Tanagis V – Durza Home
A couple weeks had passed since Marin had completed her Trials, and she was sitting on the edge of the permacrete that marked the hangar area of her home on Tanagis V. The morning air was cool against her arms as she looked out over the forest. Ethan was off hunting and had left Marin at the house. With Jarod off on a mission, it was quiet.
After a short time, the silence was broken by the solid thud of beskar on permacrete. Aran, whom was the most recent addition to the occupancy, though he spent most of his time outside, carefully leaned his spear against the wall before approaching silently. He stopped several feet behind her, as was his habit, before speaking formally. "Su cuy'gar, Marin. A fine day, is it not...?" While he had been given possession of his beskar'gam once again, he chose not to wear it most times, opting for the simple bodysuit underneath. In this particular instance, he had also donned the wraparound cloak from the day he'd come into contact with this group.
"Aye." She said softly. She wore a worn coverall and her own beskar'gam, with the buy'ce clipped to her belt. It was black with dark orange accents, and a single red stripe down the left chest. Her armor was designed so that she could sit and move easily in it. She glanced over her shoulder at him for a moment. "Did you rest well?"
His response came after a few moments of contemplation, and his tone was soft. "Indeed I did, this place is rather...calming, in my experience."
Her eyebrows crept up slightly when she saw he was wearing his own beskar'gam but she said nothing for the moment. "Going somewhere today?"
A soft chuckle was offered at that. "I wasn't planning on it, nayc...just making sure I'm used to the weight again. One can never be too careful, after all." He crossed his arms across his chest at the end of this, but his stance was quite relaxed.
She shrugged slightly - as much as her beskar'gam would allow. "Just enjoying the quiet. It's been a bit crazy the last few weeks." She had the feeling he was holding something back, but she didn't press him about it. "Just looks like you are ready to head off somewhere."
"I'd have to agree with that, aye...but what would life be without the occasional crazy week?" At her last statement, he offered a shrug of his own. "I had considered a bit of hunting, honestly, but decided against it for the time being. Besides, I seem to recall Ethan being out doing just that...so it would be redundant as well."
"What did you want to do, then?" Her tone was curious as she looked over at him, taking note of his gear.
After a moment, he stepped up and absently dropped his left hand on her shoulder as he looked out over the forest as she had been earlier. "Hadn't really decided on anything as of yet...you?" Even as he said this, however, a stun dart discharged from the bottom of his left gauntlet point blank towards the back of her shoulder. Wary of her being a force user, and knowing how his own abilities seemed to work, he made a point of not even thinking about the action...he just did it.
She felt a jolt of warning and started to turn towards him, her hand going for a knife. But the serum was already working. She wavered for a few moments as she fought the effects. Her left hand grasped at his wrist, but the grip fell away a second later as she crumpled to the permacrete.
He was frowning deeply, and waited patiently until he could be sure that she was out before sighing heavily. He didn't want to spring this on her, but it wouldn't work that well if he didn't. And so, he knelt and lifted her carefully before turning to head towards the area he'd designated for this.
Slowly, Marin woke as sounds filtered into her awareness. The soft sounds of wildlife and the breeze touched her skin. It was then that she realized she had a headache. With a soft groan she opened her eyes- and found only darkness. She was blindfolded and as she tried to move, she found she was restrained as well.
There was silence for several long moments as he let her take in her predicament. They were in a secluded area of the forest, and she was kneeling with her arms joined together behind the trunk of a tree with a set of heavy manacles. They had no electronics to mess with, so he figured they'd be the safest thing. Her legs had been bound tightly together with metal cord at the ankles and knees as well, effectively making it difficult to move in any manner. Finally, he spoke, his voice tinged with a hint of malice that hadn't been there before. "Finally decided to come back, eh? Well good."
For a moment she was silent before she tried to move. When she did, the manacles bit into her wrists painfully and pain lanced through her legs as the motion pulled at the muscles in her thigh. Gasping in pain, she fell still. "Me'copaani...?" She asked as evenly as she could
Chuckling softly, his hand came to rest on her left shoulder almost gently. "Quite simply, I have some questions, and you're going to answer them. Do I make myself...clear?" He emphasized this last word by driving his thumb into the same point J'oran had used to mess up her arm.
She gasped a curse then, pain lancing up her arm before it went numb. "Go to haraan." She muttered, her slim form shaking slightly.
