Chapter Two: Kuiil's Home
Once the woman passed out in his arms, Mando carefully carried her back over to Kuiil's farmstead. Kuiil raised an aged eyebrow at the sight of the mighty warrior delicately holding the small form of the mysterious young woman.
When Mando reached him, Kuiil simply stated, "Let's get her inside to rest and I can check on all those wounds she has." The Mandalorian simply nodded his head in agreement, and followed the local farmer into his home. Once Kuiil had the bed ready, Mando gently set the young woman down and, to his surprise, reluctantly pulled away, as Kuiil began calmly checking her vital signs and gently cleaning what visible wounds he could see without undressing her.
Realizing that he would be more in the way then a help, Mando cleared his throat and once he had Kuiil's attention again, he stated, "I think I better head out to get started. Once I secure my target, I will come back to check on her." Kuiil simply nodded as well in acknowledgement, then went back to tending to his new houseguest.
After the Mandalorian left, Kuiil paused in his ministrations to really observe the mysterious girl. With the dried blood wiped away from most of her cuts and face, he could see that she was definitely a pretty little thing. He was hesitant to dub her as a human, even though she definitely looked like one, but his sixth sense could pick up a faint "other" signature that seemed to gently radiate off of her in a soothing wave. Also he could quickly tell that even though she must have had tons of cuts and gashes, her body seemed to already be healing them at a remarkably fast rate. And he knew for a fact that regular humans did not have this capability.
Shrugging his shoulders, he decided to simply let her rest for now, and once she awoke he would question her. In the meantime, he headed over to his kitchen to begin preparing a meal for when she decided to wake.
Several hours later, as the suns began to set on the planet Arvala-7, Jasmine slowly began to regain consciousness. She began shifting slightly, realizing that she was laying on top of some sort of bedding material. Groggily, she slowly opened her eyes and blinked a few times to try and clear her vision of the tell-tale sign that she had been asleep way longer than normal.
Looking around at her surroundings, she noticed she was in some sort of humble looking home. She looked down at herself and grimaced when she finally got a good look at her clothing. She definitely was a mess. And she could tell that whoever was sheltering her, was modest enough to not remove her clothing to tend to her injuries, which she was highly grateful for.
Suddenly she heard the sound of shuffling feet approaching the entrance to the room she was in, and she immediately tried to sit up to get into a defensive position, but then regretted it as she clutched her sides and hissed out a breath of pain, not having realized that her ribs were bruised as well.
"You should be resting," a gruff, elderly sounding voice spoke, making Jasmine's head jerk up to the doorway to see someone who looked to her like a cross between a goblin, dwarf, and human all in one. He had a scrunched up nose and wispy white hair that was covered with what looked like a mechanics hat. In his hands he carried a tray that looked definitely like some food and drink that he was bringing to her. Realizing that he was not a threat, Jasmine relaxed and replied, "Sorry, but when you wake in a strange environment, wouldn't your first reaction be to figure out where you are?" She then coughed slightly, not realizing how dry her throat actually was until that moment.
Her host, she guessed, passed her a cup of water and stated in his wise voice, "You are in my home, and my guest until you recover. I have spoken." Taking the cup hesitantly, Jasmine nodded and replied, "Um, thank you then." She then carefully took a sip of the water, and finding that it tasted fine, took a couple more. Once her thirst was abated, she set the cup down and looked to her host and asked, "So, could I ask who you are, and where I am? Last thing I recall is… Falling, and then being caught by someone wearing a helmet? Was that you?"
Jasmine's host chuckled and shaking his head he replied, "No, no young one, I was not the one to save you. That was the Mandalorian who jumped to save you. But after he saved you, I offered my home for you to stay till you regained your health." Then passing her something that to her looked like an interesting loaf of bread, he continued saying, "As for your question as to where you are, it is a curious tale. You fell from some sort of purple storm vortex into the Mandalorian's arms, and are now on the planet known as Arvala-7 in the Outer Rim of the Galaxy."
