A/N: Sorry this took much longer than it was supposed to!
Family
Annoys with a look,
Comforts with a sigh,
And encourages with the smallest of smiles.
Ithorian proverb, free translation
Chapter Three: Dinner Conversations
After their brief alliance in the hallway, Luke had expected whatever tension
there had been between Mara and Callista to disappear over dinner. Instead,
Mara stayed uncomfortably silent. He ended up having to tell Callista the story
of their "adventures" on Nirauan with almost no help from Mara.
She did make a few additions and corrections, of course, but not out loud. In
fact, she was so quiet that he almost jumped out of his seat when she suddenly
interrupted him as he started relating her sacrifice of the Jade's Fire. She
took over the storytelling at that point and didn't allow him to interject
anything.
And he definitely had a few things to say. To his shock, Mara spoke about the
entire episode with a completely unemotional façade, as though the decision had
been a simple one for her.
When she finished, she promptly closed up for the remainder of the story.
He tried nudging her mentally to explain the significance of what had happened,
but he quickly found that she had closed herself off through the Force as well.
Frustrated with her refusal to contribute, he ignored her for the rest of the
meal.
Immature, he knew, but how else was he supposed to deal with her when she was
like this?
He hadn't counted on annoying Callista, however.
He knew that Callista could sense the tension between them, even if she
couldn't overhear their curt mental comments. A few raised eyebrows and slight
nods in Mara's direction, told him that she didn't appreciate his reaction. But
he steadfastly refused to give in—after all, it was Mara who had closed herself
off in the first place. By the time dessert came around, Callista had had
enough and she took matters into her own hands.
"It sounds like you had quite an experience, Mara," she said, and her tone left
no room to beg off the question. Mara had to answer.
At least, that's what Luke thought.
"I guess," Mara said, instead, with a shrug.
Luke almost kicked her under the table, but settled for just glaring at her.
She had wanted to come over and she had asked to speak with
Callista. What had happened to the woman from the ship who couldn't stop
talking?
But she wouldn't meet his eyes, so the glare was wasted. Instead, he looked
back at Callista, shaking his head and raising his hands slightly in defeat.
And just a bit of gloating. Hadn't he told her it wouldn't work?
Callista was undeterred, however.
"That must have been difficult for you to lose your ship like that; I'm sure it
was very expensive."
Luke winced at Callista's words, but thought that it might actually be enough
to set Mara off.
Mara just shrugged again. "It can be replaced."
"I suppose so," Callista agreed, but Luke could tell that she was getting
somewhat frustrated with Mara herself.
"Mara, you said that you wanted to speak to me about the Academy, didn't you?"
Luke's eyes widened with admiration. No beating around the bush for Callista,
she went straight for the kill.
Kind of like Mara, he realized, uncomfortably, as he saw her eyes narrow and
felt her sense change dangerously.
There was a long moment of silence when Luke thought that Mara was either going
to bolt or start yelling. To his surprise, she did neither.
"Yes," she answered finally. Her back straightened and she leaned forward onto
the table, resting on her elbows and clasping her hands in front of her,
looking Callista straight in the eye. Suddenly, all business.
"Skywalker and I ended up talking a lot on Nirauan about how things are run at
the Academy and with the Jedi, in general. We thought up a few ideas, maybe,
changes that could be made for things to run more according to his original
goals in re-establishing the Jedi."
Callista leaned back in her chair, giving Mara the upper-hand in the
conversation. "I see," she said. Though she spoke pleasantly enough, Luke could
tell that her expression was plastered on. "And what exactly did you come up
with."
If Mara noticed Callista's sudden coldness, she didn't show it. She rolled,
full throttle, into a detailed account of many—though not all, he noted—of the
ideas they had thrown around.
Callista listened to it all, nodding her understanding at different parts, but
Luke could almost feel the temperature drop in the apartment the longer Mara
went on. Mara, however, continued heedlessly, similar to what she had done on
the ship. When she was finally through, she had to gasp in a lungful of air.
"Is that all?" Callista asked, and Mara couldn't ignore the sarcasm this time.
"No," Mara answered, nearly as coldly. "But those were the most important
points."
