CMC: Gottesfurcht
By: Sapadu
A/N: For the more astute, 'Gottesfurcht' is German for 'God-fearing'. Think about it.
I'm watching just about any anime in which Jun Fukuyama played a voice role. That's why Ben's format of speaking has changed so much. (And why he keeps going 'Eeh?') Actually, because I've been listening to so many people speaking in Japanese, that's why most EVERYONE'S speech has changed, such as how people will say 'That person' or 'That woman' instead of names or pronouns, and why everyone might say weird stuff like 'I'll do my best' or 'It's been such a long time' or other stuff like that. Sorry for screwing with everything so much, but it's my muse...
Speaking of muses (last note, I promise) I was thinking 'Something's been missing from this story'. Then, I went to see 'Wall-E'. There will be more Artoo and Threepio.
Chapter 8:
Leia was taken aback by her old friend's appearance. Her expression was just as vacant and bland as ever, but everything else seemed so... off. Leia had never seen Winter look disheveled or tired or... or lost. Her hair wasn't done correctly, her makeup hadn't been put on at all, and she was wearing a plain, black dress that didn't suit her at all. And, even though Winter was the utter portrait of stoicism and calm, Leia could see that she was holding so many emotions in. It was something in the way she was standing- she was utterly erect and stiff, like a soldier to attention, which was the surest sign of Winter reverting to her role as an intelligence agent. Leia hadn't seen her do that off the clock since Winter's marriage...
Then again... Tycho was the only person Leia had ever seen Winter become emotional for. Losing him... must have been quite a blow.
Winter didn't even meet Leia's eyes as Leia started towards her. That alone made Leia feel utterly miserable on her friend's behalf, as though something was saying that tears needed to be shed on this occasion and if Winter couldn't or wouldn't do that, then someone had to in her place.
"Winter..." Leia finally said. Winter didn't look up, but accepted it as Leia strode over and gave her a friendly hug, even going so far as to hug back, still pretending everything was fine, "You're going to be fine..." The words were hollow and false, but just saying something seemed to help- either way, the awkward silence was somehow more disturbing than anything else.
"...I know." Winter finally said. Her voice was perfectly smooth and even, but Leia knew that it was just the way Winter was. Tycho had helped her open up and express herself, helped Winter grow comfortable with her emotions, helped her confront them instead of suppressing them all the time... and now, he was gone.
"If there's anything I can do, just tell me, okay?" Leia muttered. Winter said nothing for a long, long moment, but Leia waited, patiently.
After all, what were friends for?
"So, you'll remember to be careful, and call us when the operation is over?" Mara confirmed, trying to sound as stern as she possibly could over the comm. As Ben couldn't see her face, it would have to do.
"Ah. I'm doing my best, at any rate." Ben's reply didn't sound as exasperated as before. If anything, he almost sounded edgy, as though afraid of offending her. That... was one thing Ben had NEVER been.
"Ben... are you really okay?" Luke asked, leaning on Mara's shoulder to speak into the comm. Ben made a vague noise to signify he was, but it didn't inspire confidence.
"Some things... just happened today that... um... really made me think. And they were all... kind of weird, too." Ben offered. Somehow, Mara didn't believe that was the whole truth, but knew that the only way she'd be able to browbeat the details out of her son would be face-to-face.
"Well, just as long as you're fine." Luke relented, obviously coming to the same conclusion, "In any case, I hope you have a comfortable stay and everything goes well." He looked to Mara, asking if there was anything she wanted to add. Mara shrugged.
"Uh... yeah... you too, Dad." Ben's voice sounded hesitant, again, but this time, it sounded like he was thinking of how best to say whatever he was going to say, next. Luke seemed to hear this too, but Mara saw him smile, like he knew what Ben was thinking or feeling and taking some kind of delight in not telling her whatever it was.
"What else is the matter, son?" He said. Mara could practically see Ben's face go pink at the use of the word 'son', but held back a snicker. It was only as Ben spoke that she listened.
"N-nothing... nothing really... it's just..."
Mara listened for Ben to continue, and after he stammered for a few minutes, she finally heard him blurt out,
"Um, Mom? I love you." And then, the connection was severed.
Mara blinked at the comm for a few minutes, wondering what the hell had just happened, before she heard Luke chuckling. Shooting her husband a dirty look, Mara sat up straight again and fixed him with an imperious gaze.
"What's so funny, farmboy?" She demanded. Luke stopped chuckling, but his smile didn't fade.
"A few days ago, Ben couldn't wait to get away from us." Luke noted, amused, "Now... he's homesick."
Ben practically slipped and fell on the floor at the sound of the new voice that he hadn't expected. The steam in the room was so heavy and thick that Ben couldn't even see where the speaker was, let alone who it was or what they looked like. And the voice was so strange and different that Ben couldn't tell if it was a man or a woman speaking- it was light like a woman's, but deep like a man's, and with an accent that Ben couldn't place.
It was at least thankful that, if he couldn't see the speaker, they at least couldn't see him as he regained his footing.
"...S-S-S-Someone there? Sorry to intrude... I thought this place was..." Ben's eyes adjusted to the blinding whiteness of all the steam in the air, enough that he could see the outline, and some color, of the person who must have spoken- wide, but thin, bony shoulders poking out of the water, a long, slender neck, all with cream-colored skin and long, taupe and tan colored brown hair... that was held up in a barrette clip.
Ben meant to say 'Empty', but what came out of his mouth was,
"For men only."
This was apparently the wrong thing to say.
