| Daneira_Farris | Date: Monday, 16 Nov 2015, 9:11 PM | Message # 1 |
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Group: Users
Messages: 33
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| Present
The muja fruit was ripe and ready for harvest, the same time every year. For twenty years, she climbed the ladders into the trees in the orchards and picked the delicate fruits, placing each into an old, hand-woven vine basket, the same basket that Dom Shepherd's wife used before she died, long before he did. It was almost a ritual for the former Jedi, a mindless activity that reminded her of Dom, and kept her going forward from day to day. Each different crop harvest and planting on the farm kept her going, but only barely. It wasn't really living.
The farm lived, she had made sure of that, after Dom died. It was her way of remembering him, and her way of trying to keep herself distracted from the painful memories of the past. He had saved her life, after pulling her broken body from the banks of the Veit River that ran along the eastern edge of his property, near his vineyards (which harvested in two weeks, if there was no frost). The old farmer had gotten a doctor her knew, from a nearby farm, even though he really only worked on sheep, to remove the shrapnel from her thigh and stitch her up. He repaired the blaster wound to her abdomen, and set her broken shoulder and collarbone. He did the best he could, because both he and Dom knew what she was and they knew why she was hurt, and if they called a real doctor, she would die even faster than if he failed.
Dom also tried, for years, to help her soul heal. Much to his dismay, a broken heart was near impossible to repair; not with a doctor, or talking, or any amount of distraction, a broken heart was still broken. He told her about his wife, and their children. He took her to meet his friends and remaining family, and called Her Nora...the daughter of his 'deceased sister', whom he had taken care of since her mother died. It was all a ruse to protect her, of course, but none of it helped. The only solace she got was in helping Dom work on his farm. Occasionally, neighbors would come to Dom, mentioning trouble with a group of locals that were terrorizing that town. 'Nora' quickly took care of the issues, giving any money gained, if she was completely unable to refuse it, to Dom. Little did she know that he stashed all of it away for her, so she would be taken care of.
He died ten years after he saved her. And it killed her all over again that she couldn't save him. She couldn't heal the cancer that raved his lungs from his lifelong two pack a day deathstick habit. 'Nora' shut down again, barely leaving the farm or having any contact with any of the locals. Instead, she left the harvest baskets on the doorstep of a neighbors house in the middle of the night, so that he could use or sell what he needed. This was how she lived day after day.
It wasn't really living.
Added (27 Jul 2015, 6:36 PM)
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19BBY- 6 Months After the Great Jedi Purge
She had never been the type to wear a dress. Not since she was a child, since prep school, since her mothers funeral. Dresses were for funerals. Daneira had found the simple greyish blue linen dress shoved in the back of the closet of the small bedroom that she had been staying in. It had to have belonged to a daughter, or the wife of the old man that lived in the house. Either way, she thought that he would not mind if she borrowed it, just for the day.
The Jedi knight slipped the calf length dress over her figure and zipped it up, then took a minute to adjust the thin straps over her shoulders, and finally comb her fingers through her hair. She walked down the steps of the creaky, old farmhouse and into the kitchen. The old man, Dominic, had let herstay while she healed, and then longer after she started helping him around the small farm that he could barely care for himself anymore. It was a quiet life, and for the most part, it kept her mind off of what she did not want to remember.
He was in the kitchen with his holo paper (which, coincidentally, she had poured over for weeks after the attack happened....and no news came of it) when she walked in. His thin face paled a little as he looked up at Daneira. "You look just like my daughter." He said, pausing to cough. She shook her head and patted his back lightly. Age, smoking, and the war had taken a toll on him and it showed more and more by the week.
"I have something I have to do today, I hope you don't mind. I will be back later." She said simply before she turned and left the old house without another word.
***
The battlefield had healed. The scars of battle were no longer evident. Green grass blanketed the once scorched land and hid any evidence of the death that had occurred there. Daneira stood near to the river, close to a large rock that jutted out into the rushing water. It was where she had fallen and disappeared a little more than six months before. There were no landmarks in the grassy plain, so she just closed her eyes and forced herself to remember the day and she walked in the soft grass, stopping at each spot that she could remember.
Blaster fire rang fresh in her ears, explosions, the sounds of droids marching. Clones and their armor clinked. The smell of burnt flesh and the bodies scattered across the plain when she finally opened her eyes again. It was like it was happening all over again. The tank she had been on burst into flames, but she got to safety without an issue. Quickly, she looked to the northeast quadrant of the field. She remembered it was where she had last seen him. His lightsaber flared to life as he deflected blaster shots from the clones. An explosion erupted between them and when the dirt finally settled, he was no longer in sight, the lightsaber no longer visible. Just clones, shooting at what looked like a body on the ground. That was when she was shot.
