading out to a compact hallway.

There was little to reminisce over. A window filtering overcast light completely useless to Tamiko revealed the stark minimalism of the room. No mirrors, nothing that didn’t have inherit use. Necessity was priority, always had been. It was an easy mindset to invest in when you didn’t have much of anything. Still, she’d managed to accumulate some proof of her existence over the years. Remnants of droid parts, a disassembled blaster removed of any practical use, varying levels of completed projects that gave the room a small breath of life.

Her hands shuffled over the surface of a desk, some hand me down shoved through the door when she first moved in. An impression of solemnity wrapped her mind as her hands moved down to empty the drawers. She packed swiftly without much deliberation, a dagger that had at one point been her brother’s slid into her boot, a handful of clothes were stuffed into a bag, credits pulled together and secured in a back pant pocket. Every item of significance squared away on her person until the room had nothing to keep her there, completely debased. Her mind fell quiet, scouring for some parting thought, some emotion stirring in her from the weight of it all.

All that surfaced was a pang of relief, a cool wash of acceptance. She felt a grip in the fold of the universe, some place to establish herself finally emerging after years of skimming below the line of the sun.

Slipping the small bag over her shoulders she turned to leave, taking a knife to the last thing tethering her here. She made a straight shot to Arcturus after descending the stairs, neon lights signaling behind her. The last fleeting moments she’d spend here and already so quick to get them over with. Giving Arcturus a look of acknowledgment she stood parallel to him. “I can welcome some air of mystery, but I need clarity on a few things.” With a decisive tone she readjusted her bag.

“If there's a reason I shouldn't trust you, I'd like to know.” there was no accusation in her voice, but it nonetheless held steady, resurfacing the question she stored earlier. “Why would I walk away from this?” Meeting his gaze she pushed on. “On top of that, where are we headed, wherever you're from?” It was a question void of any other intention than gaining information, “What’s after that?”

Arcturus Dinn

 

[Arcturus Dinn]

The girl did not take very much time at all. Her absence felt like mere moments in the making, and then she was hurrying out with her back to all that still held her to this place; he had not been expecting much, but even what she had felt pitiful to behold. A quick glance up and down, and he saw all he needed to see. No hulking luggage, just a girl and that which she could carry. A bag small enough that he didn't feel the need to take it from her, to shoulder some of the burden. No... She was as he had been; still was, in many ways.​

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Either way, she had beaten the arrival of the speeder which would see them up to the higher levels. That left a little time for any residual questions. He was worried there'd be none to fill the time, but as she came to a stop by his side he found her far more forthcoming with her thoughts than he had previously. It made sense, of course, she sat on the edge of an eternity and all that loomed before her was strange and new. A relative void, waiting to be filled.​

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The answers she wanted, however, were not things he was comfortable with sharing out in the open as they were. Probably not even once they reached the confines of the vehicle. And so the connection was established once more, and to both it likely came easier than before. There was a certain level of familiarity, though mostly that was due to how recent their previous telepathic jaunt had been.​

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You have questions; I am glad. For a moment he had thought he'd have to share all without her pressing him for it. Well, maybe not all, there could be secrets among them he supposed, but the important parts. It was harder to do so without directions, though. Three questions posed, plus a request to be informed as to why she might not trust him. Fair things to ask, the lot of them. He hummed under his breath for a moment, glancing this way and that along the street as he waited on the arrival of the speeder. Then he nodded.​

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Begin with the easier questions. That certainly would not pertain to the one she led with, so he shelved that for last. ​

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I do not know where I am from, so it is impossible for us to head there. The slightest of lies, he knew in name alone but no memories remained of that place, and it held no sway within him. No home. For tonight we will remain in Coruscant, on the upper level. You'll be afforded your own room within my suite, I do hope you'll enjoy the view. It's quite spectacular.​

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Was he stalling?​

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He felt like he was stalling.​

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Tomorrow, we'll head out into the wider Galaxy. I must confess to not having a set location in mind; you may make suggestions if you'd like. If there's somewhere you've always wished to visit. I have no real roots these days, but we shall forge new ones. Training will begin as we travel.​

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His beloved ship had been found out there among the stars during his brief departure from sanity, and it had since been brought back here for him. It would be nice to pilot her again; it had been far too long.​

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You will be taught the basics first, and a wide variety of knowledge will be available for you to pick up and read at your own leisure in the meantime. If you find anything which catches your eye, which you would like to learn, I do expect that you'll tell me. This is ultimately for your benefit, Tamiko, not mine.​

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A set of lights glowered in the distance, as the enclosed speeder arrived. The doors opened automatically, and though Arcturus rested one hand upon its outer shell he did not yet enter. There was a slight bit of static in the air as he pondered over that final question. Tension he couldn't shake. This was it, wasn't it? This would make or break it.​

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It did not seem right to answer it in an area she would inherently feel trapped in. So he waited. Exhaled, and then answered.​

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What do you know of the Force, Tamiko? No doubt you've heard some stories. The eternal fight between good and bad? Jedi and Sith? The way he posed it was so simple, so basic, it was as though it were meant for a child. That was intentional. That was by design. Technically there are those who would view me as belonging to the latter. I was taken, as so many are, and raised among the Sith. This does not define me.​

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That last statement was punctuated by a glance in her direction. A cautious one at that, as he tried to assess her response.​

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There are aspects of my life, my being, which would still herald me as such. And yet there is plenty I have done of my own accord which would have many calling me a traitor. Vague impressions of a battlefield drifted through his mind, and by extension hers; of children being herded away from the dangers inherent, of a short lived alliance with a Padawan. He'd found himself on the opposing side from his Master that day; he had never once regretted it. I confess to dabbling with arts deemed darker. But such is my craft, and I know on at least some level you can understand that. Tinkerer to tinkerer.​