"Are you calling me a woman, then?" The stranger demanded, turning enough that Ben could see the collarbones and just the barest inch of the top of a male chest, as well as a face that was most certainly not female. Ben felt something in him knot up, but in the sense that he felt like a black hole was evolving inside his stomach and Ben just wished that he could crawl into it, out of sheer embarrassment.
His face was long and thin with a small, but firm chin, and a straight nose that came down from a brow that didn't jut out over his eyes. There were no lines on his face, save for small ones around the corners of his mouth and eyes and his skin was that same, smooth cream color all over, except for his thin, salmon colored lips that were only visible by the shadow they cast on his chin.
And his eyes were narrow, but sharp, with the corners just pointed enough that this man could either glare or smile kindly (Though, Ben could see, he obviously preferred to glare) and they were the same color as the chlorinated water in a swimming pool that had frozen for the winter.
This man was, without a doubt, the most beautiful example of a Human being that Ben was sure he'd ever see in his life.
"S-S-S-Sorry... um... sir..." Ben stammered out, wondering what to say in this kind of situation, "...Um... Please excuse me for the misunderstanding... uh, my name is..."
"Ben Skywalker." The man interrupted, "I know that already." Ben blinked, "There are very few in the Household who don't- in that sense, you're a very famous person around here." The man didn't even look at Ben, in fact, he had gone back to staring in the opposite direction with his eyes closed, "But in any case, this room is where people come when they wish to relax. Stiff-necked greetings and formalities have no place here- make yourself comfortable, I won't do anything."
Ben frowned a little, but did his best. It was a little disturbing to be in the same room as another person while bathing, but, given that the man didn't even twitch when Ben took his robe off and wrapped a towel around his waist (just in case) and slid into the water, he supposed it was something normal for this person.
It was hot, but comfortable, and felt slimy with soap and bath oils, but tingled against his skin.
Ben's eyes never left the other man, sitting on the opposite side of the pool sized tub. The man remained motionless, except for the occasional pale, long, slender hand poking out of the water to hook a loose lock of hair back over his ear. For several, long, uncomfortable moments, Ben wondered if he could just forget this man's presence.
Then, the man spoke again.
"That steward with white hair told you to take a bath before bed to help you sleep." The man said, abruptly. Ben opened his eyes to see those icy blue irises fixated on him. Jacci had been right- his eyes WERE like Ben's, or at least, what Ben supposed his eyes would look like when he got much older. They were almost the same shape, except much narrower, and the same shade of blue, except without the curious light of youth that Ben's held. In short, this man had the exact same eyes as Ben did, and all difference came from how he looked with them. Jacci had been right about that, too- it was kind of creepy how he seemed to be able to pierce cloud, shadow, planet, and flesh with a mere glance.
Ben's mouth worked, soundlessly before the man continued,
"Am I right?" Ben shut his mouth, then nodded.
"Mmm." He managed. The man just smiled, closing those haunting eyes of his again.
"I was told to do the same- that person told me that I would be fulfilling an important task tomorrow." His eyes opened again, "I hear you'll be doing something important, too."
Ben slipped off the ledge inside the pool that he'd been sitting on and got a nosefull of hot, soapy water. After coughing for a few moments, he managed to stare at the man with incredulity.
"Does EVERYONE know about that?" He said, his already loud and somewhat shrill voice echoing off of all the walls and tiled floor, "I didn't volunteer to do the work, so why can't I at least keep this sort of thing to myself? And anyway, I don't know who YOU are, so how did you..."
"Your will has no effect on this particular matter, one way or another." Ben's mouth snapped shut. It was as though, with just the words alone, this man had stopped Ben's voice in his throat. That in and of itself made Ben nervous, but combined with the fact that this man didn't even flinch or twitch... "And you do know who I am. All that you lack is the awareness."
Ben blinked and frowned for a few minutes.
"Aren't those... the same thing?" He muttered under his breath before the man continued, speaking in much more understandable terms.
"Someone has already mentioned my name to you. You have simply never heard it in context with my face." He said. Ben blinked, before a light went on in his head.
"...So... would you be... Uncle Ouduar?"
The man who might or might not have been 'Uncle Ouduar' gave Ben a look that made him feel supremely idiotic, before his next words confirmed his identity.
"So you either heard from that child or that person's brat of a younger sister." He said, obviously referring to the fact that Ben had addressed him as 'Uncle'. Ben bristled a little, but had to privately concede that Jacci did, indeed, act like a bit of a brat, "Just Ouduar is fine. I'm hardly an 'Uncle' where you're concerned."
Ben continued to frown, not entirely sure if he could trust this man, but figuring that, if he was willing to introduce himself and be amiable, it probably wouldn't be smart to be rude or openly show his distrust.
"So... Um, Ouduar..." Ben said, slowly. Ouduar didn't open his eyes again, but did seem to be listening, "...Why... are you here... in the Countess's house?"
Ouduar remained silent for a long moment, before he shrugged.
"Because it's a place to be." What, precisely, he meant by that, Ben wasn't sure, nor was he sure if he WANTED to know. In any case, Ouduar continued without actually explaining himself, "I'm not quite a member of the Household... more of a tenant. Mother needs a place to stay permanently, I need a way to stay with her to be sure she's alright, and that person is willing to give us room and board with no questions and usually doesn't bother me except for favors that I do as rent."
"By 'That person'... you mean the Countess, right?" Ben clarified. Again, Ouduar shrugged, but his eyes opened and glimmered with amusement as he glanced at Ben.