Callista said nothing for a few moments. Then she turned to look at Luke. "What
do you think of all this, Luke?" she asked.
Luke felt his stomach jump suddenly into his throat. He had not meant for it to
go this way.
"Well," he began, then paused.
You said you would back me up on this, Skywalker…
He glanced at Mara quickly, annoyed. Welcome back, he thought back at
her. You said we would do this together.
He looked away and cut off her response by saying, "I think that it all makes a
lot of sense."
Mara's sense immediately changed from betrayal to relief. That's a start,
he heard.
Callista nodded. "Mara, I think these ideas address some of the issues we've
been struggling with for years. But I'm not sure that you have a complete grasp
of everything we deal with on a daily basis at the Academy."
It was Mara's turn to lean back in her chair, silently, lips pursed.
"I'll be perfectly honest with you, Mara," Callista continued, and Luke
cringed. Callista did not lose her temper, but, in his experience, being
'perfectly honest' with someone meant that she was going to be brutally
honest. That she was going to tell that person everything that she had ever
wanted to say to them. "I really don't see what makes you think that you are
suddenly an expert on the Academy or Jedi, Mara. You have always made it
abundantly clear that you want as little to do with us and our teachings as
possible. We have invited you in, we have tried to make you feel welcome, but
you not only turn us down, you mock us. You are in no position to be making
changes to a system that has been working for more than half a dozen years and
for thousands of years before the Empire."
Luke tried motioning to Callista. He went so far as to clear his throat and
widen his eyes in warning. But she wouldn't stop. He turned fearfully to watch
Mara as she continued.
He didn't like what he saw. Mara was still leaning back in her chair, her arms
crossed in front of her, but she looked up at Callista now through slitted
eyes. She was motionless, but Luke could sense the swirling emotions in her and
he waited apprehensively for the explosion.
"I know that part of the reason you've never joined us is because of some of
our flaws. But every system has flaws. Being a Jedi means humbling yourself to
what others can teach you, not about changing everyone and everything to fit
your selfish needs. Being a Jedi is about giving yourself over to the Jedi
ideals completely. You have never done that, Mara. You have never been able to
give that commitment…"
And suddenly Luke felt Mara snap. He reached out a hand to stop her, he sent a
wave a calmness to her, but it was much too late.
"Who the hell are you to talk about commitment?!"
"Mara!" Luke was on his feet in an instant. He glanced hurriedly at
Callista and could see right away that she understood the implication of Mara's
accusation. He had told Mara about his relationship with Callista as a friend.
What right did she have to throw it back in Callista's face?
"Don't even try it, Skywalker!" Mara was stepping away from the table,
away from him. "I didn't ask for adulation, I only asked to be heard. But you
are all so mired in your self-righteousness that you can't move past what we all
can see are major problems with the system."
She turned to point a finger at Callista who was quickly getting over her
shock. "I know that I haven't exactly been a faithful follower of your little
group. But I always supported the idea of the Jedi and I have never
mocked it to any outsiders. If you think that, you can just…"
And suddenly, she stopped. She didn't just stop speaking, or moving, she
stopped everything. Her thoughts, her emotions—everything clicked to a stop and
seemed to move in a completely different direction.
"Cray," she said hoarsely, then shook her head. "Cay is waking up."
Callista's head shot up. "Oh," she said, as she rose quickly. She started
moving off to Cay's bedroom, but hesitated and turned back for a moment. "Is
she alright?"
Callista didn't bother asking Mara how she knew that Cay was awake, Luke
noticed. Mara's training in other areas of the force may have been lacking, but
her telepathic abilities and skills were still far beyond any of the other
Jedi.
Mara's eyes were far away for a moment. "She's fine. I think…she just wants
you."
Callista nodded once, then turned and disappeared around the corner.
A/N: Thanks to everyone for the reviews!
Brigantia: I also was never sure what to think of Callista. This fic is kind of my way of dealing with that.
Ariapaige: Sorry it took so long, in the end!
December Wind: Wow, original – talk about a compliment! J
Ambassador Cara Jade: Thanks for thinking that I'm going to do it well, but what do you hate about it?
