Witch's thoughts: hopefully, nearly back. but not entirely yet. :sigh:
:heavy sigh:
enjoy!
"He will not live another twenty hours."
The chief Priestess murmured like an old lady, despite being just in her late third stage. Her robe was royal grey and her hood with signs of high position, but even so, the cat still was more a peasant than an elite. This was enough to throw Endavi off her already weak balance.
"Why is this miserable piece of corolli shit touching Obi-Wan? Get a medic here!" she shouted to her servants, who immediately jogged outside the chamber "and get him quick or I'll rip your tails out and use them as a doorbell!
Kodachi rubbed hurting eyes and chose to speak, despite her weariness. Either that or Endavi was going to put whole place in chaotic panic, where no one would know, what was it that they were panicking about.
"The high Priestess is right Edi." She said gently, but shuddered, when her sister turned around abruptly. Her eyes were shiny and cold as ice. "you cannot deny this."
"I can!" Edi shouted rebelliously "And I will! I won't let him die, Dai!"
The general sighed, then continued in more irritated voice.
"As if I want that to happen." Her tone was tired, but still strong. "You should know better. The ship's hibernation device was created for a Shairaani! For Nadi, to be exact and Mother knows she is no regular Shairaani. But no matter how human Nadi is, this boy could have not lived through the process! It's a miracle he is alive now!"
Kodachi didn't know that the Padawan concerned her that much, but nearly shouting at pale Edi made her realize that she didn't want to let him die too. It's just that she didn't see any way that would allow him to be rescued. Kenobi was in to instable state to perform any operation on him, he lost too much blood from his wounds and it was only thanks to the hibernation process that he managed to survive so far. His instincts must have actived very strongly in this young one, she thought. Even now, after being woken up from sleep state, the only thing he was able to do was to breathe shakily and cry quietly from pain. Kodachi wasn't sure if he was even conscious, but his eyes were open and he seemed to try to say something, despite having his lungs and vocal cords damaged.
"If Matrah was here…" the high Priestess began, but Endavi turned to her with so much hatred in her eyes and face, that the woman squeaked and ran away, bumping in the doorway with Edi's personal medic.
"I agree. If Matrah was here, everything would be simpler." He roared, bending a little to walk under a doorway. He was a lion from Jao Islands and they were said to be the biggest ones on the planet. But aside from that, Healer Matp'sa was the gentlest male Kodachi knew. "However if we don't have what we want, we have to cope with what we have."
Humming quietly in his mane, the lion came closer, gently but firmly moving Endavi away, at the same time nodding and listening to her feverish instructions. He had his medical bag with him, but one glance at the patient made him narrow his eyes in worry.
"He is alive, but barely." Edi rolled her eyes and shouted 'I know this already! Do something!', before the lion spoke again. "How long do you want me to keep him this way, my violent princess?"
His words made Endavi blink and Kodachi frowned. Stepping forward, the general cut off her younger sister.
"What do you mean, Matp'sa?" she asked slowly. She thought she began to understand, but wanted to confirm some things. "What do you want to do?"
"That's not what I want to do, princess" said Matp'sa sadly" but what I need to. It is a choice to either keep him alive or keep him alive and healthy."
Endavi stomped violently with her leg, trying to grab tiger's clothes by his throat. As she was too short, she settled for violent tugging at his sleeves.
"There is no choice! I want him alive! And healthy!"
"Then do you want to lose your own health in return, Endavi-hime*?"
The princesses fell silent in amazement. The younger even stepped back from the medic, blinking in disbelief. Both of them were subconsciously aware of what he was talking about, but strangeness of the idea was so overwhelming that they couldn't acknowledge it just yet.
The lion observed them calmly.
/
Kodachi looked through a transparent wall in medical bay.
"You are sure it is going to work out?"
Matp'sa returned her nervous glance with complete serenity, until he averted his eyes slowly.
"Not really." Matp'sa said with a sigh " but you surely know that not every process between Shairaani is connecting as well. They have as much of a chance as everyone. The question is, if the kid survives that."
Dai shuddered.
"You said it will be alright!"
"I said it is possible to work out. Not that it is obvious to be so."
Looking as the medic was preparing everything for the operation with indifferent, icy calm, Kodachi felt as if she was going to puke. She hadn't felt like that for a while now – she was plainly and unmistakably scared. Trying not to think too much about the tools, lying on an operating table near her, Dai gulped heavily. A few meters away, on a preparations table, lied her baby sister, surrounded by nurses and medical equipment. With unusual calmness, she allowed herself to be checked and measured, ignoring even when the staff started to disinfect her veins. It was so strange, so foreign for a sister, for someone knowing how troublesome and proud Endavi was, that Dai tensed. Feeling danger for someone she promised to protect and at the same time not being able to do anything about that was torturing her. And even so, even without looking, Dai knew that through all rough preparation process, Edi's small, white hand was holding Obi-Wan's.
Just this once, Kodachi wished she wasn't emphatic at all.