"That's the first time I've heard anyone, let alone an OUTSIDER, refer to that person so casually." He said, almost smirking. Ben bristled at the use of the word 'Outsider', almost completely ignoring the remark in it's entirety before Ouduar continued, closing those eyes and saving Ben their glare, "Everyone in the Household... That musician, that sand shifter, that child, that little brat, even that steward... everyone has a specific honorific for that person, but none of them so informal as the title 'Countess' as though it were a name."
Ben shifted a little- he wasn't uncomfortable, per se, but it was a strange topic of conversation, and the way Ouduar referred to everyone was confusing... 'That musician' Ben could only assume meant Haid, 'That sand shifter' he had no clue, 'That child' might have been Hiken but Ben wasn't sure not having spoken with the other red-haired boy much, 'That little brat' obviously Jacci, and 'That steward' couldn't be anybody but Gornash... but it was still so odd to listen to, especially as Ouduar seemed determined not to even use gender-specific words.
"Haa..." Ben said, vaguely, but the sentence suddenly seemed to have relevance, "But, now that you mention it, I guess everyone does refer to the Countess in their own way... And I remember hearing once that Gornash informed somebody... how did he say it... 'Milady prefers to be referred to as Excellency by-' other people or something like that..." Ben trailed off, trying to remember the exact words, but Ouduar was smiling, satisfied.
"That says something, doesn't it?" He murmured, the quiet words echoing through the room. Ben frowned and pulled a face as Ouduar's eyes opened again and stared straight through Ben.
"What's THAT supposed to mean?" He demanded. Ouduar's smile, while eerie, almost seemed gentle as he spoke.
"That person has allowed you to create your own way of addressing them." Ouduar said, at last.
"Eh?" The noise came out, almost on reflex as Ben was taken aback, but it certainly made him think for a few minutes before he opened his mouth again to speak, "So... um... what kinds of favors do you do for the Countess?" Ouduar barely twitched, closing his eyes again and seemingly trying to return to that peaceful calm as the steam started to thin and the water started to cool to a more lukewarm temperature.
"Odd jobs, mostly. Carry this, fetch that, take that ship back to it's owner... whatever needs to be done that there simply aren't enough hands for or that are too out of the way for anyone else to do." Ben listened, but his eyelids were starting to droop and he couldn't hold in a yawn before Ouduar seemed to notice as well.
"You're probably right- it is time for bed." Ben was awakened enough that he could get out and behind him, he heard the splashing of water that told him Ouduar was doing the same. It was awkward, and almost tense, but Ben kept his back firmly turned as he dried off and put on the pajamas he'd brought, and, thankfully, by the time he dared look back over his shoulder, Ouduar was in sleepwear of his own, putting something onto his face that hooked over his ears and rested on his nose. It was a curious enough thing that Ben stared for a moment, wondering what it could possibly be- if he had to guess, the thing seemed best paralleled to a pair of circular windows for the eyes that were put on the face, but...
"...Ouduar... what's that?" Ben asked, pointing to the glass circles that were connected by the silvery wire. Ouduar blinked at Ben, the glass flashing in the light of the room so that Ben momentarily didn't see Ouduar's eyes behind the lenses, and Jacci's words about how 'Sometimes you can't see his eyes' suddenly made sense.
"These are my spectacles- my eyes are a little off so I need them to see as well as the average person." He answered, pushing them up his nose. The heat of the room made the glass fog up and Ouduar kept reaching up and wiping them with a slender finger. Standing like this, Ben could see Ouduar as being taller than him, but not exactly tall, like Uncle Han or Jacen, and either way, Ouduar was lanky and thin, but not gangly or scrawny. His legs were long, but only enough to give him the illusion of being taller than he really was, while his arms were lean and graceful, like his hands and fingers. With his hair let down, it easily fell past his shoulders, soft and stringy, but only curled at the very, very ends from being crimped by the clip or teased at with fingers or something.
All of this was observed within a matter of split seconds before Ben started to question again.
"So, they're eye-enhancers." He said, comprehending. Ouduar blinked, then frowned.
"No... they're spectacles." He replied, slowly. Ben blinked.
"...Eye-enhancers." Ben repeated, stubbornly. Ouduar's expression remained consternated.
"Spectacles!" He insisted.
"Eye-enhancers!"
"Spectacles!"
"You two..." Ben jumped into the air as a new voice came into the room. Ouduar didn't, but he seemed to be used to these things, so he had probably expected someone to come along at some point in their argument. Spinning around, Ben could see the Countess' valet with a litten candle, glaring at them with quite an obvious reason, "There are others in this house trying to get some sleep. Your voices carry far too well- please desist."
"You know I will." Ouduar said, his spectacles/eye-enhancers glowing by the light of the candle. What he meant by those words was completely lost on Ben, but Gornash left quickly enough, anyway. After a quiet moment, Ouduar picked up a candle from the table and lit it for himself, "Come on- I'm right down the hall from you, so I know how to get up to the rooms."
Ben blinked for a moment, but followed, not knowing the complete inner working of the house, anyway. By the time they had reached upstairs, Ben was fairly sure of where staircases were and how to get to them. Ouduar stopped outside the room the Countess had let Ben stay in, waiting for Ben to catch up, as Ouduar's longer legs had outstripped Ben's speed. Ben caught his breath, but eventually managed to thank Ouduar for showing him around. Ouduar merely shrugged.
"So, see you 'round then, I guess." Ben said, nervously. Ouduar continued to smile and shrug, before Ben finally got in his last word, intending to close the door almost immediately, "Eye-enhancers!"
