22nd Transmission: Memories [Action/Written]

[thefinaljedi]

Action

[Waking up this morning had been harder for Luke that it’d been in a long, long time. The past few weeks had been trying, with nearly everyone around him seeming to fall apart at once. Friends and family arriving from home, fellow Jedi and other people familiar with life in that galaxy so very, very far away were a blessing, but admittedly a mixed one. Each new arrival had seemed to come bundled with a bantha laden with baggage, a load of new problems to be dumped onto the growing pile that seemed to be collecting around the house Luke had called home for a little over two years. That house had seen many people come and go, and every single one of them had their own share of troubles, but never quite as bad as this. Han, Leia, and Anakin had been a perfect storm, a genuine disaster that Luke had no idea how to even begin to approach, and yet he still felt responsible for finding a way to resolve some of the tension. Ahsoka hadn’t helped matters, tearing off without much word to anyone, and all of this wasn’t even taking into account how Obi-Wan must be feeling with his emotions beyond his control.

And then there was today.

A reminder pinned to his mental calendar, a day he’d broken down and just completely failed someone he was supposed to care about. The last time he’d spoken that someone, someone he’d never see again, and one of the few moments he’d ever really regretted in his time in Luceti.

And of course, that had to be the day the Malnosso fulfilled his mission point request for a house expansion. A little bit of cruel irony that he’d expanded the house to better accommodate the influx of people into a home that felt somehow…emptier…than it should have. The second floor was lovely and put together precisely how he’d requested, but somehow stained for him. So, rather than face that chasmal emptiness he gathered up a few things and just left. Enough was enough, and there was only so much tension and emotional turmoil that a single man could take, even with the Force to aid one’s mind.

Luke strides the through the village with a purpose, Artoo rolling along behind him and whistling solemnly, the empathetic little guy the only person with any real inkling of what was running through his head. His first stop is the clinic, where he carries out his early shift with mechanical precision, but once that’s over he silently takes his leave, slipping out the back with the droid. Next, an hour or so in the Battle Dome running through a series of gymnastic exercises, and then he heads to by both the item shop and the flower shop. From the item shop, he picks up a fishing pole, and the flower shop a single winter jasmine and a sprig of wolfsbane. Finally, he’ll end this trip on Cherry Blossom Hill, planting those flowers.

After that, Luke heads straight for the teleporter, and to a place where he’d always liked to go and think: the beach. Sitting in the shade of a tree, he writes out a few notes, though he tosses most of them away before sending out three. After doing that, he lays out under a tree with only his droid and a small, glowing box for company, losing himself in conversation with the two machines.]



Written, Private to Red (Gameverse)

Red,

I’m going to be a bit preoccupied for the next few days, I was wondering if I could count on you to look after Hamal for me.

Luke





Written, Private to Obi-Wan Kenobi

Ben,

I’ll be away for the next few days. I need to get a little space from the house. I haven’t been kidnapped if anyone asks, I’m just out at the beach, fishing. If you need me, I’ll be out by the fort with Artoo.





Written, Private to Spock

Spock,

I’m sorry to bother you, but could you meet me down by the beach sometime in the next few days? I have a question for you and I’m not entirely comfortable asking about it over the journal.




[OOC: Luke will be out and about, and down at the Beach for the next few days, if anyone needs him or cares to run into him. Sorry for the lack of a more general message.]

Comments

[Action - Beach]

[thefinaljedi]

[Luke rises to his feet as soon as he sees her, his connection to her somewhat dulled by his own emotional turmoil. Crossing the sand, he nods to her, stopping a few paces away.]

I didn't know you'd be down here today. Did you have a good swim?

[Action - Beach]

[geniustheveil]

[There's no such thing as a bad swim, and the question makes her smile. Normally, she chooses a lake or a pool, but today had felt like a day for variety. Or maybe just something to shake her out of her usual ways so she could focus her mind.]

It was exhilarating. I didn't expect to find you, either. Shall we walk together awhile?

[thefinaljedi]

[Luke nods, but his expression is a bit more distant than normal, and his sense is likely of someone who's not entirely together, mentally. He's had a difficult few weeks, and while he certainly can't fault Ami for being unable to really talk about it, he's at a point where he just won't start spilling to her without at least a question.]

Alright, yes. Artoo can mind my things.

[He waves to the droid and offers her his hand.]

I'll be back later, okay? Don't go roaming too far.

[geniustheveil]

Thank you, Artoo. [She spares a polite smile for the droid, just as she might thank a human who agreed to watch their things and stay nearby.