She turned her gaze down to the water for a moment before she moved away from it. Daneira stopped on a spot and looked down at the grass before she dropped to her knees, unconcerned with staining the linen dress. "You know..." She began as she sat there in the middle of the grassy plain. "I never thought that it would hurt so much. We always knew that there was the risk of it happening. We had been preparing for it...but....that hasn't made it any easier."
Dani paused and trailed her palm over the soft blades of grass next to her. There had been a range of emotions since it had happened, some emotions she hadn't experienced in years. Anger, fear, sadness, pain, emptiness, and finally, calm. Those emotions started to flood back then, but she needed the closure. It had to be over so that she could truly move on. "There were so many things that we were supposed to do together, Karth. Order be damned. You knew how I felt about that."
She quieted down a little and placed her palm on the ground to steady herself as she dropped down onto her hip. "And I couldn't even bury you properly. You were just gone." She assumed when she went back to retrieve his body days later, that they had taken him for whatever reason. Evidence, proof, maybe? She was unsure. Dani ran her fingers through her dark locks and tangled her digits into the strands. Through all of it, she hadn't shed a tear, but that day the crystalline drops flowed freely down her cheeks before she finally crumpled to the grass with her free hand covering her face.
"I don't understand why...why you? Why couldn't it have been me?"
Added (28 Jul 2015, 6:57 PM)
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18 BBY- 4 Months post Jedi-purge
"Nora-I'm home- are you here?" Dominic called out as he walked in the front door of the old farmhouse. He lugged a large lidded bucket laden with fish in one hand, and his tackle box in the other.
"I'm here." She said, having appeared seemingly out of nowhere. Easily, she took the bucket and reached for the tackle box, but Dom held fast to it and walked into the kitchen. Dani eyed him as he sat the box on the kitchen table and opened it.
"Pulled something interesting out of the river in my nets today, Nora." He said, calling her by the namehe had since the day he found her, injured near the river. Slowly, he pulled an object wrapped in a dirty rag from the bottom of the plastic tackle box and laid it on the table. "Never saw anything like it, course, except once back during the war." By that time, Daneira had deposited the bucket into the large sink and she had turned her attention back to the old man. He motioned for "Nora" to take a look at what he had found. She gave him a hesitant glance before she pulled back the fabric and saw the aged hilt of her lightsaber lying within. Some amount of shock registered across her face as she picked the silver hilt up with a shaky hand and examined it. It was hers. The one she had lost
when she "died".
Dani met Dominic's knowing gaze for a brief moment as her thumb found the toggle and she ignited the azure blade with a familiar snap, then hiss. The sound filled the deafening silent room, and it was almost a comfort to her. She felt his gaze on her as she examined the weapon, and tears formed in her eyes. "Dominic...I...."
But he held up a hand to stop her right there, and he settled into a chair across the table.
"How did you know?" She murmured as she switched the toggle again and the blade vanished.
"I just had a feeling, Nora. The direction you were coming from and the fact that you were soaked and injured....we could hear the battle from here, ya know. Those explosions weren't quiet." He paused and pulled a pack of cigs from his shirt pocket and lit one up. Dominic took a long drag from one and then looked at her. "After it was over, the tanks rolled past here on their way to the nearest port." He said. "But you were unconscious for that."
"There was too much pain in your eyes." He continued, still smoking the putrid death stick. "I knew youhad to be involved somehow. And your nightmares....you talk in your sleep..." Dom paused again and inhaled deeply. "So why don't you start by telling me your real name, sugar. And then you can tell me who Karth is."
Added (03 Aug 2015, 9:48 PM)
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21 BBY- Akuria II
A trail of carnage wound along the bedroom floor; shoes, clothing, a blaster, lightabers, all hastily removed and discarded without further thought. Bodies laid tangled in white bedsheets. Legs entwined, two figures pressed together in exhausted sleep. Daneira's dark, mussed curls splayed across Karth's chest as she slept, curled into his torso. Sleeping when they only had seventy two hours together seemed like such a waste, but neither could have fought it off anymore.
Regardless, she was with him, and that made her happy.
It had never once occurred to Dani that it would take another person to make her happy. She had always been self sufficient and had no issue with being alone. But this relationship, or whatever it was, had prompted her to be more careful at the very least. Careful not only for herself, but for him as well. She couldn't imagine the anguish either of them would have felt if the other died. She couldn't imagine a galaxy without him, and she didn't want to. Even before, growing up, when they were just friends, there was no way she could have imagined their lives being like this.
Maybe that was why Jedi were not supposed to form attachments, to love. But sometimes, at least Daneira felt, the Force had bigger plans than the rules that were set down by the Council.