Ouduar's hand stopped the door from closing all the way. Try as Ben might, he couldn't push it shut all the way.
"One last thing, Ben." Ouduar said, and with a look of utmost seriousness on his face, he pushed the door open and leaned in to whisper in Ben's ear, like it was a matter of secrecy and the strictest confidence. Ben blinked a little, the nagging feeling in the back of his head telling him that this was not about the argument over spectacles versus eye-enhancers, but he didn't have the slightest clue what it would be, nor why Ouduar was lingering so long over his shoulder- even if he was trying to build up a dramatic pause or whatever, this was...
Weird.
"I love you."
Ben blinked for a few moments, just standing there in complete and total shock, unsure of exactly what had just happened, before Ouduar stood straight again and cheerfully smiled, fingers wiggling good-bye, "Sweet dreams."
And then, he was gone, leaving Ben standing in the doorway of his room, still utterly aghast, before he slammed the door and locked it, promptly hiding under his bedcovers.
"Oh, like I'm gonna get any sleep NOW..."
"Farmboy!" Luke sighed a little, pushing himself out of his chair and trudging out of the room. It had been a long day, and there were still some joints in his body that ached at the mere prospect of moving, so hearing his wife in such a bad mood that she'd start shouting at this hour of the night was not how he'd wanted to wind down from the day. Really, he'd been thinking about something involving the cabin, but hell if he was going to actually tell anyone that.
Mara was in a mechanical repair room with a toolkit, sitting next to Artoo. Luke raised an eyebrow for a moment, wondering what Mara was doing, trying to repair Artoo when she had absolutely NEVER done that before, but Mara shot him a glare that informed him this was NOT a repair job.
"Something the matter?" He asked lightly. Mara looked displeased, to say the least, as she used the tools to gesture to Artoo. Artoo simply made a noise that, if he'd been a living creature instead of a droid, Luke would have sworn was attempting to endear pity.
"I was trying to recover the data of our mission to the Unknown Regions, but this stupid little astro-droid won't let me past the security blocks- keeps saying something like 'Classified information' or something." Mara explained, her grip tightening on the slicers, but not in a manner that worried Luke that she might try to use them for something other than hacking into Artoo's database.
What worried him more was why Mara Jade, known to be an expert in most everything, would call for her husband to help her with such a trivial matter as recovering data. It simply wasn't something that was done.
"...Is... the micropoint broken?" Luke finally asked- it was the only reason he could think of for Mara not having gotten her task finished. Mara gave him one of her Looks, but answered with some helpful information.
"That's not it- it's just that this little bugger set up a doomsday gate. If I try to hack into it without giving the passcode, he'll destroy all the information. Since a lot of the information about the mission never was very clear, I want to be absolutely sure that there's nothing I'm missing- the fact that your little barrel-can here is deliberately hiding something just makes me even more suspicious." Luke wisely kept his mouth shut, knowing that if Mara felt the need to explain herself like this, she had a point to make, "And I REALLY don't want to risk losing whatever data was gathered during this event. That's where you come in."
Oh.
"You want me to talk Artoo into letting down the firewalls." Luke guessed. Mara nodded, visibly calming that at least she didn't have to explain that much to her husband.
"Or into giving the passcodes so we can get through them or whatever. The point is, he LISTENS to you."
There, Mara definitely had a point. In all the years that Luke had had Artoo around, he had never failed when Luke had needed him. And never, ever had Artoo disobeyed him.
"Artoo, either give Mara the passcodes, or take down the doomsday gate." He said, sternly. Artoo was silent for a moment, before something appeared on the diagnostics display.
'Command invalid. Sector is defective.' Luke frowned. If the sector was defective, Mara wouldn't have been able to write anything to it, nor would Artoo have been able to set up a doomsday gate to protect it- his circuits didn't function like that. Both had happened, at least that's what Luke assumed if Mara was trying to retrieve something from this sector.
"Artoo, if this sector is defective, it should be replaced. Are you saying you would like me to take out the chip and put in a new one with no defects? I will if you'd like me to." Luke heard Mara suppress a noise that might have been a snort at how patronizing he was being. To a droid, no less.
Artoo didn't reply for a long time, before he grudgingly admitted that he liked all his circuits in place and as they were. Which left him the option of trying to continue to sequester the information, but Luke had a vague idea, having known Artoo since he was nineteen, of what the droid would attempt next.
"Now, what is written to this sector that you would set up a doomsday gate to keep us from getting at it?" Luke asked, determined to be logical and calm about this, even though he felt supremely ridiculous arguing with an astromech.
Artoo's reply only furthered that feeling.
'I have no idea what you are talking about.'
Luke ground his teeth together, but kept his tongue in check.
"Just now, Mara was trying to recover data from your memory drive. What data do you have that you were trying to keep sequestered?"
'Those data are corrupted. The sector should be sequestered.'
"They ARE. And you're the one doing it, purposely."
Artoo's response to the accusation was clipped and distinctly miffed, at which point he withdrew his interface arm, clearly snubbed and not about to be cooperative now. Luke let out a growl and started to pull on his hair before he remembered Mara was also in the room. She was also clearly aggravated, but he could also feel a strange sense of focus- having a troublesome astromech on the rebellion was giving her a direction to vent her stress into, allowing her to concentrate on it even more, to give her something to do.
Something was bothering Mara Jade Skywalker.
"Masters Skywalker, are you two there?" Luke blinked at the surprise from hearing the intercomm, but supposed it should have been expected. It was Kyp's voice that he was hearing.
"Yes, we're here Kyp." He replied, hitting the button to allow a two-way conversation.
