Title: Around the Campfire
Author: DaenaBenjen42
Timeline: Post Dark Nest Trillogy (somewhat AU)
Genre: drama
Summary: Alone together, two characters talk.
~*~*~*~
The forest was never quiet, not even in the long hours of the night. All the screeching and the rustling and the far-off yowling of an animal or two… listening to it made her edgy, almost nervous.
"Isn't this nice?" the male voice asked, intruding into her thoughts from the othe side of the camp fire. "All those sounds of life out there, moving around and…"
"Being noisy," she muttered, interrupting him.
"Well, yes, but I find it relaxing to listen to." He studied her thoughtfully for a moment. "I thought Jedi liked the sound of nature."
"Well I don't." And then she looked away from him.
"Jedi Rar?" he asked, concerned.
"It's nothing, Colonel."
"Sure it is… tell me?"
She shook her head, still not looking at him. "Not important."
"I understand if you'd rather not talk about it, but…" he let the sentence hang there between them, unfinished, waiting. Only the sound of the fire popping and crackling punctuated the silence
Now she looked at him. "But what?"
"I think you need to talk about it if it's hurting you."
She looked away again and shrugged. "It's not."
"I don't believe you."
They were silent for a few minutes as he waited her out and she pointedly ignored him. Finally, she broke the silence with a heavy sigh. "Good times sounded like this."
"Good times?"
"You know… before."
"Before what?" He knew some of it, but wanted her to explain.
"Before…" She said again, her eyes distant and wistful. "…before."
He watched her carefully as she stood up, almost in a daze, and turned to gaze out into the darkness. "Jedi Rar?"
"Numa. I miss her," she said a minute later when she turned back to him. "The forest reminds me of good times on Yavin4."
"Ah." He patted the patch of ground beside himself. "Want to talk about it?"
She regarded him with hooded eyes for a moment before moving around the campfire to sit closer to him. "Why are you being so nice to me?"
"Because, Gorog influence or no, you are still a person."
It was in that moment, as she saw the utter honesty in Colonel Jagged Fel's eyes, that Jedi Alema Rar began to trust again.
Fini