Added (04 Aug 2015, 7:52 PM)
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22 BBY- The Trial
"You passed with flying colors, Daneira. I'm proud of you- you did so well." Daneira heard Atrya say, though the girl had not looked at her master yet. Her gaze was still fixated on the lasers that were meticulously repairing the gaping wound in her leg, that exposed the bone that supported muscle and flesh. Of course, she wondered how Atrya had thought that she 'passed with flying colors'- she had gotten hurt, and badly at that, but she had completed her task, and gotten out on her own volition.
When Dani finally did look up, Atrya was not there, but Master Eblin. It had been a year since Belassa, and she still heard Atrya's voice. Of course, she never told anyone, because it seemed too far-fetched, and surely they would have thought her to be crazy. In the days and weeks following Belassa, the council had deemed that she was fit and well enough to continue her training. At times, it felt like a smoke screen, and she her thoughts still lingered on the events that happened there, and she woke from terrors about it in the night.
"Thank you, Master Eblin." She murmured, several moments later. He rested a hand on her shoulder and squeezed gently.
"I will let you get some rest. You need some time to heal." He said calmly, before he departed. He was gone so fast, that Daneira could say nothing else, even if she wanted to. So instead, she just laid back against the bed and listened to the soft whirring of the medical droid that was doing it's job, and she drifted off to sleep.
"I know you can do this, D. You are ready. Atrya felt that you were ready. I believe in you." Karth said, as he laced his fingers lightly with hers.
"Are you sure? People have died..." She responded, her voice laced with hesitance and a hint of fear. Daneira had heard stories of people going through the trails and being maimed, mutilated, or eve killed. There was always the chance of it, but in the back of her mind, she knew that she was completely ready. She could do this. She was prepared, and she had been trained well. Her questioning was only out of fear after seeing Atrya die.
"You will be fine, Daneira. Listen to me. I would never say it if I did not believe it. You can do this."
Added (05 Aug 2015, 8:23 PM)
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23 BBY- 1 month post-Belassa
The loss of Atrya had devastated Daneira. There were days that she did not move from the meditation chamber, or eat, or sleep. To her, time passed without noticed, while others watched. Perhaps she had taken it too hard, her bond with Atrya had been very strong. It was difficult to not form an attachment when two people spent that much time together. Atrya had taught her almost everything she knew, and they protected each other. Because of that Daneira had refused every offer from other masters to finish her training, because she felt she could not be taught any better than she already was. The Council had decided that Belassa had been a portion of her Trials to Knighthood completed; skill, and courage. Daneira had decided to do the remainder on her own, with no further training, to honor Atrya's memory and teachings.
Unknown to anyone else in the order, the bulk of Daneira's distress was not about Atrya. She had realized, in those days on Belassa, that her feelings for another Jedi were stronger than they should have been. Karth De'Qora had been her friend as long as she could remember. So since their return from Belassa, she had avoided him as much as she could. Of course, the Council could never find out about her feelings, or she would never be allowed to see him again. No, it was just best to avoid him.
But she wondered, was that what was best for both of them? After all, she was not the only one who lost someone to Chancellor Gratus. Maybe he needed her, like she felt like she needed him. They had been through so much together, was avoiding him now doing either of them any good? No, Daneira finally decided. No, it was not good, not for her at least.
After weeks, Daneira finally removed herself from her meditation room. She showered, and changed clothes, and actually ate something, much to the shock of almost anyone who saw her. But it was late at night, or early in the morning, she wasn't really sure what time it was, but there were so few people and the darkness of the sky left her guessing as to the time.
Finally though, she found herself alone in the corridor, at Karth's door, and she knocked. When he answered, she looked into his cognac colored eyes for several moments without saying a word. What could she say? Instead, she said it all with a kiss; sweet and gentle, just enough to tell him how she felt without words. If he was surprised, she was equally so, because it was not what she had planned to do.
But it did feel right.
Added (10 Aug 2015, 3:17 PM)
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19 BBY
This was why the Jedi Order forbade personal relationships, Daneira was sure of it. It killed her every time he left to fight someone elses war, someone elses battle. She wrung her hands together as she watched him gather his effects, few as they were. She wanted to beg him not to go, plead with him to stop this senseless ki....but her communicator chirping stopped her approach.
"Yes?" She said hastily, awaiting a reply.
"Knight Farris?"
"Yes?"
"Ah, yes. Please be advised that you will be going to New Plympto this evening, with Knight D'Qora." The disembodied voice said.
Dani nodded, not that the person could see her. "Yes, of course. I will prepare immediately." She clicked the comm off.
There was a part of her that struggled to believe or trust the council and their motives anymore. No one could ever say, however, that she was not loyal to the Jedi, despite her occasional hesitation.
"Orders." She said, shrugging to Karth as she dropped the commlink into the pocket of her cargo pants. "Looks like I am going to New Plympto as well. With you." At least for now, she could forgo that talk with him.
Added (06 Oct 2015, 8:03 PM)
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18 BBY
"You still owe us 5,000 credits, old man." The voice sneered.