A short, mirthless laugh was given before a fist slammed into her stomach - hard. His response was just barely above a whisper. "I don't plan on it. Now be a good little dalyc and answer, and I won't have to hurt you...that much..."
She gasped, pain flooding her mind for a few moments. Sucking in a breath, she tried to breath through it. "Me'copaani?" She whispered again, her voice barely audible. She closed her eyes for a moment and pulled very briefly at her bonds - which only tweaked her shoulders more.
A few more moments passed before he finally alleviated the pressure on her shoulder, and he spoke softly. "I need to know several things...first off, how many is this academy of Karrde's housing...?"
Marin shook her head. "Nayc..." The question made her blood run cold for a second or two. " I won't..."
At that, he pressed his thumb into the point on her right shoulder this time, and hissed out a response. "Think hard about giving that answer...do you honestly think it ends well for you?"
A pained gasp was her only response before she shook her head firmly. She couldn't see him, but her sense of direction when it came to sound was quite accurate. Taking a slow breath, she tried to breathe through the pain.
A moment's pause, then the pressure on her shoulder increased a great deal just before his other hand punched into her ribs with bruising force. "Being stubborn, is it? Well, that's good I suppose...just not for you."
Marin bit her lip, and her breathing became a bit labored as she tried to remain silent. After a few seconds, she felt the arm going numb. Squeezing her eyes shut, she tried to hold back a pained whimper, and she almost succeeded – at least until he punched her in the ribs.
He caught the sound, and responded with a cold laugh. He released his hold on her shoulder, but the relief only lasted a moment before he drove one of his fingers into a point on her side, just below the ribs. This would cause a burning sensation in the lungs and make breathing painful. He waited several seconds for this to kick in, then asked again. "How many are studying under Karrde...?"
As he let go of her shoulder, she felt sensation return to it in a rush of pins and needles that was almost painful. She got perhaps two solid breaths before he drove his fingers into the point in her side. As the sensation became apparent, Marin could feel sweat standing out on her forehead. She tried to draw breath to refuse, but her lungs burned. She settled for shaking her head. But this left her gasping for breath.
After another ten seconds, Aran slowly backed off the pressure to the point that it was still painful, but breathing wouldn't be that hard. When he spoke again, his voice was cold. "I'm being lenient right now, you know...I can easily cause a great deal more pain if you keep refusing to answer. One last chance, how many are studying under Karrde...?"
Marin gasped softly, shaking her head mutely. "N - Nayc..." she stammered, shaking slightly. "I...won't..."
Sighing heavily, he made sure enough noise was made for her to know about what he was doing as he slid a knife from it's sheath on his belt. There was nearly complete silence for the next twenty or so seconds. And then, without a word, he almost absently nicked her shoulder with the blade through her coverall. It barely drew any blood, but it was coated in the same nerve agent that she'd dealt with during her vision involving Beviin. He didn't know this, but he did know it caused extreme amounts of pain.
She swore as pain blossomed across her shoulder, and she went rigid as she began to make the connection in her memories. "Nayc... nayc..." she whispered as her hands shook noticeably. The nerve agent kicked in full force, and she was now paralyzed
"I can keep this up all day, you know...you only need to answer properly and I can stop. But I won't unless you do..." He emphasized this point by nicking her other shoulder with the blade.
Marin gasped, her face twitching at the sudden pain. She could feel sweat trickling down the back of her neck, and it was leaving cold trails across her skin. She couldn't shake her head, so she remained silent and looked straight ahead.
Muttering a bit, he slowly drew a line of blood across her stomach at that response. The blade bit deeper into her skin this time, and lingered longer, making sure the coating was being utilized fully.
"Kriff...off..." she groaned, the pain making her want to curl up... but the fact she was bound and paralyzed kept her from doing so. Sweat ran freely down her neck now, and her hands shook. She was trying hard to resist... but the pain was slowly eroding her control.
He paused for several seconds, letting her suffer through the current effects a bit. He then decided it had been long enough, and the point of his knife dug into her left thigh. It wasn't deep enough to hit anything important, or even cause permanent injury, but he then slowly twisted the blade back and forth for several seconds. "I ask again...how many are studying under Karrde...?"
A strangled curse fell from her lips at the sudden jolt of fresh pain, and her head came up quickly. Her hands were shaking again from the adrenaline, and she looked right at him before she mumbled something and shook her head again.
