Decisions At Dawn

WhiteSheWolf

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~Oh. Oh. A flurry of thoughts – knee to groin? Forehead to bridge of nose? None of those seemed quite right – though Brooke should have already acted. It should have been instinct. For a moment Brooke was thoughtless. His mouth on hers, his arm pulling her closer – No. Stop, think. There had been a reason for this madness, somewhere. The lightsaber. Right. That’s why she was letting this man kiss her. Always for a reason, always because of a choice. ~

~ Just then – in that space of a few seconds – one of those inexplicable things happened. They had happened before; when Brooke was pressed to her limit, how she seemed to run just a bit faster than should have been possible, how she dodged blaster bolts that should have killed her, reached ledges and jumped rooftops that should meant her plummeting to the slums below. Though Brooke had not gotten her fingers around Thair’s lightsaber, suddenly she felt the cool metal of the hilt slap her hand – quietly, loud only to her sensitive ears. She had it!~

~Brooke pulled away from Thair as the hilt was firmly in her hand, a grin on her face as stepped back several paces towards the shadow of the garage, spinning the –as of now – unactivated lightsaber in front of her like a baton. If she was successful in her theft and in escaping Thair’s grasp, she would move back into her garage until there was a good six feet separating them. Brooke smiled. She had no words – she awaited Thair’s reaction.~
 

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The moment seemed far too brief for Thair to remember it happening at all. But he had felt it, and the thought still lingered so he knew it had been real. Brooke seemed flustered, he could read the confusion in her eyes, not just through the Force. Was she having second thoughts or did her goal suddenly change?

There it was! He felt one end of his lightsaber as it grazed his thigh towards Brooke. But he didn't stop her. The desire to was not even there. His arm tightened around her and Thair pulled himself closer to Brooke rather than let her escape. "Let's try that again, only this time you ask me to teach you how to make your own," he said leaning in again and pressing his lips to hers.
 

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~This time, Brooke did react instinctively. Her goal had been achieved; she had the lightsaber in hand. Now she wanted to get out. Thair’s arm was around her right side, so she twisted her hips abruptly to the left, sliding her left foot back just slightly, and drove her left knee up into Thair’s groin. If that missed or was not enough to deter him, Brooke had her right hand up and ready to throw an uppercut to Thair’s chin if he went through with trying to kiss her after her knee strike. The lightsaber – as it was still in her grasp – would stay in her left hand, held now behind her back so as to not get it in the way.~

~If her actions broke his hold, she would back up as before, regarding Thair with wary eyes – unsure of how he would react to a physical attack.~
 

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Thair brought his right in and brought up his knee to block Brooke's. Both joints smacked together with a bony thud and he let her go. Though the reaction wasn't what he had hoped it wasn't previously anticipated. He'd let up his guard for the moment, foolishly as well. Oh well. She now had the lightsaber, but a threat with it she definitely was not.

The weapon was not like a vibroblade or a staff at all. The slightest mistake could result in death or dismemberment for the wielder. If she tried to ignite it she'd risk her life quite. Thair let Brooke break away and distance herself from him, but he would get his weapon back. Once she was clear. "Nice moves," he said as he dropped some credits, the ones from her pocket, to the floor between them.
 

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~Despite the sharp pain in her knee from its collision with Thair's, Brooke moved away from him until there was a good six feet between them. Plenty of room to see what was coming before it happened. Plenty of time to run if the situation called for it. She stayed light on her feet, body angled at 45 degrees to Thair for easy maneuverability. She brought his lightsaber hilt from behind her back, very careful not to accidentally activate it, and equally careful to hold it in such a way that if Thair used the force to activate either end, she would be in the clear. Brooke had enough previous experience with force users not to be completely naive.~

"Thanks," ~She said. Her eyes still held a mischievous glint, for sure, but were a little darker, a little more serious. Her guard was back up now - though she never would admit to it having been down in the first place.~ "Just wanted to see if I could, really. So I should be thanking you."

~For being gullible enough to fall for my trick - was the implied meaning left unsaid. Brooke didn't glance down to the credits between them; she hadn't precisely noted when Thair's hand had dipped into her pocket, but she knew he had been playing the same game she was. Well, sort of.~
 

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Thair shifted his stance now, resisting the urge to rub his bruised knee. Brooke certainly had that maneuver down pat. The corner of his mouth tugged and partly opened as he watched her take a position ready for flight. If she did run, he'd be ready with the Force. "Instead of taking that lightsaber, why not learn to build one? I'm not inviting you to some secret group. I'm just offering to teach you. No strings."

