Ask Accepting Change

[Sola Zappal]

Sola had not seen her master in nearly a year. Verse had sent her the occasional messages and reminders of simple tasks that needed to be completed, but for the most part Sola was on her own. Sola had been alone more recently in the past few years, but she was always and like would always be lonely. Ever since she had met Quin, he had been unneccessarily kind, and Sola had begun to think perhaps she wasn't lonely anymore. And then she had left Naboo, and they hadn't seen each other since, and she realized that she would always be lonely.

So when Sola recieved a message from Quin asking her to meet him in a public square on Ord Mantell, to say she was surprised was an understatement. She debated for a while whether or not to actually go to Ord Mantell, contemplating the emotions that had long since troubled her. But she was not afraid of them- Jedi were afraid of feelings, and Sith embraced them to grow stronger; turn the pain into power. Which is what Sola convinced herself she was doing as she caught a transport ship to Ord Mantell. She had been wandering the galaxy without her master, something the Jedi would also look down their noses at, but something the Sith didn't mind as much.

She was silent the entire ride. She wore the same blue tunic she had worn when she had first met Quin, underneath a cloak that cast her face into shadows, hiding her nasty scars. When the transport landed, she followed the crowd leaving, glancing to her datapad only once to confirm the location and time she was supposed to meet Quin at.

@Sicadorito

 

[Quin Leonkri]

Sometimes, Quin didn’t know what he was thinking.

His last promise to Sola had been pushed to the back of his mind again and again. Each time it surfaced, he would tell himself that it wasn’t the right time, that the Sith were beyond hope, and that they only did good things if it benefited their own desires. Even so, he couldn’t resist reaching out to Sola again that one evening. A promise was a promise, he’d reasoned, and promises were to be kept.

However, as he stood waiting at the beginning of the mountain trail not too far from Ord Mantell City, he was beginning to have second thoughts. A few days after he’d made the call to Sola, the devastating attack on the Ithor temple had taken place. It would have been rude to outright cancel the meeting, but even though he was fairly certain that she hadn’t been involved, doubt began to creep into his mind yet again and he found himself wondering if this was such a good idea after all. Whether it was or not, he thought, absentmindedly scratching his head, it was already too late.

Soon, he spotted Sola coming over from the road, and with an effort a small smile came onto his face as he approached her.

“Hey. It’s been a while,” he said, coming to a stop a respectful distance away. “The weather’s nice today— perfect for a hike. How have you been?”

@Reylo4evr

 

[Sola Zappal]

It had been nearly three years since she'd last seen Quin. She was seventeen now, and while she didn't know his age, he definitely looked older than he had when she had met him on Naboo. And along with age came maturing. Quin had an expression on his face Sola couldn't exactly decipher, but it resembled something like doubt. Sola was familiar with the feeling, and wondered what had happened to him.

Sola wore a peculiar expression on her face. It was not one of hatred or contempt, or even one of relieved excitement. Rather it was more contemplative. She supposed she was growing better at hiding her emotions. "Alone," she replied to Quin's question, no contempt in her voice despite the particularly harsh word. Maybe her master was rubbing off on her. "Is that why you messaged me, for a hike?" she asked. If he wanted to discuss the weather, she certainly would.

@Sicadorito

 

[Quin Leonkri]

“Three years is a long time to be alone,” Quin commented, examining Sola for a moment. Though he was wary, he couldn’t sense any intention to harm him. But what was he thinking? This was the same girl— now a young woman— who had put herself in harm's way to help him against those street bikers on Naboo. Seeing her again after so long and remembering their past excursion, it made him almost a little sentimental. A small smile appeared on his face as he looked into her eyes, this time genuine. “Well, you’re not anymore.”

With that, he gestured for her to come along and started on the trail, waiting for Sola to catch up before answering her next question.

“Partially. It is the perfect season. Not too hot, and not too cold.” He turned to look at Sola, extending a hand to offer some help up a slightly larger ledge if she wanted it. “But it’s the company that’s more important.” Whether she accepted his hand or not, he would move on.