After hardly a moment, he did the exact same thing to her right thigh, speaking casually as he did so. "What was that? I couldn't quite hear you..."
This time she did whimper slightly. Her hands were clenching and unclenching as she tried to push the pain away. She could barely even focus. Shaking her head again, she jerked her head forward in an attempt to smash her head into his nose.
She had barely begun the action before his free hand latched onto her throat, applying pressure as he used this to hold her head back against the tree for the moment. "Just making it harder on yourself, dalyc..." This being said, he lightly nicked her left cheek with the blade, barely making a scratch as he knew using that much wasn't necessary.
As his hand closed around her throat Marin coughed, choking slightly. As he nicked her cheek, she sagged slightly as pain blossomed across her face, making her see stars. Her thigh muscles felt like they were on fire from where he'd driven the knife in and she could feel her body shaking from an adrenaline rush. "Nayc..." she stammered again, but it wasn't as firm this time. Her face was slightly pale, and her hands shook continuously.
His next statement was soft, almost soothing in it's tone. But, it still had a hard edge to it. "I told you before, I can keep this up all day...kriff, as long as I need to, really. And all you need to do for it to stop is answer a simple question...is it really such a bad tradeoff...?"
She shook her head firmly, her jaw clenching as she remembered what J'oran had done.. and Beviin - even though Beviin was only a vision that time. She frowned, trying to draw her presence close... but the pain was making it hard to focus.
He backed off a few feet for several minutes, then, watching to see what she'd do. He knew she had to be nearly unable to focus by this point, but she hadn't broken either. So far, he was quite impressed.
She heard him move away, and for a few seconds she was quiet. Her hands were still shaking, and she began muttering under her breath, trying to ignore what was going on.
Finally, after what would have seemed like an eternity to her, Aran went back at it. Without any warning, the knife was jammed into her left arm just below the shoulder. As with her thighs, it wouldn't be permanent, but the purpose of causing pain would be well fulfilled. He began twisting this back and forth slowly, and his voice was utterly cold. "I need an answer..."
A hissed curse was her initial response, and she stiffened in surprise and pain. "N...nayc.." she whispered, but it was weaker, and she looked away from him, mouthing something for a moment. When she turned back again, sweat was running down the side of her face. There was perhaps a second or two of silence before she whispered something.
He twisted the blade one last time before he stopped to give her a chance to respond. "What was that...?"
She swore, and her face went a shade paler before she stammered something. Her hands were shaking badly, and only her restraints were keeping her from sliding to the ground.
There was a moment's pause before he spoke again, but his tone left no room for argument. "Once more...clearly, please."
She whispered a number in Mando'a, just barely loud enough for him to hear. "Ehn'eta..." (thirty)
"There, see? That wasn't that hard, now was it...?" He withdrew the knife from her arm, and wiped the blade on her coverall before continuing. "Now that we understand each other...second question; why do you think this is happening to you?"
She swallowed and was silent a moment before answering. "You want to test my endurance..." She sounded a tad unsure, but it was the only answer that made sense.
A moment of silence, then he laughed lightly and gently slid the blindfold up away from her eyes. "Correct you are, Marin...my apologies, but I needed the situation to be as realistic as possible. You did quite well, by the way." Reaching behind her, he carefully unlocked the manacles and slid them into the pack that was laying next to him on the grass. He then severed the bindings around her legs with his knife and waited to see how she'd react. After all, he'd quite possibly overstepped a bit here. They were in what definitely appeared to be a camp he'd set up, complete with a designated area for fires and a meticulously built shelter.
She sat still for several seconds, trying to make sense of it. When it did finally start to sink in, she swore viciously and rolled to her knees before she launched herself at him. Her legs were somewhat numb, and she lost her balance to fall slightly before she barreled into his chest. Her intent was to knock him down, and hopefully land a solid punch. She was shaking from the adrenaline dump.
Sighing softly, he made no move to avoid her attacks. He fell back as she impacted with his chest, wincing slightly but offering no resistance or complaint as he hit the ground hard.
She drove her fist into his shoulder hard, wincing slightly as she did so. Her hands were still shaking badly, and she fell sideways, rolling onto her back to just stare up the sky for a moment.
He grunted softly when she punched his shoulder, but it was nothing compared to what he'd just put her through, so he didn't care. After a moment, he spoke again softly. "Ni ceta..."