/
Obi-Wan got more comfortable in Taceho's arms, as if trying to mask tensing a little. The Master didn't say anything; during Obi-Wan's story, he remained silent and unmoving. Trying to understand and imagine what had happened, Taceho suffered from oversensitivity of emotions that the other experienced and remembered well, despite this whole time. Not only he hated the feeling of Obi-Wan's helplessness, but also a thought of Endavi Alberona was unpleasant for him. Why, he didn't know and wasn't sure if he ever wanted to know. But the problem was, this was not the end yet.
"The operation succeeded…" Obi-Wan sounded dream. "And I woke up some time later…"
Taceho knew that he will hate himself for saying this, but spoke up nonetheless.
"Tell me about it."
/
Sometime later, when the Temple was falling into night shift time, Shakti was walking home. After practice with her Knights-to-be, she was exhausted and weary. Massaging her own shoulders, she sighed heavily. Even during exercises, she couldn't get rid of this annoying pang of pain, lurking in the back of her mind. It caused her to perform some basic mistakes and in the end, she had to shorten the practice and let the students go.
Soft steps behind her were well-know and foreign at the same time and Shakti couldn't help, but become alert. Stopping immediately, she leaned on the pillar and waited, giving in to her instincts rather than believing her reason that nothing bad can happen in the Temple. She thought that for a long time, but one bloody battle in cafeteria was enough for the time being.
However, all her precautions were unnecessary and Shakti relaxed visibly, as the steps came closer. Taceho smiled, rising his hand in greeting.
"Hello, Baby."
"Hello 'Ceho. How have you been?"
"Been better" he said, still smiling, but Shakti could easily notice dark circles under his eyes. "But what about you? You don't look well."
"And I'm not." Unexpectedly, she smiled too "But it's nothing serious. Just tired. Looking for someone?"
Shakti was amazed how guarded and focused Taceho's eyes became at this innocent question. She might have been tired, but her sharp senses worked independently from her Jedi mind. And that's why she suddenly understood.
"You were looking for me…?"
"Yes." Taceho breathed out, as if a large weight was lifted from his shoulders. He too, looked exhausted and as if he took more than he could manage. Shakti felt strange, seeing him like that. But at the same time, understood him, subconsciously and entirely.
"Come." She said quietly "my apartment is nearby. We will talk there."
It looked like Taceho was troubled by something.
"Shakti…"
"Come, 'Ceho." She repeated, slouching tiredly. "Let's talk."
/
Bruck was sleeping soundly for a few hours already, when a small noise made him snap out of his dream. In an instant, he jumped from the bed, grabbing his 'saber from under the pillow and activating the blade.
Taceho caught his hand.
"I didn't want to wake you." He whispered. "I'm sorry."
Bruck deactivated his weapon, quickly discarding it on the floor, to catch Taceho, who was already leaning heavily on him. Being taller and more muscled than the other, he easily encircled him with arms.
"Master!" he exclaimed with worry, then said a little quieter. "Taceho… what happened?"
Maneuvering carefully he managed to get both of them on the bed to sit.
"Oh, it's nothing." The Master started clambering clumsily from his Padawan. "Just tired. I had a lot of psychological sessions today." He added with a small laugh. But Bruck wasn't amused.
"They wear you out, Taceho." He stated firmly, hugging him closer and preventing from getting up. "You are too kind and that's your problem."
"Maybe, Padawan." Taceho said sleepily, giving up on standing on his own legs and starting to caress Bruck's back instead. "Maybe."
"You have to quit it." Bruck barked, but composed himself quickly. "You're not their personal psychologist, right?"
"Right. But someone had to talk with them, Padawan." Taceho said, unexpectedly sternly. Saying it like this when he was bonelessly leaning on Bruck's shoulders looked ridiculous. "I told Shakti about her next mission and she wasn't happy about that, having just be back from the other one. But someone must do it."
"Yeah. Someone." Bruck nodded inattentively, nestling down into his Master's neck. He smelled like wind and chill, at the same time like a summer breeze. His cloak was rough on Bruck's naked skin, but he didn't mind. He liked everything that concerned his Master. Literarily everything.
"Master…" he whispered, barely audible. "Taceho…"
"I'm here Bruck." Taceho's voice was calm and warm as always, even much more so, as he felt like the young man hugged him closer. "Come, let's go to bed."
Snuggling together, still with Bruck all over him, Taceho sighed with relief. It began sometime in the past, soon after his Padawan was found, abandoned by Jedi hunters, bleeding and sick. And what's worse – mentally broken. A lot of effort and time were spent to bring Bruck to how he was feeling now, but Taceho didn't regret even a minute of it. Now, their relationship changed, as a result of "the therapy", but he didn't mind it either. He liked to believe that everything would be alright and even if he knew that it wouldn't be, why stress the others? Taceho was just this sort of a guy.
Bruck hugged him once more and nestled in the crook of his neck.
"It's good you are back." He murmured, already floating back to sleep. " Missed you."
"I missed you too." Taceho lifted his face a little, to kiss Bruck's forehead and eyelids. "Sleep well, mio amato."
*remember what I said about japanese suffixes? Yeah, still Japanese.
** my dear (Italian)