Then her attention is all for Luke as they begin to walk the beach. She takes his hand, and gives it a small squeeze.]

We haven't had an opportunity like this in awhile. [This is partly her own fault - or rather, the Malnosso's - she's aware, but she feels it needs saying.]

[thefinaljedi]

No. We haven't.

[His shoulders stoop slightly as he walks, a note of melancholy suffusing his whole frame. He's exhausted mentally, and today has left him a mess.]

Have you met Siri Tachi or Admiral Yularen, yet?

[geniustheveil]

No, I haven't.

[And then she takes the plunge, or at least steps to the very end of the diving board, posed for it.]

Right now, I'm more concerned about you.

[thefinaljedi]

[Luke swallows. His first instinct it to say he's fine. But he's not, and hasn't been for a while.]

Thanks.

[A pause.]

Lately, I'm not sure I want to be in my own home. There's so much tension there.

[geniustheveil]

[She's quick to offer a temporary solution first.]

Would you like to stay with us for awhile?

[It's pleasantly (to her) busy, with Rei and Minako and Hajime; but maybe that's what Luke needs: some cheerful bustle instead of stressful bustle.]

For now, we can walk awhile and you can tell me what's happened.

[thefinaljedi]

No, but thank you. I just need some time away from the village I think.

[He smiles though, grateful for the offer.]

I think the best place to start is with Leia. Have you talked with her much?

[geniustheveil]

Mm. We've made some plans together, too. [Cooking lessons. Pity the princesses' tutor.] I hope she's alright?

[thefinaljedi]

She's healthy, if that's what you mean.

[Luke sighs]

But she had a fight with Han before. And then there's Anakin. She's...not really willing to forgive him for his future. For Vader. Not the man he is, but the man became.

[geniustheveil]

[Vaguely, she remembers discussing the argument with Han. And it doesn't take much to see that what's bothering Luke simply is all the stress and tension around him. Ami nods thoughtfully.]

Even though right now, he's not the man who did those things, it's hard to remember that when she sees him. I can understand it, but... he also shouldn't bear the burden for something he hasn't done.

[thefinaljedi]

Right. He's not Vader, and he's not necessarily going to become Vader. [Always hopeful...] And I guess...maybe I just feel like she should attempt to get to know him before condemning him like that. He's a good man, a kind man. He deserves better.

[geniustheveil]

[She can agree about Anakin in a way she's never been able to feel about herself, and she nods.]

I haven't spoken with him very much yet this time, but I remember meeting him before.

[thefinaljedi]

[He nods again.]

The Hero with No Fear. Someone who did everything right...until he was pushed the wrong way.

[Luke sighs, squeezing her hand a bit.]

He's...not been home in weeks. We had a bit of an argument last week. Before he was kidnapped.

[geniustheveil]

[Luke if there's one thing the senshi - Ami's senshi - and Ami know, it's how important it is not to let someone drift away and stay away. She becomes a little more alert once it's mentioned.]

Do you know where he is?

[thefinaljedi]

He's been staying on the farm, taking care of the droids and Hamal. But he's not in the enclosure at the moment. I...felt the struggle when the Rogue Malnosso's droids took him.

[geniustheveil]

[That, at least, is reassuring to her private fears, which are really fears about herself. She puts them aside; the one troubled and in pain is Luke - and Anakin.]

Maybe he just needs that time, to calm himself.

[thefinaljedi]

[Luke again shakes his head.]

No. He won't return until Leia accepts him as a part of her family. Which she won't do.

[He knows better than that.]

But that...isn't really the bantha in the room.

[geniustheveil]

[She can understand. She had left when she thought there was no place for her as part of the senshi, too. Still, Anakin needs to be with family. Family is important.

Luke's next words draw a different question.]

Then, what is it?

[thefinaljedi]

[He squeezes her hand slightly again, and looks up at the sky for a long moment, his steps slowing.]

It's the date. It's been a year since...the invasion. Do...you remember that?

[geniustheveil]

[Several; but of course naming today as an anniversary tells her which, and for a moment she's silent, although she nods.]

I remember it. [That's all she says at first.]

[thefinaljedi]

Do you ever...get flashes of memory? From that false life?

[Because he does, sometimes.]

[geniustheveil]

[There's another noticeable hesitation, but after a second, another nod.]

I remember... parts of it, like impressions and feelings, almost.

[thefinaljedi]

Do you...remember Arya?