She was silent for a long moment. When she finally did speak, she shuddered slightly. "Reminds me far too much of what Ethan did to the two Kyr'tsad we found on the colonist's transport when I met them originally.."
Frowning slightly, he quirked an eyebrow at that. "I...see. I didn't mean to upset you, just wanted to help you see exactly how much you could take. And I'm sad to report that the osik'la stuff I used on you will be in your system for another half hour or so, and I can't do a kriffing thing about it." He looked off to the side for a moment before muttering softly. "Should have gotten rid of it..."
Her eyebrow quirked. "You mean the nerve agent...?" She paused. "How long have we been out here..?" she asked as she looked up at the sky, which only left her head spinning.
Sighing softly, he nodded. "Aye, that." A few moments were taken to estimate how long it had been. "A few hours, around three I think, though you spent half of it out cold."
She groaned and swore softly. "I... don't think I'll be able too walk to well for at least a day or two..."
Probably not, but you can stay here, or I can help you around if you prefer. I caused that, so whatever I can do to help, I will."
For several seconds she was quiet as she thought about it. "Might be better to just stay put for tonight. Did you... happen to tell Ethan where you were going?"
He nodded slightly, then froze at her question and responded rather sheepishly. "I...meant to, but I think I forgot to do so."
She cringed ever so slightly. "That... could be an interesting conversation when we get back.."
His own reaction was a slight shudder before he sat up to respond. "Aye...not exactly looking forward to that, but it is necessary."
She looked away briefly. "When I lost it after I found out Buir had been killed, I thought he was going to beat the osik out of me. And he can..."
Sighing heavily, Aran nodded once again. "I can believe that...wouldn't want to be on the opposing side of a fight from him, that's for sure."
She sat up stiffly, her hands still shaking badly from the adrenaline crash. "I... don't know how well I'll be able to sleep after that.."
After a moment, he turned to face her and frowned deeply. "Ni ceta...guess I wasn't really thinking that far ahead."
She shrugged slightly and then winced when pain lanced through her shoulder. Taking a deep breath, she tried to focus into one of the healing techniques Callista had taught her. "Do you have an extra bedroll...?" She wondered briefly where her gear was, for she had been wearing full beskar'gam with her full weapons belt.
He managed a slight smile at that question, pleased that he thought one thing through properly at least. "Aye, there's a bedroll in the shelter along with your kit...I'm fine out here for the night." He patted his pack to emphasize this, having stowed a bedroll and other supplies in it just for this eventuality.
"Vor'e..." she said softly before she climbed stiffly to her feet and made her way towards the shelter. It was a simple affair constructed from branches and greenery. The ground inside had been covered with a tarp to help keep the inside of the shelter dry. With a soft groan, she sank down onto the bedroll and clumsily began to pull her boots off. She could see where blood had seeped into the fabric of her coveralls, causing the fabric to become stiff. She didn't have a spare with her, so she settled for removing her boots before she climbed under the blankets and laid back carefully.
As she headed inside, Aran set about carefully arranging his bedroll. This didn't take much time, and so he took a few minutes to clean the area. His own beskar'gam was inside the shelter, so that was safe, and he settled in with his back against a tree to keep watch for a while. He shouldn't really need to be wary, but it wasn't just him this time...and his guest wasn't at full strength, so he was being extra paranoid.
It took a while for her to get comfortable, but finally she was able to slip into a light healing trance. It would also help her rest more effectively. She had no clue how she was supposed to tell Ethan about what had happened. Sure, he and Aran had more of a history than she did with the man who was now her guardian, but she knew him well enough to guess his reaction.
Slowly, Marin woke. Her limbs were stiff and sore. She laid still for a moment before she slowly rolled to a sitting position. A hissed curse fell from her lips then and she wavered slightly. Apparently, her attempt at a healing trance hadn't been as successful as she had hoped. Taking a deep breath she carefully pulled her boots on and then her beskar'gam one plate at a time.
When she exited the shelter a few minutes later, her face was slightly pale and drawn. The adrenaline dump from the night before had left her feeling a bit shaky. Making her way towards the fire, she sat down carefully and gave Aran a nod. "Vaar'tur." She said softly.
By the time she woke, Aran had been up for several hours and was currently seated with his back against a tree. He was carefully carving a small piece of wood, and glanced up as she spoke. "Vaar'tur, Marin...feeling any better?"