Jasmine felt her eyes widen in surprise. She knew that Jacinta meant to send her somewhere far away, but from the sounds of it, it sounds like she ended up in an entirely new Galaxy! After her host announced where she was, he insisted that she eat some food first before they continued talking. So for the next several minutes, the two shared a meal that made Jasmine marvel at its uniqueness. The food looked strange, but at the same time, it still tasted fine. Almost like she was eating stew with white farmers bread.
Once the two finished their meal, Jasmine smiled at her host and stated, "I apologize for not introducing myself earlier, and for dropping in so unexpectedly. My name is Jasmine Potter and I sincerely thank you for your kindness, good sir." Her host simply waved a hand and replied, "No need for thanks, I simply give help to those who need it. My name is Kuiil and you are welcome in my home. I have spoken."
Jasmine then looked around and asked, "Um, is that Mandalorian fellow you mentioned around as well so that I can thank him for catching me?" Kuiil paused in collecting their dishware from their meal, and turning to look at her he stated, "Mando headed out to do what he came here for. He has come to bring peace back to this valley. Once he has finished, he stated he would be back to check on you. I have spoken."
With that Kuiil picked up the tray with all the collected dishes and began making his way out of the room, before he exited, he paused and without turning around he stated, "You may rest some more, or if you feel like freshening up, I have a place for you to clean yourself. Come out to the main area if you decide on the second option." With that, he left the room to give his guest some time to think over his words.
Jasmine contemplated Kuiil's words for a moment, and decided that she had rested enough at the present moment, and really wanted to just wash off all of the grime and dirt from the Battle of Hogwarts. She also thought that it would be a good time to try and contact her brother, Harry. She had absolutely no idea how much time had passed back home, but she knew for certain, it was going to be a LONG time before she ever saw him in person again.
So with a plan in mind, Jasmine carefully got up and slowly made her way out to the communal area of Kuiil's home. Once she made it there she took a look around and liked the feel of her host's home. It had a very homely, simple feel to it that made her simply relax and lose any remaining tension that she had. Her thoughts were interrupted when Kuiil entered, and spotting her he stated, "So I see you would like to clean up instead of rest."
Giving the small man an embarrassed smile, Jasmine replied, "Well I am covered in grime and would like to get out of my dirty clothes into something cleaner." Kuiil nodded, but then frowned and replied, "I am afraid that I have no clothes that would be appropriate for you young one."
Jasmine simply shook her head and gave Kuiil a secretive smile. "You do not need to worry about that at all mister Kuiil. I have everything I could possibly need right here." At this Jasmine patted a necklace that Kuiil just now noticed was peeking out from under the shirt that the young woman was wearing. Raising an aged eyebrow, he gave her a more intense stare and stated, "I can sense there is something different about you. What it is, I am not sure, but it makes me believe that you are not as human as you appear to be. I have spoken."
Jasmine chuckled slightly, "You are partly right in your observation mister Kuiil. I am human, BUT I have, shall we say, special abilities?" Then a thoughtful look appeared on her face and she then added, "Actually, I guess the correct title for what I am is either a Mage or my favorite, an Istari." She then grimaced and muttered under her breath, "Much better sounding than being called a 'witch' all the bloody time." Shaking her head to get herself back on track, she once again smiled at her host and said, "Here, let me give you an example of my abilities."
At this, Jasmine took out her necklace to reveal that it was instead, a small drawstring pouch that went around her neck. Taking it off, she opened the pouch and to Kuiil's amazement she then proceeded to stick her whole arm into the bag! After a little bit of rummaging, she finally pulled out a tiny looking leather trunk. Completely confused, Kuiil raised a skeptical eyebrow at the young woman. Giving her host a wink, Jasmine set the tiny trunk on the ground and holding her hand above it she stated clearly, "Engorgio." Kuiil's eyes widened in surprise as the once tiny trunk suddenly began growing!