"We have a bit of a situation up here." Kyp's voice sounded a combination of nervous and irritated, which only made Luke sigh- if it was something that the other masters couldn't handle, then it probably would take a while, even with both himself and Mara sorting out the situation. Mara seemed to come to the same conclusion as she stood and made her way out of the room.
None of them saw a new figure slip into the room, as though he had walked through the very walls, kneel next to Artoo, and whisper a word of thanks as the droid ejected a disc into his waiting fingers.
And then, he was gone.
In the end, Ben was not able to sleep. It was all probably for the best, because sometime around midnight, he heard noises in the hallway outside his room- they were faint, almost like the proverbial 'Bump in the Night' kind of sounds, but more like a voice that was calling out. Cautiously, Ben opened his eyes, having grown accustomed to the darkness enough that he could see where the door was, open it and tiptoe out into the darkened corridor.
The voice was louder and more distinct, but Ben could tell it was echoing from around many different corners. Either way, he moved cautiously along the dark hallway, not sure of who he might bump into or where he was going.
Every step he took echoed in the empty hallway, even though he was barefoot and tiptoeing. The noises also got louder and clearer- it was definitely a voice, and the sound which sounded like the voice calling out was crying and... calling someone's name...
Ben kept following the voice until he found himself in front of a door. Unlike all the other rooms in the Countess's house, this one looked normal- no doorknobs or latches or handles or anything, but just a button to press and it would slide right open. It was even the same color as the interior of a ship, that dulled, dark cool gray. And from the other side, Ben could definitely hear a voice, crying. And from the sound of it, it had to be the voice of a child.
As he lifted a hand to press the button, Ben paused. He couldn't feel another person, but the voice sounded Human... could it be like almost all the other members of the Countess' Household, whom he couldn't feel with his empathy? Ben didn't doubt it. But, despite the fact that he couldn't feel anything with his empathy, Ben could still... somehow feel SOMETHING... he could hear something different in this voice.
Whoever was crying wasn't sad or upset or even angry the way he'd been on some occasions that had made him cry... this person, whoever they were, was... scared.
Well, Ben understood that- only recently had he had a few experiences where he'd almost been scared enough to cry... and what hadn't done that to him, it had happened to Jacci. But still, after what he'd been through, what could be scarier that it would scare someone THIS badly?
Ben reached out and touched the door, meaning to knock, but the mere brush of his fingertips sent the door sliding open. Inside, the room was a compact cubicle- not really a room, but more of a place meant for someone to sleep in with the understanding that they would do little else but sleep in the room. A single shelf for a few personal items was over a small computer terminal that seemed fashioned for someone just starting the higher levels of public education, and next to it, a timepiece. The entire right side of the room was dominated by a sleeping mattress built into the wall.
Ben had seen rooms like this before- namely, the sleeping quarters on his parent's ship and Uncle Han's ship. Though this was much, much smaller and obviously only meant for one person.
There was also someone hiding under the covers of the mattress. Someone who had sat bolt upright and armed themselves with their pillow as soon as Ben had entered. Ben blinked as the single, gray eye hiding peering out from around the pillow stared at him, quivering as though expecting to be hit.
Ben held up his hands- mostly because he didn't know what else to do with them, but figured it would be best to catch the person's weapon of choice should they decide to throw that pillow- before the person relaxed a little and more of their face came into view. The first thing that Ben picked out was that this had to be the person who was crying- if the redness in their eyes wasn't clue enough, then the face that there were still tracks down the cheeks and a slightly runny nose told him. The second thing was that this person was probably just a few years older than him, but still young enough that they were just a kid.
Ben continued to blink, frowning, before edging a little closer. The gray eyes never left his face for a moment, before the person scooted over, obviously inviting Ben to sit down. Ben did so, but couldn't help but stare as, upon coming closer, a faint but unmistakable bruise became evident on the person's cheek, right underneath their left eye.
"Who are you?" The voice told Ben a few more distinct pieces of information, the least of which was that this was a boy. He couldn't be more than five years older than Ben. Tops. He also had to be utterly terrified of something- Ben didn't need his empathy for that, as he could hear it in this boy's voice.
Still... couldn't be that bad, if he hadn't screamed for help or something at the appearance of a complete and total stranger in his room. Or it could be that Ben didn't scare him, as he was just eight years old. Either way, this guy was talking to him. Progress compared to hearing a faint crying down the hall.
"You can call me Ben." He said, crossing his legs and squinting at the other boy, who was still watching him like wounded animal watches a creature that may or may not be a predator. There was something very hauntingly familiar about those gray eyes, but he couldn't quite pin it.
"Hi." The boy said, non-commitally. Ben leaned in a little more, tilting his head this way and that as though to examine him from all angles. The boy accepted the treatment without a word.
"How about you?" Ben asked. The boy's eyes narrowed, suspiciously, before he spoke.
"If you don't know, I'm not telling you." His tone was defensive, as though he thought his very identity could get him in trouble by revealing it. This very fact put Ben off, but he didn't stop squinting, except the boy kept talking, "The minute you figure it out, you'll just say 'Oh, you're THAT guy.' and..."
"How old're you?" Ben interrupted. The boy blinked back, not saying anything for a long time, but eventually croaking out.
"Twelve. Almost thirteen."
Ben raised an eyebrow- he was already frowning and squinting and it was starting to make his eyebrow muscles cramp- before he opened an eye to get a better look at the bruise on the boy's cheek.
"Where'd you get that bruise on your face?" He asked. The boy's glare didn't waver.