"Only slightly..." She replied softly. "What are you working on?" She sighed and stretched carefully, wincing.
"I see...and I'm not entirely sure quite yet, to be perfectly honest. It hasn't taken a definitive form so far..." His response was soft, and accompanied by an absent shrug. After a few moments, he continued. "My apologies once again for yesterday...I was out of line."
She frowned slightly and dug in her small pack for some gihaal and the packet of dried herbs that she used to make her behot. She broke open the gihaal packet and began to nibble on a small chunk of it. "How do you mean ...?" She asked quietly as she leaned over the fire to start the behot brewing.
Sighing heavily, he ceased his carving long enough to respond to that. "I should have at least cleared it with Ethan, but I failed to do that..."
She cringed then. "That is going to be an... interesting... discussion..." She was quiet for a few moments. She then passed him a co\up and lifted hers in his direction. "K'oyachi." she said softly.
His response to that was short and soft, barely able to be heard. "Aye..." He then returned his carving materials to his pack as she passed him a cup of behot and lifted it in return. "K'oyachi..." He took a small sip, and was silent for the moment.
A faint expression of discomfort passed over her face briefly as she took a slow sip. "I know it was necessary, but I wasn't sure how far you would take it..." The was a short pause. "It was hard to keep focus at the end - I kept remembering what J'oran had done."
He froze at that, and stared down at his behot as he responded. "I...was trying not to go too far, but the goal was to see how long you could keep resisting. If it was too much, ni ceta..."
She looked away briefly. "It was... necessary. But I was really close to breaking... Bad memories."
"Aye, that's why I stopped when I did. The goal was reached...and I never would have forgiven myself if you'd hit that point."
Nodding silently, she sipped her behot for a few moments. "We should head back soon, I think."
Sighing, Aran drained his behot and stood before responding. "Aye, Ethan's probably been back for a while...no need to worry him any more than necessary."
"Lek." She said softly as she finished hers, draining the last few drops from her mug. "I'll help you break camp."
"That really isn't necessary, but if you insist on helping you can douse and scatter the fire." This being said, he handed her back his cup before moving inside the shelter to retrieve his beskar'gam and the bedroll she'd used. He emerged a few minutes later in full 'gam, tossing the now rolled bedroll over by his pack before he set about disassembling the shelter.
"I'm stubborn if you didn't notice..." She said, her tone slightly flippant.
"Oh, aye, I noticed..." He chuckled softly, and spent the next five minutes calmly breaking down and scattering the shelter he'd constructed. By the time he was done, one could hardly tell something had been there just recently.
While he did that, Marin carefully doused the fire with sand, and spread the ashes. With that done, she packed up her gear and checked the area for trash.
He made a slow circuit of the area, making sure nothing had been left behind. Once sure of this, he slid the second bedroll into his pack and slung this onto his back. "Okay, think I'm ready."
"As am I..." she said quietly, standing carefully. She was stiff, but she did her best to hide it, both from her face and her sense in the Force. "Let's head back..?"
Sighing carefully, he calmly retrieved his spear from the ground and nodded. "Aye, need any assistance just let me know." Whether she was hiding it or not, he knew she had to at least still be stiff. Turning, he began leading the way back. They were actually only about twenty minutes away from her residence.
She nodded quietly, and followed along behind him, her steps careful. She knew the forest well, but there were still dangerous creatures about. The trek back to the house was rather quick - which she was glad of. She was in quite a bit of pain when they finally stepped into the house proper from the hangar.
At the sound of their footsteps, Ethan looked up from where he stood at the stove. " 'Cuy... was wondering where you two had gotten off to..." he trailed off slightly and frowned as he studied Marin's face for a moment. "You alright, girl...?"
There was genuine concern in his voice, and his tone was slightly gruff as he turned back to Aran. "What happened..?" he asked point blank. Marin shrugged and mumbled something about a training exercise. Ethan's eyes narrowed. "Marin... you don't look well... why don't you go lay down."
With a nod, she sighed and trudged off to her room, faintly hearing Ethan ask Aran another question.
Aran's stance was rather awkward, tapping the toe of his left boot on the floor behind him for the moment. "Well, I...figured I'd help Marin with a bit of training. A while back we'd discussed my potentially assisting her with techniques for resisting interrogation. I meant to inform you that I was planning to work with that a bit yesterday, but...it would seem I forgot..." He looked away for a few moments, then, rather embarrassed about that and not sure how Ethan would react.