There was a fire in his eyes, one that said how much he was enjoying the moment. Brooke truly was unique to him. She was like a dancer on the edge between uniform and chaos. She seemed to live by her own rules and he truly respected that. "Also, you could have at least kissed back," he added, "since it did spark something to slow you down."
 

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"Make one?" ~Brooke arched an eyebrow as she glanced at the lightsaber.~ "Right. I don't have any idea what you're talking about."

~It was almost impressive how deeply in denial Brooke was about her force sensitivity. It would be apparent that she had convinced herself she wasn't. Brooke tacked her luck with filching Thair's lightsaber up to her skill with sleight of hand and pure chance. The odds had gone in her favor today, oftentimes they didn't. And she didn't buy the argument of no strings, regardless. There were always strings.~

"And apparently it's not me who needs teaching." ~Brooke smiled, twirled the hilt once around her wrist, careful not to change the angle or press any switches.~
 

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"You are absolutely right," he answered with a genuine smile, "I have plenty to learn. Which is why I make it a point not to deny any chances to learn. Neither should you." He wouldn't press her on the matter forcibly. Thair would nudge until she gradually accepted, if she did at all. It would be nice if she came around, he had no one else to share what he knew with. Not anyone who didn't have some sort of power play in mind.

When Brooke twirled the lightsaber he could have yanked it back with the Force, that was child's play. The reason he didn't? Brooke was still there in front of him, not running off with it.
 

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~Well this suddenly wasn't as much fun anymore. He was agreeing with her? Lame. Now what? She had a feeling it wasn't going to be easy to get any sort of angry reaction out of Thair - Brooke wasn't even completely sure she wanted that. But she also didn't want to run. Afterall, this was her place, her 'apartment', so why would she leave? But that left the two of them standing as they were, her with his lightsaber. She knew he could get it back in an instant, was kinda of wondering why he hadn't yet.~

"I get along perfectly fine as I am now. Why should I need to pick up any new skills? Besides. Only force users can use lightsabers."
 

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Thair nodded to her answer, as if teasing her. She'd made the point quite well, still playing at the idea that he was mistaken. "Clearly, which is why I offered to teach you," he spoke and a breeze fluttered his robes. Brooke was adamant, for sure, but she was also fluid. He had witnessed her dealing with Rodians, all while avoiding full on confrontation with a group. She was smart, probably more so than Thair. "You can keep the lightsaber," he said and stood straight. He walked towards Brooke steadily.
 

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"I don't want it."

~What was this, reverse psychology? Make her want to give the lightsaber back? Though Brooke had said from the beginning that she had only tried to steal it to see if she could. And she had. Brooke didn't really know what to make of Thair walking towards her; if he wanted his lightsaber back, she would pretty much hand it to him. Between the truth that she still ignored smacking her in the face, and Thair's imperturbable nature...Brooke was feeling a little confused, which wasn't something she was used to.~
 

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"Well, then hang on to it for me," he replied to her refusal as he neared Brooke. His footfalls were hushed by the rustling of his robe swaying in the breeze. If he had hair it would have flourished, but his recently shaved dome did shine partially in the light. Still Brooke wasn't running away. What was she waiting for?

Thair had no game in mind, but still he pressed. "So, why didn't you kiss back, I'm sure it would have sold the performance better."
 

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"Either I sell it or you take it back."

~She hoped he would take it; selling a lightsaber was tricky business. People tended to ask questions. And Brooke did not want to be known as a Jedi-killer; that would get her on all the wrong lists. She definitely couldn't keep it; none of her contacts would trust her if she had a lightsaber hanging around her belt, and having it would imply she could use it, which of course she couldn't. The reason Brooke had escaped many of her close calls was because she had no obvious weapon. She could fight hand to hand in a tight spot; but that was a matter of self defense. As for his other question...Brooke grinned.~

"I'll keep that in mind for next time, then."