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Would she run? Would she flee before any of this even drifted into her mind?​

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I do not know where my future lies. I do not know what other terms will be used to define me, and by extension you, but I will vow to protect you insofar as I am able, to give you all the tools required that you may one day pave your own way, and take fate into your own hands. Through the Sith I found freedom from my chains - literal chains... He brushed over that fact, and did his best to limit how many thoughts of his indentured life slipped through the cracks to her mind. Through them I have learned more than I ever thought imaginable. So too will you, if you wish it.​

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It was then that Arcturus finally slipped into the driver's seat, the speeder having arrived driven by the whims of a droid. He took the controls over from it, and then looked at her pointedly.​

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The choice is yours, Tamiko. My hand is outstretched, the offer is plain; you can join me in here, and we can go as planned into your future, or... You can turn around, and return to whatever life remains in the wake of your bosses poor life choices.​

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Arcturus knew what he would do. Would she make the same decision?​

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Tamiko Sabo ​

 

[Tamiko Sabo]

With the sudden reignition of the force bond, her anticipation deepened. Whatever answers Arcturus held, he felt were best delivered under some guise of security. Signaling her attention, she briefly paused when he admitted to not knowing what world he hailed from. She'd heard that before, brought up repeatedly in contentious rants of Jedi dealings. To her knowledge, the Jedi took their pickings from the most impressionable. Whisking kids away from their barely established lives to raise them in the confines of temples, under the singular guidance of their religion. Sheltered. The man before her was no Jedi, but it wasn't a hard assumption to make that other factions would indulge in such practices. It must keep obedience high.

It was somewhat of a grim reality she felt fortunate not to be subjected to. She could point to her origins, have some sense of an identity relating to where and who she derived from. Whatever feelings of acrimony resided in her at the thought of her home world didn't remove the fact no one could take away the knowledge of her life there, that no one had ever tried.

The last time she stood on such precarious of a ledge she was taking steps out into her first exodus. Her and her brother, both far too young to reasonably navigate the greater universe, only carrying what they had on their back as they fled home. Eventually that course of events led her here, once again uprooting her life for the promise of better soil.

The revelation he had a suite primed and ready barely had an impact of her. He clearly had more mysterious powers. Never been to the higher levels before. I take they'll have better lighting. A grinned pulled at her lips, It would've been such an absurd offer to hear only a handful of hours ago.

That was nothing compared to his next statement. They'd be off world tomorrow. After spending half her life running the same streets she turned towards unparalleled freedom. Wherever she wished to go? Hell anywhere different. Anywhere, like he said, she could forge new roots. A few ideas flashed her mind, all derived from grandeur stories graced from small talk or bar conversations straight from the mouths of drunkards. Even her home world briefly crossed her mind, for no other purpose than to consider the genuine potential she had to return. There was no desire to however. In reality she didn't feel pulled in any direction.

He briefly laid out an itinerary, encouraging her own input, to chase after whatever thread caught her interest. No doubt she'd find that easy to manage. A thirst for knowledge was inherent in her, demanding as ever.

Then he answered her most pressing question. His opening line accurately echoing much of the fairytales she'd grown up on. Sith, that was the answer she was unknowingly waiting for, the one he'd hesitated giving so openly. Nonetheless he relinquished it to the air between them, no doubt waiting for an immediate reaction.

It was impossible to hold back the incredulous look on her face. Sith were anything but human. Conduits of the force who just happened to reside in human vessels. Too ancient for any mortal memory of them too exist. Vampires, nightmares, hooded figures hiding behind countless atrocities. Lest that's how the Jedi pointedly described them. Lest that's how she was raised to understand them. That perception cracked within an instant.

He was right about titles, Sith was far too suffocating of a word to describe Arcturus. To describe everything she'd seen from him so far. He wasn't absent of humanity, he was perfectly relatable. His words were easy to believe. Traitor was it? But still crediting the Sith for his freedom? Perhaps it was just the power he'd found in them. The mental images he projected were reaffirming, though questions arose along with them with. He'd seen warfare, he'd been a solider. What type of convoluted life had he led? How much of it had been sponsored by the Sith?

He seemed to work within his own regard as if he'd merely associated with the Sith as a way to channel his ability, not driven by the politics of it all. Not a slave to their dealings. However she naturally questioned if that'd always been true. Literal chains. Those two words alone allowed some glimpse, however restricted, into his buried past. More so what the force had enabled him to overcome.

I've been told Sith are supposedly all monsters. She eyes him a bit curiously holding off on answering his last statement .By their eternally sworn rivals that is. It was a factual statement, trying to refrain from coming off apprehensive. She regarded him briefly, speculation in her eyes not at Arcturus's morality but at her own crumbling perceptions. You seem to drive a hard argument against that. Personally wouldn't use monster to describe you, or Sith for that matter. No doubt he'd bear witness to the internal conclusion she'd come to. Isn't the divide between Sith and Jedi purely political anyway? Just warring factions? She quirked an eyebrow at Arcturus. Through Coruscant everything came through the scope of politics. Maybe that was flawed perspective, naïve even, but it was the one she was raised in.

You say you're a nomad, traveling on your own accord then? Tipping her head towards the speeder she continued. It doesn't make you a Sith if you don't fight their wars. With that she dipped her head, slinging her bag over her arm and sinking into a passenger seat. I don't think there was really much of decision to make on my part. She broke eye contact, looking out the window as if it gave her some impression of what awaited her.

As for lessons, she turned towards Arcturus after a moment, humor inflicted in her tone, I should probably start by learning to shield my mind.

Arcturus Dinn