Knights and Eros Bound

Chapter 23

Kampher made her way through the alleys and passages of Ord Mantel, much as Anakin had done earlier, her mind overflowing with conflicting thoughts about Schurke and the Order in general.

We are Jedi, Kam… 

Yes, she knew that, and unlike herself and Anakin, Schurke had been indoctrinated in the Temple ways since near birth. He had never known anything of real love, real affection, or family.

You were too hard on him, Kampher Lutador, she scolded herself inwardly. You act like you expected him to make the jump from your bed to the marriage temple without a qualm. It's too much for him, especially all at once. What possessed you?

Kampher hurried blindly through the crowds and into a small café. She wanted to sit and be still, and listen to the quiet voice that had been nagging at the back of her mind. The one she had steadfastly ignored until now. In the presence of Anakin and Schurke, she could blissfully push it aside but now that she was alone and admittedly vulnerable, that that voice that she knew all too well became impossible to ignore

Gris.

Come to me, Kam… the voice whispered insidiously. Come home to me…

This time, she obeyed the voice implicitly…

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From the moment he walked through the door, Anakin knew something was wrong. Kampher was nowhere to be seen and Schurke, Schurke of all people, was sitting in a side chair, his eyes red and socketed with… tears.

"Schurke! What wrong?" Anakin gasped. "Where's Kam?"

Schurke wiped his eyes with the back of his hand and forced a smile.

"We… we had a bit of a misunderstanding," he sighed. "She went out."

"A misunderstanding?" Anakin asked, although he had already suspected that something was wrong.. "About what?" He came and knelt next to his friend and placed a hand on his arm. He didn't press. Schurke would either tell him or he would not.

"Toboo…" Schurke began hesitantly. "I don't know what to do… what to say…" He swallowed hard. "I love her… but…" He fell silent again.

"You're a Knight, Schurke," Anakin said softly. "It comes with certain privileges."

Schurke cast him a look, then shook his head. "I… I don't understand what you're getting at, Toboo…"

"Privacy, for one thing," Anakin continued gently. "No one looking over your shoulder constantly." He added almost resentfully. "Breathing down your neck…"

Schurke pursed his lips. "But what if that isn't enough?"

"What do you mean?" Anakin asked, perhaps a little more sharply then he intended. "What else do you want? What else could you want?"

"That's just it," Schurke sighed. "I just don't really know…"

"You said you love her," Anakin said pointedly.

"I do!"

"And?"

"And… I want to be with her…" Schurke replied in a voice that was barely above a whisper.

"What does Kam think of all of this?"

"Honestly, I don't know," Schurke admitted. "She was too angry at me when she left tp talk about it much…"

Anakin allowed himself a smile. "Safe to assume then…"

"What do I do, Anakin?" Schurke cried out in exasperation. "What by the gods do I do?"

Anakin contemplated this for a moment, then spoke up very softly. "Why, you love her Schurke," he said tenderly. "You love her, and then you go from there…"

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The room was dark, but Kampher made her way easily through it, past the murmuring throngs of the patrons in their various states of intoxication. Something, a small part of her, was screaming in the back of her mind that she was being foolish. That she should go back to the shared flat and admit to Schurke that she had been wrong to leave. Admit that she loved him too, and wanted to be with him despite the whims of the Order… But for now, this calling was stronger.

The air was full of intoxicating smoke, and she found the heady fumes disconcerting. Kampher drew on her inner strength and concentrated on the one thing that she was here for.

She drew close to the young woman and found herself alternately overcome with the desire to run into an embrace, or to run out of the building. The mixture of rage and revulsion desperately battled with the desire for a familiar heart.

Before she could make a rational choice, a silky, sultry voice cut through the din that rang through her mind and her ears that for now, sealed her decision.

"Welcome home, Kampher Lutador..."