~Brooke had the feeling that Thair didn't realize she 'lived' here. That was comical in itself. He had dropped in on her, after all, and started this whole debacle. ~
 

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"Me too," he said with a pleasant laugh as he again loomed near her. He waited for a reaction from Brooke. Fight or flight, which would she do? Thair wanted to know what she thought, truly. But he could only pick out surface emotions and general ideas. Nothing specific ever came to his mind. Unless it was from Demoly, the woman who had somehow become bound to him through the Force.

Brooke again refused the tool, and Thair simply nodded. He reached slowly towards her left hand.
 

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~Brooke backed up a step. She looked up at Thair - he seemed somehow menacing, all of the sudden. Why? He wasn't threatening her, he wasn't doing anything. He was reaching towards her; towards the hand that held his lightsaber. She had the sudden image of herself using it; of turning it on and wielding it. Ridiculous. That wasn't Brooke. Not ever. She made herself stand still, made her back straight, her eyes hard. No fight, no flight. She lived here. He wasn't threatening her. Control. She looked into Thair's eyes, smiled, and offered his lightsaber, even tossing it the short distance into his outstretched hand. Still, an unspoken question hung in the air, and he was standing quite close to her again; within arm's reach.~

"You do realize I...eh, live here, right?"
 

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"Well, it is a pleasant spot to drop in once in a while," he asnwered with a smile as he caught the double-sided black hilt and pulled it back to the seclusion of his robe. Clearly glad to have his weapon back, he offered his hand out to Brooke, who seemed to have takened a tentative step back. Was she afraid of him now? He couldn't think why.

Unless she percieved the darkness when he thought of Demoly for that moment. His eyes locked on Brooke's once more and Thair steadied himself, where had all the fight gone that she was suddenly stumbling on her words?
 

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~Brooke glanced at the hand held out to her as if it some foreign artifact. She took another step back - it wasn't like her, perhaps, but something (the force) was playing games with her head, and she needed to clear it - to establish her space, regain ground. She laughed at his comment, re-establishing eye contact.~

"Hah, very funny. You're actually quite lucky, I built the awning you 'dropped' in on. It would have been cold, hard durasteel breaking your fall otherwise. "

~Where was this going? Brooke wasn't sure. She didn't have 'friends'. That made attachments, that held her down. She seemed to have dodged the force sensitive bullet for now, would he press it again? It wouldn't work - when she set her will mere talk wouldn't do much to change it.~
 

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"Who's the lucky one? Me, or the girl who would have broken my fall had it not been for her shade," he asked jokingly, not really expecting an answer. He paused for a moment, waiting to see if Brooke would take his hand. Clearly something addled her nerves, but he couldn't guess at what. Could she have sensed some danger? No, Thair would have known well before her.

Something else was at the root of her distrust. And Thair would doggedly seek it out if he needed to. When Brooke re-established eye-contact, it made him gaze straight at her. The qualities that made her a threat also made her quite alluring. She'd become the object of his affections, somehow. But whether it was momentary fanciful notions or something concrete he had yet to decide.
 

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~Brooke slid her hands into her pockets nonchalantly, dodging another metaphorical bullet. She wasn't exactly the hand holding type, anyways. Never would have been. She smirked at his comment.~

"You certainly aren't the standard force user. Usually they're either on a righteous quest for Good or stark raving murderous and angry as a Rancor."

~It might seem odd to Thair that Brooke was making such black and white distinctions, especially given her rather grey field of work. Certainly she knew the universe didn't work in distinctions; had demonstrated it already. The prejudice would probably seem irrational - which it mostly was. She would be the first to admit it.~
 

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"There's a bit of good and evil in everyone," countered Thair pointedly as took two deliberate steps towards Brooke and again closed the distance between them. He stood taller than her and had to glance down partially to look her in the eye. Wow how her eyes shone in the morning Coruscanti sun. "The Jedi seal off their darkness and pretend it isn't there, and the Dark ones simply numb their goodness with pain and bravado. Just because you cannot see it, doesn't mean it isn't there."

Thair sighed quietly and rolled his shoulders to stretch the muscles. There wasn't much else he could say on the matter, but Brooke's stubborness was grating on him somewhat. She had a special gift, like he had. He'd embraced it in a moment of stress. But he wouldn't use that to awaken her, no. "Brooke, when you have questions..." there was more he wanted to say but found himself at a loss. Why was he going to such a length? There was no rationale.

Biting the inside of his cheek, Thair smiled.
 
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