"Ty, when are you going to start talking to me and telling me the truth about what's going on in your head?" Kavar asked suddenly, looking up from his desk. The younger Jedi looked at him curiously, tilting her head to the side. Her pale blue eyes shone with confusion, wiping away the melancholy of boredom that had previously set in. She sat up from the couch she had been resting in moments before, no longer able to find comfort in the softness of the material. That had been a random question she hadn't been expecting.
"I'm not exactly sure what you mean. We've always been truthful with each other, even when we were arguing. Unless there is something you aren't telling me." She laughed lightly, but even she could tell that the sound was off and strange. Kavar looked at her then, his face completely serious.
"I'm having an affair with Atris." He deadpanned and Tyla choked, losing all air from her lungs as she collapsed away from the couch and onto the hard and cold floor. When she finally got the flow of oxygen back to her brain again, she coughed a couple more times only to look up to the sight of Kavar laughing at her stupidity.
"You kriffing-" She started, muttering lowly in a different language to hide her severe series of cuss words. Once her second little fit of the day was done with, she pulled herself back into her seat, managing to straighten her robes out enough to make herself look decent. Not that it really mattered since she was only with Kavar, but a small part of herself that was vain had it's moments on occasion.
"But seriously, I'm concerned. You've been pulling away from me more and more these past few weeks and I don't like that. I know our relationship has been on rocky terrain ever since I first took you on as a Padawan, but it's never been this bad. Even when I was fairly convinced we hated each other and would never get along. I would really appreciate it if you would have enough respect to at least try to talk to me about whatever it is." Kavar stated, standing up from his chair. He pushed it away from the desk and walked around to the front of it, doing an odd mix of leaning and sitting on it she had never been able to master. It annoyed her that he seemed to be able to do everything perfectly without trying, but then again that was why he was the master, and she was just the Padawan. She still had a lot to learn.
Tyla sighed, looked down at the floor, and took a deep breath before trying to explain. "Look, I'm sorry if I worried you. I didn't mean to. But I've been dealing with a lot of stress lately and nothing I've been doing has been able to fix it. I'm lost in the dark here and I don't have anyone to turn to." She stumbled, the words sounding awkward and forced. Geez, Force knew she wasn't one for words. That was why she specialized in making people do what she said. She wasn't persuasive enough on her own without the Force.
A thick silence hung in the air for what could have been moments or hours, but everything seemed perfectly still. Then the dark serenity of the moment was broken as he pushed himself up heavily. What was it about him that no matter what he did, he always seemed to have a way to make it look like the weight of the universe was on his shoulders? It should have been nothing but simple melodramatics, but something wasn't right with that theory. Bah, she needed to rid her mind of such trivial thoughts. They weren't important to the matter at hand.
"Have you forgotten that you can always turn to me?" He asked in return, and she sighed, but this time it was happy. She hadn't wanted to bother him with her issues, but he did seem to really care. And that was all she could ask for. Revan and Malak and the rest of the crew were great friends, but they didn't have the same type of bond she and Kavar had. Revan was practically like her sister and still, sometimes she found herself unable to talk to her to things that she could talk to Kavar about. It wasn't fair to her dark-haired friend, but it was the simple truth.
"Of course not. I just didn't think you would want to be bothered by trouble's troubles." She grinned, expecting a smack up the head. And sure enough she received one. He hated it when she did that, and that was the exact reason why she did it. She couldn't help but annoy him. It was far too much fun.
"Ty, you aren't a bother. You used to be when you were still an immature little brat," Tyla scowled at him but he continued as if she hadn't done a thing, "but you aren't now." He stated and Tyla muttered under her breath that she wasn't an immature little brat and never had been.
"Well in case you don't remember, you were an arrogant little prick when I first became your Padawan." Tyla countered with a teasing smirk and the Jedi master rolled his eyes and she noticed that just for a second, the invisible weight that usually weighed down on him was gone. She smiled at the thought that she could make him happy as she shifted slightly to get a better look at his handsome face. Her moment of happiness was shattered though when she felt a datapad slide across her leg in the pocket of her robe. Kavar deserved to know. She had to tell him.
Tyla sighed and moved back to sit on the couch she had abandoned when this conversation had first started. She slid her hand into her pocket and gripped the icy metal of the datapad that had been haunting her for the past weeks and she shuddered at what she knew was on it. She hoped Kavar would understand her reasons for keeping the thing and doing what she had done.