Dom Parsons held his hands up to shoulder height and shook his head. "I paid everything I owed for last month and this month." He retorted.
The other man mulled his words over while taking an obscenely long drag from death stick. He held the smoke in, letting it filter through his lungs before he exhaled the poisonous smoke into the old mans face. Dom coughed, a horrible retching sound that vibrated through his entire form from years of smoking. He had the sense to quit, but the damage had already been done.
"You're right." The younger man said. "But there has been a change in the policy, so now you owe 10,000 credits. An extra 5 per month."
"I don't have it." Dom said, simply enough. "You take eve...." He didn't even have time to finish the word before a fist landed squarely in his gut and the old man doubled over tohis knees. His gaze shot out to the field and surrounding, but he did not see Nora working anywhere near, which he was thankful for. He
couldn't have protected her, he couldn't even protect himself. Dom tried to rise to his feet, but for his effort he received a boot to the chest and he toppled to his back, wheezing.
"Is there a problem here?" Daneira's voice rang out from where she had emerged from inside the house. The raised voices caught her attention, but a glance out the
window infuriated her. The Jedi stayed on the porch while the younger man made his immediate assessment of her.
"And what do we have here? Hiding a daughter from us, old man?" He asked as he held Dom down with his foot. "Come closer. Let's have a look, then." he said through the death stick dangling from his lips. Dani moved closer without hesitation, and already had an idea of what he was thinking about her.
"He's an old man, let him go." Daneira would only ask once. The man scoffed at the request and threw the butt of the death stick onto the ground.
"No. He owes us a lot of money." He replied as he dug his boot harder into the mans chest, which caused him to emit a wheezing groan. "But maybe...you and I could work out a deal and you could pay off his debt....in trade." He smiled, revealing rotting and missing teeth.
Without hesitation, Dani thrust her hand upwards and planted her palm into his nose, breaking it and causing him to stagger back and away from Dom. She knelt down and helped the old man to sit on the porch. Dani looked back to see the younger man shaking the stars from his head. He was bleeding heavily. "Wait here, alright? I will take care of this." She said to Dom, leaving him no choice in the matter.
"You broke my nose, you bit...." He was fumbling to draw a blaster, which didn't faze the Jedi in the slightest. She moved up to him, disarmed him and sent him crashing to the ground with a knee to the groin followed by an elbow to the trachea. She stepped on his chest with her boot, not exerting enough force to hurt him like he had done to Dom, but enough to keep him down, and his own blaster was pressed to his skull.
"Dom? How many people has he done this to?" She called back as she pressed the pistol to his skull a little harder. For a second she felt bad about what she was doing. She hadn't fought in the past year, but she was making an exception for her friend.
"Everyone I know, Nora." He said, holding back a wheeze. Dom started coughing hard again, and Daneira noticed that there was blood on his hands with each cough. "But, he is just an errand boy. He has a boss."
"I guess we are going to have to go have a chat with your boss." Dani said, pausing before she clenched her fist around his collar and dragged him to his feet with ease. "The question is; do I let you ride in the speeder, or do I drag you behind it?"Added (16 Nov 2015, 9:11 PM)
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20 BBY
"You know what I miss?" She asked as she laid on her back in the middle of the living room floor of the small apartment on Ixlatar. Dani didn't give him a chance to answer before she spoke again. "I sometimes miss the old days at the temple." She said as she idly floated a sphere above her. It was a practice in concentration, to be sure, but it was not difficult. "While it did not seem fun at the time, I miss going to classes. It was simpler then." Dani sighed and continued to levitate the orb with ease.
They were in the midst of war, and Daniera had just begun to believe that the war was not what they thought it was. The Jedi were being used to further the wrong cause, she felt, though she had a feeling that Karth did not feel the same way. "Training in the morning....then again in the afternoon....kicking your ass all over the lightsaber training gym...." Dani smiled, knowing full well that Karth was the better swordsman out of the two of them. She could tease him still, at least.
After several moments of silence, Daniera glanced over at Karth, who had been laying on the sofa with a book, though he was now paying attention to her words. It was one of the things that she loved about him- he always listened. Carefully, she plucked the floating orb out of the air and pulled herself into a sitting position. The only thing that made her feel better about no longer being at the temple...was Karth. They could not have been together if they were not out on their own. It had been a trying road up until that point, and she knew they could not have it both ways.
So for the first time, she told him how she felt. "We should run away together." Dani said suddenly before she moved over and sat on her knees by the side of the couch he was laying on. "Away from the war, the Order...and have a simple life." He probably thought she was joking, and if he would ask, she would say that she was. It was an unrealistic dream. "What do you think? We could live here....I could learn how to cook...."
Message edited by Daneira_Farris - Tuesday, 06 Oct 2015, 8:06 PM |
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