“You probably already guessed, but the reason I sent you a message was to talk about what we— what you wanted to do in the future.” He stopped, turning to meet her gaze. “You remember when we last talked about the Jedi?”

@Reylo4evr

 

[Sola Zappal]

The first bit of emotion slipped past Sola's guard as Quin led the way, turning around to offer her a hand up. She blinked at him for a second, surprise and a little bit of sadness evident on her face. Eventually she took his hand and used it to help herself up to the next level. When he finally explained himself, Sola had gotten a better handle on her emotions.

"I do," she replied, not saying any more than that. Last they had talked, she had suggested she might turn to the Light side, something that was easier said than done. In her honest opinion, she didn't care for Jedi one way or another. She had never really had any interactions with them and she preferred to make her judgments about people once she knew them. She supposed no one was really all bad or all good, but she also knew her soul was a long way from redemption. But wasn't wanting it and willing to change the biggest step of all?

@Sicadorito

 

[Quin Leonkri]

It took him by surprise when Sola accepted his hand. He’d only offered out of politeness— mostly expecting her to brush it off. So, the surprise on her face was only reflected by his before they resumed their conversation. Although… even though it had been a fleeting glance, Quin had the feeling that Sola was somehow upset. Was it his question?

“Ah, good.” A few seconds of silence fell between them as Quin tried to gather his thoughts to form his response. In truth, he’d come completely unprepared, and he felt as if he was somehow letting Sola down when it was for sure a difficult decision for her to make.

“Well, you see… now isn’t the best time to bring you to the Jedi,” he said finally. Before she could interject though, he continued quickly. “But I’d still like to help you. It’s been too long since I said that I would.” He stopped walking, meeting Sola’s gaze again. “I’ve decided to take a break from my temple duties. If you’re willing, I would be happy to spend that time to, you know, help you out.” He bit the inside of his cheek after that, hoping that he didn’t sound too awkward.

@Reylo4evr

 

[Sola Zappal]

Sola almost scolded herself for thinking it could've worked when Quin said now wasn't the best time. When would the best time be, then? Was there ever going to be a good time to introduce a Sith to the Jedi? But then he continued speaking, saying how he still wanted to help her and her mind was soothed somewhat. For a while after he spoke, she didn't know what to say. He really thought her important enough to risk his position with the Jedi, to step away from his duties at the temple? No one had ever thought Sola important enough to care about, not even her master, who was perhaps the closest thing to a friend Sola had.

She came to a stop on the trail they were walking. "Why?" she asked, her voice strangely soft. "Why do you want to help me? And why now?" she asked these questions, not really expecting to get a straight answer. She felt as if she hadn't changed much and yet Quin had changed so much. She finally pulled her hood back, the light casting her scars in sharp relief. Despite their still ugly presence, if one looked close enough, they appeared to have begun to fade; the skin not so shiny or so pink.

@Sicadorito

 

[Quin Leonkri]

When Sola stopped and asked him why, Quin couldn’t say that he hadn’t been expecting it. His offer was quite out of the blue— he recognized that. However, it didn’t mean that he had a good answer either.

“The last time I saw you, I did promise you that I would.” Quin gave her a slight smile, though he was sure that wasn’t the response she was looking for. “It was long overdue. I kept waiting for the right time, but it seems that there never is a right time. I don’t know if there ever will be. So, might as well go for it now, if you know what I mean.” He lowered his gaze, looking at the ground for a moment before meeting her eyes again. To his surprise, he found that she’d pulled her hood back. It was refreshing somehow to see her without it, and he found himself smiling.

“You’ve changed, Sola. In a good way, of course.” His gaze lingered on her scars for about a second. They appeared to be lighter than when he’d last seen her. She seemed taller too, more mature. Before it would look like he was staring, however, he smiled again and nodded in the direction of the path.

“Want to keep going? There’s a nice spot up top that I’d like to show you.”

@Reylo4evr