"About two weeks ago, a datapad was delivered to me. I didn't know who it was from or what it was, but it was pitch black and encoded very well. I couldn't even begin to break the encryption on it. I got desperate. Something about the datapad called to me. I just knew that I had to know what was on it for some weird reason I don't even know. So, I…I broke into the Sith section of the Archives and plugged up the datapad. The encryption on it was some ancient Sith code. It made it readable and I unplugged it and went to the top of the Enclave. Since I was alone and it was the middle of the night, I finally felt comfortable enough to read the thing. This is it." Tyla explained, taking out the datapad and tossing it to Kavar. He caught it easily and began reading and the Offshoot looked down, knowing exactly what he was seeing. It had been burned into her memory and she remembered the words letter for letter.
Tyla Kian Moore, I fear you have been…misinformed of your true origins. You have been led to believe you were an only child and your mother died shortly after childbirth with you and your father died on an attack on Deralia . I wish to inform you that this information is incorrect. Your true name is Rhai'liah Tialy Kia'naila Moor'emire. You believe you are fully Arkanian Offshoot with the human specification, but this is also lies. I cannot tell you where the other half of your blood comes from, but it is clear that those features have been hidden and you appear as the lies have been told to you. I cannot tell you who I am or why I have chosen to give you this information, but it was information that must be given to you. You have siblings closer to you than you imagine, and your destiny is great. You will change the universe several times over and the fate of the Jedi, the Sith, and everyone caught in between rests on your shoulders. I wish you luck in your coming journeys my mistress. I will meet you when the time has come for me to accompany you. Until then, may the Force be with you and may your memories be free from the shadows they are cloaked in.
Silence reigned in the room for what could have been hours and Tyla felt her body tightening with every second. She was absolutely terrified about what Kavar would do. She had done wrong and she knew that, but she had needed to read it so badly for some reason. Had it been worth it? She still didn't know, and that petrified her.
Tyla glanced up in surprise when she felt Kavar's hand resting on her head. She bowed her head again and brushed away the tears she felt gathering in her eyes and sliding down her cheeks.
"I'm scared Kavar. This was obviously sent to me by the Sith and by a Sith, so I should just pass it off as a lie and not think about it. But they know so much about me and it just…I don't know, it just feels right. I know this is the truth, but I'm scared. I'm scared that I'll remember this forever and I'll never get to be just Tyla again." She muttered quietly as she cried. She began to feel a small pressure at her head but she passed it off as simply the strain of releasing all this emotion at once after having it bottled up for so long. "But at the same time, I'm scared. I'm so scared that if I pass this off and forget it then I'll lose a part of myself and forget who I truly am. I don't want that either. I don't know what to do Kavar." Tyla cried, wrapping her arms around Kavar tightly and hugging him close to her. The pressure at her head faded away slightly as Kavar's hand moved away and he slowly embraced her back in her hug.
"What do you want to do about this information Ty?" He said after a moment, and the young Padawan shuddered slightly as she tried to control her tears. She didn't dare look up at her master, not knowing what she would see in his always kind deep eyes.
"I…I don't know. I really don't. I want to remember this, I think. But I don't want Revan or Malak or anybody else to know. Can this just stay our little secret?" Tyla asked, risking a single glance up. Kavar was looking down at her, something unreadable in his eyes. He nodded at her after a moment and tilted his head at her, his blonde hair falling in his eyes in a rare moment where he didn't look perfect.
"Do you want me to start calling you Rhai'liah or should I continue to call you Tyla?" He asked and the Offshoot shivered at the sound of his voice saying her true name aloud. That was the first time even she had ever heard it spoken aloud and it certainly affected her. She knew know for sure that the name that had been sent to her must be her true name. It simply sounded too…right. And that scared her even more.
"No. Not yet at least. If I ever want to go by that name, you'll be the first to know. I swear it. I'm just scared. I seem to forget a lot of things and this is the one thing I don't want to ever forget." Tyla muttered, burying her face in Kavar's chest again. His hand came up and gently stroked the back of her hair as she felt him gently kiss the top of her head.
"I promise you nothing nor nobody will ever make you forget this knowledge. Not when you seem so desperate to hold on to it." Kavar swore quietly, and Tyla swore she heard guilt in his voice. She shook it off though and remained in his arms, taking quiet comfort in the serenity his strong grasp held.
Anything familiar belongs to LucasArts/Obsidian/Bioware. Tyla Moore belongs to Shadows of the Storm.
Shadow's Discovery © Shadows of the Storm