There were several seconds of silence, and then Ethan spoke. "You did..what?" His gaze bored into Aran's before he moved, barreling into the young man and shoving him hard against the wall with an arm to the throat. "From the looks of things, you took it a bit too far. And you're right... you should have told me." His voice went brittle. "Do you really think she's ready after what she's been through the last few months? I saw the look in her eyes..."
Grunting softly as he hit the wall, Aran nonetheless did nothing to stop Ethan. He crossed a line, and knew it, so whatever happened he had to accept. He frowned deeply, and his response was soft. "I...don't know for sure, to be honest." His hands were clenched tightly, but as his arms were resting loosely at his sides it wasn't an aggressive action.
Ethan cursed softly then and pinned him with a hard look before he backed off. "She just barely got through Trials.. she needs rest.." he said gruffly. "I think you owe her an apology. But for now, you can scrub down the Werda's hull.."
Shrugging slightly, the young man gave a nod. "Aye, I was planning on it..." He trailed off for a few seconds, then straightened before responding to that last part. "I'll do that."
Ethan just grunted at that and then went back to cooking. Whatever it was, the aromas wafting from the pot were mouth-watering.
In her room, Marin had sat down hard on the edge of her bed. Her hands were shaking badly. She'd hid how much pain she was actually in.. but she knew there wasn't much she could hide from Ethan. Stiffly, she pulled her her boots off before collapsing backwards. She laid like that for perhaps two minutes before there was a gentle knock on her door.
When Marin called out, Callista stuck her head into the room. "'cuy, Cally..." Marin said softly. With a faint worried smile, Callista moved over to where Marin sat. "Would you like me to see what I can do..?" Her voice was quiet, and Marin nodded.
With a gentle touch, Callista helped her remove her coverall. When it was in a heap on the floor, Callista's eyes narrowed. "What the kriff did he...? Never mind, I heard some of it..." She sighed, and tsked disapprovingly before she set to work. Her main concern were the gashes on Marin's thighs. The rest would heal on their own, but she made sure to disinfect them anyways. Within ten minutes, she was done, and stood up. "There, almost good as new. You'll have some residual nerve pain for a few days, but no lasting damage."
Aran wasted no time in setting about the task Ethan had assigned. He moved into the hangar, removed his beskar'gam and placed it with his spear in a corner. This being done, he retrieved the supplies he'd need and after a few moments of prep, set about cleaning the Werda's hull by hand. Honestly, he couldn't complain...it was actually a more lenient punishment than he'd expected.
In Marin's room, she laid back with a groan as Callista brushed a few strands of sweat-damp hair from her forehead. "You held the pain back... all the way to the house. Impressive... but it could make the healing process a bit difficult. I can ease the pain a bit, but you'll need to rest for a few days..." Grumbling, Marin nodded silently and leaned back against the pillow for now as Callista worked.
Without him really noticing, a solid three hours had gone by the time Aran finally deemed the Werda suitably clean. He could have done so easily an hour earlier, but he wasn't taking chances. He was sweating a bit, and sighed heavily before he carefully cleaned out and returned the cleaning supplies to where they'd come from. This being done, he slowly settled down into a seated position beside his gear to rest for a short while. Sure, he was used to working hard...but he still tired after a while.
A few minutes later, Callista appeared. "Supper's ready if you're hungry.." she said quietly before she headed back to the kitchen area. Marin by now was sleeping with the help of a light healing trance. She really had been hiding the amount of pain she was in.
When Aran entered the kitchen, Ethan pinned him with a look. "This... training exercise of yours... was it successful..?"
Callista made a sound of protest, but was otherwise silent as she too watched Aran closely.
Frowning deeply, the young man met Ethan's gaze and took several seconds to think on this. When he finally responded, it was softly. "You'd have to ask Marin to be sure, but...aye, I think it was."
Ethan sighed heavily. "While I am glad you were both able to get through it, I think it is too soon. I know she still struggles with the memories..." He looked away, and shared a glance with Callista.
A slight nod, and Aran let his arms rest at his side as he responded. "I understand, ni ceta..."
Ethan sighed and slid a bowl of stew across the counter towards the young man before he spoke again. "Having said that, I know we have to prepare her for that eventuality. She's been captured before." He frowned slightly. "Where I'm a bit lost is how to help her face the memories and become stronger for it."
