Ben arrived at the beach as he saw the two girls collapsed onto the sand, clothes heavy with water as he walked over to see that both were still breathing. Kneeling beside the two, Ben brushed some of Lirri's hair off of her face and away from her head injury and face.
She wasn't supposed to get involved in all of this, Lirri was supposed to stay busy and then when the time was right, he'd swooped in and bring her over to their new happily ever after. Now, she was bruised, unconscious and bleeding as she laid over Igni.
Ben was far past the point of backing out as he stared at the girl who should be dead. She was the only thing between his destiny; he could practically feel this power in his fingertips. The more he looked at Igni, the more his blood boiled with rage.
Raising one hand, he focused his attention as Igni began sputtering and gasping. Glaring, Ben focused as he closed his hand more as he heard a cracking noise before Igni stopped all together with her body stiffening at first before falling completely limp.
A wave of calmness fell over him when he was done as he turned back to Lirri as he came to a realization. While Lirri still worked in the 'lighter' shades of grey, he would have to leave her. Once he had enough power, Ben could show her why he did what he did. When he was powerful like his grandfather, Ben could woo Lirri back to him. His eyes stung with tears as he carefully leaned down to press a kiss against her head; knowing it was only a temporary goodbye.
Pulling away, Ben's steps were quick and shaky as he headed to the meeting spots for Snoke.
Luke had never expected something like this, especially when he was having some difficulty processing the information himself. His only nephew left in the middle of the night as he was distracted with the overflow of sick students and Igni's mysterious death distracting Lirri.
He was still unsure on how to break the bad news to his apprentice as she was now awake trying to figure out answers after being unconscious for two weeks. Even now, they sat in her room as he tried to explain.
Lirri turned on her bed, looking at Luke as her shaky hands clung to the cup of tea as she hung her legs off of the bed. Her eyes were red and puffy. Luke could tell that Lirri was trying to process everything told to her.
"Bu-but why?" Lirri finally asked as Luke put a hand on Lirri's knee as an act of empathy.
"I'm afraid that I can't give you an answer Lirri." His voice was soft, as he continued. "Just know that you did all you could to make Ben feel welcomed here and tried to save Igni."
Luke had seen how close Ben was with Lirri, even with them thinking they were discreet. He didn't want to disturb it since they weren't interring with day to day life and wanted Ben to be the one sharing it when comfortable.
They say in silence for a bit, it wasn't comfortable but also not awkward.
Lirri's fingers tapped against the cup as Luke glanced up to see the tears streaming down her face as she tried to choke back the sobs. Luke took his hand back as he let Lirri let out these emotions as he sat there patiently. Luke had shed his own tears as he sent the letter to Leia.
"Lu- Luke I need to go find him. I need to find clues." The girl set her mug down nearby as she stood onto her feet, wobbling as Lirri tried to ground herself. Luke lurched forward as he went to catch her, putting out a hand out to stop him.
Sighing, Luke looked at her. "I don't think that is wise since we are unsure where to look for him."
Immediately, Lirri looked at him with an upset look as she began to flail her arms. "Luke I can't just sit here though. Ben is out there!" Lirri wanted answers, but more importantly Lirri needed to get away from the temple.
When she thought about the Jedis, it reminded her of everything terrible that happened. Lirri had failed one of her Padawans, Igni was pulled out of the water too late; she thought anyways since her details were fuzzy after Igni went over the cliff.
"I understand, Lirri, but please wait until you've fully recovered." Luke stood up as he placed his human hand on her shoulder. "You won't be able to run a ship in your current conditions. I have faith that we will see Ben again, keep your chin up."
The tension was still around until Luke saw Lirri nod slowly as Luke embraced his apprentice in a tight hug.
Later, when Luke ended leaving Lirri, she was sound asleep. He knew it would be on a matter of time before Lirri's dreams took over. After experiences with Lirri previously, in her times of emotional duress, her dreams became excessive.
After checking in on the rest of the Padawans, Luke went out to watch the stars. Deep down, Luke had a terrible feeling about Ben and what was to come. However, he didn't know if he could bear to think about it.
Leaning back, Luke sent a thought and prayer out to the sky. Whenever Ben was, Luke hoped his nephew was safe.
Only a month later, Lirri was up to leaving as she left with active communication between the two even though she'd be gone for a short while. They had made the training grounds easily for Luke to keep in working order by himself; with a little more help from the Padawans on chores. Lirri had taken a small, one man ship that she was using for food supplies, herbs and inspect a possible lead about Ben. Her trip was one that felt lonely, but Lirri began to get adapt to that feeling after many errand trips. After all, when she returned she'd be in company again.
Unfortunately for her, the lead led to nothing and as she was planning on heading back, Luke called her telling Lirri to not return to the Jedi temple. Instead he gave her the coordinates to a place called Maz Kanata's. Lirri was terrified since Luke would never leave the Padawans alone without either of them.
When she arrived, Luke was in a terrible shape. He was covered in cuts and bruises and Lirri was sure that this was only the surface since they seemed to darken towards the hem of his clothes. They had a table at the back and Luke avoided eye contact with her.
"Lirri… they're all gone." Luke spoke as he squeezed his eyes shut.
"We can get them back-"
"No, The Knights of Ren, they came and killed them all." Luke spoke as Lirri tensed up, processing the information as she opened and shut her mouth a few times.
"Luke, they couldn't have taken all of the Padawans; there must be some survivors. Like the older Padawans should have been able to defend themselves and others."
Lirri stood up as she slammed her hands on the table.
"We'll go back and check for survivors. Then we can make sure to hide somewhere else and protect them. Same with any new force sensitives we find!" Her mind was going 14 parsecs a second, trying to solve the issue with the little information she had, still not understanding the situation.
"Lirri, we can't."
"What do you mean we can't?" she asked hesitantly before sitting back down.
"The whole training grounds… they're destroyed. All of it. The other force sensitives were killed before we were attacked." Luke explained as her shoulders dropped. Luke knew what she was wondering but he wouldn't tell her the answer about if he knew about Ben.
Standing up, Luke ushered Lirri to walk with him as he tied his cloak back on.
The pair walked to the lake, knowing that the calm atmosphere would be easier than the dark and loud bar. Lirri focused on watching the water, her lips pursed together as she occasionally glanced at Luke.
"Neither of us are safe and I don't think I could protect you." Luke saw her shock as he kept talking. "Together we're at a higher risk of dying. I'm leaving to a place no one can find me." Placing his hand on her shoulder, he smiled. "I know you're strong enough to survive but please stay safe and lay low. If you are really concerned, please go to the Resistance; my sister Leia is there. Just keep an ear out for the Knights of Ren and avoid them at all costs."
The words sunk in as Lirri immediately hugged her master tightly. He could hear her crying as she choked out a "Luke...thank you."
She pulled away as she smiled sadly at him. "This isn't a permanent goodbye, Master. We will meet again." She promised before whispering. "May the Force Be With You."
"Maybe the force be with you too." Luke spoke, although he seemed hesitant as he handed her a small parcel. "Eventually, you'll know what to do with this."