Once it was back to the size of a regular trunk, Jasmine canceled the spell and walked over to her trunk and proceeded to open it. Then turning to Kuiil she gestured to the opened trunk and stated, "This is only a small example of what I can do. Both the pouch you saw and this trunk are magically enlarged to fit lots of items if I ever need them. I would love to show you, but I would really love to grab a change of clothes and clean off before anything else."
Shaking himself out of his surprise, Kuiil nodded and replied, "Yes, get yourself cleaned up and then we shall enjoy a cup of tea before getting some rest once more." Then he nodded his head and stated, "I have spoken." And he proceeded to head outside.
Jasmine chuckled, the statement that her host seemed to always say at the end of his sentences was a bit amusing to her. It definitely made one feel like they needed to listen and not do anything else.
Turning back to her trunk, Jasmine did one more glance back to make sure Kuiil wasn't watching, then she proceeded to step into her trunk! Climbing down into her trunk revealed that her trunk had an undetectable extension charm on it.
Ever since Jasmine graduated from Hogwarts ten years ago, she purchased this specific trunk so that she could freely travel and not have to worry about paying rent or utilities. It gave her a chance to save money to travel the world while her brother attended school. Once the war started, it was a great way to always be stocked up and prepared for any eventuality. Thankfully, before the Battle of Hogwarts began, she had just finished restocking literally everything she owned.
Quickly she made her way through the apartment-looking space, to the room that functioned as her bedroom.
Deciding to be quick in cleaning herself up, she simply selected a pair of dark denim jeans, a long sleeve forest green shirt and a dark denim jacket to match the jeans, from her closet. Once she had those and some clean undergarments to go with them, she made her way over to her bathroom and proceeded to take a quick shower to rinse off all the remaining blood and grime from the Battle. Thinking of the Battle made Jasmine frown, and she resolved herself to immediately try contacting Harry once she was finished cleaning herself up.
When she finished cleaning and dressing, and putting on her dark brown combat boots, Jasmine made her way out of the trunk once again and proceeded to shrink it with nonverbal magic and once again place it in her moleskin drawstring pouch. Glancing around, Jasmine didn't see or hear Kuiil inside, so she decided to head outside to see what this new world looked like.
Stepping out, Jasmine's eyes widened in shock to see a corral filled with the strangest creatures she had ever seen! And that was saying something since she grew up in a magical community. Cautiously, she walked towards the creature, and it seemed to notice because it turned its focus solely on her. Remembering what Hagrid said about approaching new creatures, Jasmine cautiously stretched her hand out and inched slowly towards the creature, not breaking eye contact. The creature seemed content with this, and stepped forward to press its head into her palm.
A feeling of success filled Jasmine at this, and she couldn't help but to smile as she rubbed the rough skin of the creature. Not noticing that Kuiil was silently approaching her from behind. "She likes you." Kuiil stated, coming to stand beside his guest. Jasmine glanced in surprise at Kuiil, then back at the creature. "Really? That's interesting. Do you mind if I ask what she is? I have never seen a creature like her before." Kuiil nodded and replied, "She is a Blurrg. They are native only to this planet. So I am not surprised if you have not seen one before." Then turning to head back inside, he stated, "The sun will be setting soon. I suggest coming back indoors and we can enjoy a cup of tea."
"Tea sounds amazing right now," Jasmine commented as she took her hand away from the female Blurrg and followed Kuiil back inside. As she entered the home, she suddenly felt her necklace vibrate. Grinning, Jasmine quickly ran over to the seats in the living area of Kuiil's
home and grabbing her necklace that had her moleskin pouch on it, she slid the moleskin pouch to the side to reveal what looked like a locket charm. Carefully pulling off the charm, she used her nonverbal magic to enlarge it into a small handheld mirror.
It was the mirror that was vibrating! Once she tapped it, her reflection disappeared and was replaced by the tired and worn face of her beloved younger brother Harry!