Aran frowned at that, resting a hand on the bowl of stew, but otherwise it was largely ignored for the moment. "Aye, that's always hard...everyone seems to need to find their own method for that."
Ethan was quiet for a few moments. "Maybe between the four of us we can come up with something. Or maybe she just needs time."
Callista took a few bites of her stew before she spoke. "She needs a few days to rest. She has been through a lot the last few weeks." She studied Aran for a second or two. "I know you meant well. You were trying to help. I think she understands that. There is a difficulty because although you were raised in a similar manner, she isn't accustomed to such methods - at least to that degree. "
Giving a nod to acknowledge Ethan's statement, Aran then turned to address Callista. "Aye, it's hard to remember that not everyone's used to training being that...harsh. So adjusting is rather difficult. I do want to do what I can to help, though."
She smiled at him over the rim of her behot mug. "I know. Just a matter of finding something that gets the point across without breaking her." She shrugged lightly. "What that is, I don't know. I've been through similar situations. It's not easy to keep your focus in times like that." She looked at him for a moment. "How... have you reconciled what you do with the path we walk? Sometimes, it's a very fine line."
Ethan grumbled a bit. "I saw what Jarius did after his wife and child were killed. That isn't a path I want Marin to walk, and I will do whatever is necessary to prevent it. Even if it means some hard lessons. It's the motivation behind an action that matters."
Aran froze a bit at that, losing himself in thought for several moments. His time with Kyr'tsad had made it hard, but he'd tried very hard to not cross the line while still doing his job. "I'm...honestly not sure I know the answer to that, ma'am. I try to simply get the job done without doing anything extreme, but being around Kyr'tsad made that quite difficult. Nonetheless, I've...tried to do what I can to help as opposed to harm with what I've learned over the years."
She nodded and set down her mug. "Something to think on, then. While you might not have a great deal of force ability, it is important to consider how what you do will affect those around you."
Sighing, his response to that was soft. "Aye, I always try to...just rather hard most of the time."
"Maybe I can help a bit there, if you're willing."
He smiled slightly at that. "I would appreciate that a great deal."
A quiet nod was her response before she went back to eating. Ethan too was quiet. When he did speak again, it was thoughtful. "I haven't quite decided what to have Marin do when she's rested."
After a moment, Aran finally picked up his bowl and began eating. When Ethan spoke again, he paused long enough to shrug and respond. "Could be any number of things, really...though I suppose that's a significant part of the issue there."
"Me'ven?" Ethan looked at him curiously. "What do you mean?"
Another shrug, and Aran responded almost absently. "Well, the number of things one can potentially do at any given time is rather high. Deciding upon something that needs to be done and you are able to complete at the time is always difficult, is it not?"
"True." Ethan allowed after a moment's thought. Then he was silent as he went back to eating.
Aran went back to eating as well after a few seconds, leaning slightly on the counter as he did so. Silence was something he was used to. In all honesty, just in this one day he'd been through more social interaction than he usually did in an entire week.
During all of this, Marin still slept. Callista's gaze went towards her room a few times. "Could you take a bowl to Marin when she wakes up, Aran?"
He frowned ever so slightly, but nonetheless nodded and responded evenly. "I can do that, aye."
The silence continued as they ate. Ethan and Callista shared a look. Though he wasn't force sensitive, Ethan was good at reading people. "Is there anything we can help you with, Aran?"
Aran sighed, and gave a slight shrug as he set his now empty bowl on the counter. He took several long moments to think on this, then responded quietly. "I'm...not sure, to be perfectly honest. I just don't know how to properly interact with, well...people. In case you hadn't noticed..."
Ethan chuckled at that. "Well yes. And Cataani culture can be complex at times. I would be willing to teach you more about the culture if you wish. " He paused. "I think part of it is that you aren't sure what to expect or what's expected of you."
At that, he perked up and chuckled softly. "Aye, vor'entye...you just summarized exactly what I've been having difficulty figuring out."
"Well, glad to know I'm good at something," Ethan replied with a wink. "On a more serious note though, what happened yesterday was inexcusable. I know you were trying to help and I appreciate it. However, I think for now it's best to steer away from that kind of training. As to Cataani culture, I'm not sure where to start. So we can start with the basics in the morning."
Sighing once again, Aran nodded and responded softly. "Aye, I know...it won't happen again. Starting in the morning sounds good, I'll look forward to it."