"Accident." He said, automatically. Ben pulled a face.
"So, who hit you then?" He asked. The boy's eyes grew sharper, almost as though he were too terrified to tell anyone.
"Nobody- I was reaching for a book and it fell and hit me in the face." He snapped. Ben leaned in closer- it was a bad idea, but he really didn't care. On some level, he was kind of amused by how uncomfortable this boy was about fingering someone who was beating him up.
"Did your mom or dad do this?" Ben asked. The boy gave him a very nasty look. Ben didn't care- coming from an older kid who was holding onto a pillow like a younger child, his glares didn't have much effect.
"I don't have parents." He snapped, but his eyes suddenly shifted away. Ben continued to squint- not having parents did kind of rule them out, but what was he so evasive about? Ben ignored it for the moment, continuing to poke into this boy's problems in spite of- or maybe because of- the fact that they were absolutely none of his business,
"So, your classmates are bullying you at school." Ben guessed. The boy got angrier. Ben knew he'd guessed right.
"Go away."
"No- I'm awake now, I won't be able to go back to sleep." The boy gave him a dirty look, but didn't say anything, but Ben stopped him from having to, "So, why're you staying with the Countess?"
The boy stopped being defensive and secretive almost immediately. Mostly, however, because it was replaced with confusion.
"Who?"
Ben blinked.
"The... Countess. The woman who owns this house? C'mon- you know her, right?" Ben pushed, only be be met with a very, very blank look. The boy kept blinking at Ben as though he were speaking Huttese. He... honestly had no clue who Ben was talking about.
"...You mean... the Princess? I'm not STAYING with her, but..." The boy said, slowly, attempting to make sense of it. Ben rolled his eyes.
"Eh? No- she's definitely a Countess. Seriously- you really don't know?" The boy continued to blink, blankly. Ben stood up and measured about the Countess's height as best he could, "This tall... dark brown hair down to her waist..." The boy's eyes lit up with comprehension.
"And brown eyes?" He asked. Ben frowned, sitting back down on the mattress.
"No... her eyes are gray..." He said, slowly, before studying the boy's features a little more, "She looks like you if you were older and a girl and with long hair." Ben said, at last. The boy kept blinking, looking incredibly confused, shaking his head.
"There's nobody like... tha-" He stopped, frowned, then leaned forward, looking curious, "IS there someone like that around here?" Ben blinked for a few minutes, wondering how there could be any doubt, but nodded, slowly. The boy looked thoughtful for a moment, before muttering, more to himself than anyone else, "Maybe THAT'S why Major Janson thought I was a... because he thought I was this Countess woman..."
Ben felt like his brain had hit the pause button for a moment, before he reacted.
"Wait... WHAT?" Ben demanded, confused, "Who?" The boy frowned at him.
"If you don't even know about Major Janson of the Rogue Squadron, you and I have nothing to say to each other." The boy said, turning away and sticking his chin in the air. Ben outright gaped at how blunt and downright nasty the other was being, compared to the boy who had been crying and utterly terrified a moment before.
"You don't have to be a-" Ben paused for a good word- he could think of a few that his Uncle Han had used, but he hadn't understood what they meant, so he didn't want to use them since experience had taught him that using a word you didn't understand could be very embarrassing. Before he had a chance to find the right word, the boy threw something at him, in an obvious signal to get out of the room. Ben caught what had been thrown at him the first time, but was not so lucky for the pillow that followed it and knocked him clear off the mattress. Something from the shelf also came down- this kid could probably use the Force, so it didn't surprise Ben in the least when the book and pillow both started to beat him despite the fact that the boy on the bed hadn't moved a centimeter.
Taking the hint, Ben got out of the room, slamming the door shut behind him and listening the muffled noises that resumed behind it. Crap. Ben let out a sigh, but knew that going back in was probably not going to help.
After a moment, he looked down at what he'd caught that the boy had thrown at him. It looked like some kind of ornamental necklace- what kind of boy wore something like this, anyway?- with a little half-circle of some silvery crystal. Maybe it was supposed to be a moon or something? Nah- it was hanging with the straight edge down, like a dome, and in any case, there was a vein of blue going in a meander.
So what WAS this thing?
"Milady, your shoes are still sopping from yesterday." Gornash held up one of the shoes in question, turning it over to illustrate his point. Ben could see, indeed, that a stream of water poured out of the leather heel.
The Countess didn't even look in her steward's direction, sipping at her tea with a smirk. She was still in those bright, metallic-colored pajamas, not even dressed for the day, which only made Ben blink and stare all the more.
"Sometimes it's worth it to go running out in the rain and splashing in the puddles." She said, loftily. Ben kept blinking, before the Countess seemed to realize he was standing in the doorway, "Oh, Sieur Ben. Did you sleep well?"
Ben pulled a face- he'd seen himself in the mirror, and knew very well that, with his hair mussed, the shadows under his eyes, the bloodshot red of his eye whites, and how pale he was, it was very obvious that he had not had a restful night at all, let alone a good one.
"Are my parents atheist?" He asked. The Countess blinked, looking honestly surprised before she sighed a little. Gornash returned to the stove where he'd been fixing breakfast for, what looked like, the entire house. Ben could see a small mountain of hotcakes being piled on a large, willow-patterned platter, and next to it, another small mountain that smelled like animal grease and spices and salt, but that he'd never seen before, and yet another of yellow and white melting together which could only be eggs.