When Harry saw her face, his whole body seemed to just sag in pure relief and tears immediately formed in his eyes as he said, "Oh Thank Merlin you're alive Jaz! I… I was so worried." Jasmine felt tears of her own as she gave a warm reassuring smile and replied, "What do I always tell you Harry? No need to worry. I'm completely fine, a little bruised and sore, but fine nonetheless." Harry nodded, but because of everything that had happened that evening; All the stress, the deaths, worrying if his sister was even alive, all came crashing down on the poor seventeen year old boy and he just couldn't stop the tears as he just began outright sobbing. In sadness or relief, it was hard to tell, but what Jasmine could tell was that her little brother just needed this moment to let all of his emotions out. So as he cried, Jasmine simply began humming a song that their mother used to sing to soothe her when she was upset or injured.
As she did this, she failed to notice that Kuiil had entered the room with the tea, and was silently observing them from the doorway. His face showed sympathy and understanding. For he knew better than anyone else the pain that these two young souls must have suffered. He may not understand their story, but he understood enough to recognize the pain and scars that a war leaves on a person.
Finally Harry began calming down with the help of listening to his sister's soothing voice. Hearing her hum made him smile as he wiped the remainder of his tears away. In a way, Jasmine was more like a mother figure to him than simply being his older sister, and he loved her dearly because of it. So when he had seen Jasmine being sucked into that portal, he had been terrified that he would lose her forever.
Thankfully, wherever she was sent to, he could at least still reach her by the emergency communication methods they had set up.
Jasmine smiled as she watched her brother beginning to calm down. "Feel better?" Harry gave a small humorless chuckle at that and replied, "You have NO idea. I seriously needed that. With… with everything that happened tonight… I just… I just needed a moment." Jasmine nodded in understanding. But needing to know what happened after she disappeared, Jasmine gave Harry a serious look and said, "I know you probably don't want to talk about it, but I need to know what happened after that bitch sent me here. I am assuming since I am talking to you, that we won?"
Giving a huge sigh to compose himself, Harry nodded and proceeded to explain the remainder of the Battle of Hogwarts to his elder sister. Jasmine listened without interrupting and even bowed her head and let a few tears fall at hearing about their Uncle Moony and his wife Tonk's passing away, as well as the death of Fred Weasley. Finally Harry finished his story with, "And now I am technically the "Master of Death" even though I haven't the foggiest idea of what that entails. I just want a quiet life now that all this Dark Lord business is over with." Giving her brother an understanding smile, Jasmine let out a sigh of her own and replied, "It is late Harry, we should both get some much needed sleep. I am very glad to know that you are all right and it will definitely help me sleep better tonight." At the word 'sleep' Harry let out a humongous yawn and stated, "Yeah you're right. Well goodnight sis, wherever you are. Perhaps tomorrow you can tell me all about where you ended up?"
Giving her Brother a loving smile, Jasmine replied, "You too squirt. Love you…" And with that they ended their communication. Once Jasmine re-shrunk her mirror and hooked it onto her necklace again, she let out another enormous sigh and hugged her knees to her chest, trying her best to not break down crying herself. A sudden mug of steaming tea appeared in her line of vision, "Here, drink, it will help you feel better."
Jasmine looked up at Kuiil and gave him a small smile of thanks as she accepted the mug of tea into her hands. The two then sat together and simply enjoyed their tea in comfortable silence. Finally, Kuiil looked towards his guest and said, "I don't pretend to know what you and that young boy who was speaking earlier, have been through. But I do offer my empathy. For I too, survived a war… But not without my own scars." Jasmine looked curious and nodded. She gave a wry smile and asked, "I'm a long way from home aren't I?" Kuiil shrugged his shoulders and proceeded to get up and collect their finished mugs.
"I believe it is time to head to bed. The answers to your questions will become clearer with a good night's rest." With that he looked to the young female Istari and giving a small smile, stated, "Tomorrow I shall show you how to be a farmer until the Mandalorian returns. Goodnight young Istari. I have spoken." And with those words, the two went their separate ways to sleep for the night. Jasmine's last thoughts before sleep fully claimed her being, "And so a new adventure begins for me…"