Ben sat down and put his head down on the table, closing his eyes. His head and eyes ached from not having any rest the night before and the Countess, thankfully, said nothing, save a warning when a plate was set down in front of him. Ben looked up, uninterestedly, seeing a portion of food on the plate that, while he was sure was delicious and wonderful and all that, he really had no appetite for.
"Big Brother, why's Brother Ben sleepin' at the table? You said we can't sleep at the table- why's he allowed to sleep here? Huh?" Ben went to put his hands over his ears at the high-pitched, somewhat whiny voice that came over his head, except that one of his hands was already being held and, if his hand hadn't fallen asleep from the awkward angle, he might have been able to discern what Jacci was saying with her fingers.
It wasn't the first new voice, nor the last.
"If he's not gonna eat, can I have his breakfast?"
"Tilus, I'm sure there's a good reason. What if he's sick?"
"At least he's being quiet."
"Did that steward finally poison the food?"
"I resent that."
"Everyone- we're going to have a long day today. Break your morning fasts and save worrying for later." The Countess's voice was different today, for some reason... Well, Ben had heard her sound like this before, but it was hard to imagine it was the same person as yesterday, whom had been running around in the rain like a little kid. Ben's head ached just thinking about it.
When he finally did look up, it was to meet a piece of white porcelain with his nose. It was hot, but not too hot, and he could smell something really sweet coming from around it or on it or something.
"Milady, I'm not sure if that's wise. He IS only eight." That was definitely Gornash's voice. Ben couldn't feel Jacci's hand anymore, so either his whole arm was completely dead or Jacci had left. Hopefully the latter.
"You always use this to get ME up." The Countess replied, calmly. Ben used the one hand he could feel to reach for the cup and feel for the handle. Then, with effort that felt harder than trying to stop his empathy, Ben sat up and looked at what was inside the mug. It looked like some kind of liquid, very very light brown, and smelled sweet, yet bitter at the same time.
"For very different reasons, Milady." Ben sniffed at what it was. There was this sense that he'd smelled something like this before, but he couldn't tell where or when.
"One measly cup that's at least eighty percent cream and sugar isn't going to hurt him- besides, he needs to be awake for today." Ben took a sip- it tasted like sugar and milk with something with a distinctly bitter, yet... zesty flavor added to it. It didn't taste bad, actually- if it hadn't been for the aftertaste of the bitterness, this drink would have been too sweet.
Ben slowly swallowed a few more mouthfuls before he realized there was someone sitting next to him. Eyes feeling less puffy and sagging, Ben blinked a few times for his vision to clear before he realized that it was Ouduar, fully dressed from head to toe in a solid dark blue. He was even wearing a long trench coat that reached his ankles in a matching color. The only thing that wasn't blue were the frames of his spectacles and a small white piece of string that was holding his hair up in back.
"Morning, Ben." Ouduar said, grinning cheerfully. Ben scowled and scooted away from Ouduar as he sipped at the brown liquid that was waking him up. Ouduar helpfully pushed the plate of food towards him, though Ben was fairly sure that it was ice cold by now.
Oh well. At least it still tasted okay, even cold, Ben reflected as he picked up a hotcake which had had butter and a brown-colored sugar smeared all over it. It probably was better warm, but it was still good. And the meat rolls, whatever they were, were also pretty good.
"Um... Countess..." Ben said, halfway through his third hotcake. The Countess was still sipping her tea, curled up in her chair with her toes gripping the edge of the table, looking supremely unconcerned for any of the troubles in the world.
"Mmm?"
"I was wondering... if I could ask about something that happened last night." Ben continued to munch on his breakfast, but slowly. It was altogether too much food. Why did Gornash cook this much?
"Ouduar was just telling me about it." The Countess said, lifting her teaspoon and shaking it in Ouduar's direction, "Bathing with a little boy like that- people are going to think you have abnormal tastes." Ouduar at least looked affronted.
"This reproach from you." Ouduar said, mildly. The Countess continued to sip at her tea, not even aware that her argument with Ouduar had gone completely over Ben's head. Ben, becoming annoyed at being talked about as though he weren't there, decided to redirect the conversation.
"That's not what this is about." Ben put in. The Countess raised her eyebrows and narrowed her eyes over her cup of tea, but said nothing, inviting Ben to continue, "It's true that last night, I met Ouduar..." Ben scowled at said person, scooting his chair away and closer towards the Countess, clearly indicating how well they'd hit it off, "But after that, I was up for pretty much all night. And I met someone else in the house..." Ben continued to watch the Countess, whom had yet to respond to any of this news, "... He was this guy... he said he was twelve or something, but he didn't even seem to know where he was... I asked him why he was staying here and he didn't even know that you were a Countess or anything..." Ben kept his eyes on said lady of the Household. She still had remained thoroughly engrossed in her tea, almost to the point that Ben was wondering if she was even listening to him, except for her next words.
"And? Did you get a name?" She asked, casually. Ben was starting to feel uneasy that she was being so light about this matter, but shook his head.
"...N-no... He never told me..." Ben muttered, "...But he had this big bruise on his cheek..." The Countess eyes slitted open a little to watch as Ben traced where he'd seen the injury, "And when I started asking him where it'd come from, he started snapping at me and insisting that it had been an accident or something, but it was still really obvious that someone had hit him..." The Countess lowered her cup of tea back onto it's saucer, eyes going very cold but not nearly cold enough to deter Ben, "And when I kept asking, he got mad and threw stuff at me until I left the room." Which reminded Ben of the necklace he'd stuffed into his pocket, "Here- this is something I caught."
As Ben reached into his pocket and pulled out the small necklace that he'd walked away with from the argument, he didn't notice the look of shock that came into the Countess' eyes, nor how Gornash looked away, as though he were running away from a ghost from long ago. By the time he'd looked up from his pocket to the face of the Countess for her reaction, the expression had disappeared.
For a long, long moment, the Countess said nothing at all, before she shrugged and picked her tea back up again. Ben had to wonder for a moment exactly how slowly the Countess could drink a single cup that couldn't have held any more than five fluid ounces. Seriously, was her cup bottomless or what?
"Countess, do you know who that boy was?" Ben finally pressed when it was apparent the Countess was not going to answer him. The Countess's eyes opened for a moment, before they slid away.
"Well... this house IS haunted, after all..." She muttered. Ben felt a shiver go up his spine and quickly changed the subject.
"So... um... you said I'm going to be going to check up on the Dantes today... and that someone would be coming with me.." Considering what he'd been through last night, suddenly the prospect of being volunteered against his will for some kind of work didn't seem so bad. The Countess looked up from her tea, but smiled, rather eerily.
"I apologize for springing it on you yesterday, but I had to say SOMETHING to Sieur Dantes or else I doubt he and his sister would have let anyone in the Household return to their residence, even if it was to care for them. And I cannot do it myself, because I have so many different jobs to do right now." Ben blinked at her, amazed that the Countess was apologizing to him when yesterday, she'd been all but bullying him into it.
"...Jobs?" Ben finally managed, not noticing as Ouduar snuck food from Ben's plate into his own mouth.
"It never rains, but when it pours." The Countess lamented, "Before your father managed to snare me on Qoribu, UnuThul also came to me with a Wish. One that will take some time, too, I'm ashamed to say. And after that, there lies the business with you, Jacci, and the transplant. And after that, several new customers who came in while I was gone- quite a mess, too, considering that I had little time to prepare for someone to take care of the Household for me while I was away."
Ben felt his stomach drop out at the indirect accusation, even if the Countess hadn't meant it. After all, if Jacci hadn't gotten on board and if he hadn't hidden her and...
"On the other hand, there was one less Wish I had to grant in the Household itself." The Countess mentioned, swirling her tea a little, "I don't know what happened during that trip between you and Jacci... but she's reached the point where she no longer asks me to help her- she's started to make her own Wishes come true."
Ben blinked for a moment, before it occurred to him that he hadn't seen the Countes interact with her sister since they'd gotten back- the last time he'd spoken with Jacci, her hair had still been uneven and mussed as when she'd just cut it. And their only conversation, which had been regarding the transplant, had been pretty brief. Distantly, Ben wondered if Jacci had yet cut off all her sleeves and ruffles for more movement appropriate clothing, or if her relationship with the Countess had changed at all.
The Countess stood and clapped her hands together. Only then did Ben notice she was wearing a black turtleneck under her aluminum colored pajamas. This wouldn't have bothered Ben so much if it weren't for the fact that he, himself, had rolled up the sleeves of his shirt up to his shoulders and worn the loosest fitting shorts he had because of the extreme heat.
"Well then, we mustn't tarry- 'tis time to begin the day. You two had best be on your way if you want to get to the residence of Sieur Dantes and Selle Mercedes." The Countess said, lightly stepping, barefoot, over the tiled floor as she hovered over to her valet, pulling him away from the stove with little difficulty and swiftly disappearing through the door.
Ben sat there, blinking for a moment, before coherent speech returned.
"Eh?"
He looked over at Ouduar.
"You mean that person didn't tell you?" The older man asked, face the picture of innocence. Ben kept blinking.
"Eh?"
"I'm going to be the one escorting you to that customer's house."
"EH?!"
Ouduar smiled, somehow eerily and sweetly at the same time.
"It's all because I love you."
"EEH!?"
"This must be unusual for me to come calling at such an hour..." Chief Omas said, his tone strained, but polite, "But I'm afraid that we had no choice but to contact the Jedi on this matter."
Luke and Mara would have exchanged worried glances, but the situation called for professionalism. There was time for emotion later. Even the other Masters of the Council looked uncomfortable with Chief Omas in their midst, asking for their help, no less.
"If you had no choice, then it is not our place to be ungracious. What matter do you have to bring to our attention?"
A/N: And, because I'm evil and my Wes Janson muse wants something to say, I'm going to end it here. At last, I could introduce Ouduar- he's probably my favorite character to write, aside from Gornash and the CMC. And, originally, he was supposed to be a little kid, even younger than Ben, and mostly a minor character that was only mentioned but with no real personality or development. I kinda like him better this way. And don't worry- he's not a pedophile, though he certainly doesn't have a problem with making everyone THINK he is.
Attention all: This is your one and only Wes Janson!muse speaking- come one, come all, and place your bets for the 'Who IS the CMC, anyway?' Poll! Who is she, where did she come from, what book did she originally appear in, and why in GOD'S NAME does our author refer to her as 'CMC' and never just 'the Countess' or 'her'? You needn't bet any credits, but for all who participate, you shall have your choice of a 100-word drabble written by our dear Sapadu on any Star Wars topic, be it a Introspective!Mara piece or a silly Jabba-the-Hutt meets Pizza-the-Hutt. The winner- or person whose guess causes the least mental scarring and damage on behalf of our author- will receive a fanart piece and a 500-word drabble written just for them. Happy guessing!
Your one and only, Wes Janson of the Rogue Squadron.
Um... because I'm obscenely bored right now. Give me something to do that will give me a semi-break from this oh-so-taxing fic. Please!