Irony At It's Finest

Kalanda Tishire

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Kalanda had thought of him from time to time. The first jedi she had encountered. The first one to make her perhaps doubt her conviction as a Sith. It has been so long since their last meeting, and yet there was so much to say.

Kalanda had long since known that she didn't hate Reuben, in some way she pitied him. He was trapped in a cycle, with his head stuck in the sand. He was never going to be free, never going to be happy. Not like her. Never like her. The Sith Order was gone, and the Jedi Order wasn't that far behind. So, when a chance came to venture out and find him, that's exactly what she did. She could track him across the galaxy if that's what it took, but thankfully that wasn't needed. Her alchemy and magick usage had shown the way to her old 'friend' and it was time to pay a visit. Bidding Eithni farewell, Kalanda set out to find the jedi knight for whom she owed so much to. No longer was it jedi and Sith, but just two exiles of long dead orders, maybe this time when they left it could be as friends. She'd like that. Maybe he would too. Plotting the course for Dantooine, Kalanda embarked, rather excited to see her longest standing rival. She couldn't wait to see the look on his face.


@Sunfrog
 

Reuben Azari

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There had been many times over the years when Reuben had felt alone in his plight and his mind always drew back to the one person he felt he could relate to one some level, though he didn't agree with her choices or condone her actions, the first Sith he had met had a past which bore a striking resemblance to his own except in their stories the other was the enemy and they had been pitted against each other ever since but the Jedi Order was a part of his life he wanted to forget now.

They had met again after that initial meeting, when both orders were failing, the Sith were falling into extinction and the Jedi had just had war declared on them by the Mandalorians, bringing them on the verge or a purge. Kalanda seemed to express doubts about the Sith at that time, though Reuben had remained steadfast in his own beliefs, he wondered what had become of her since then and whether or not she had been wiped out with most of the remaining Sith but he had learned in time that wondering would only cause heartache.

Reuben had returned to a lowly life similar to the one he had before joining the Jedi and he was content with it, only now he was bitter because it wasn't with his family and never would be again because of the Jedi. Although he had made a family out of his former master, every day was a reminder of the Order and values he once dedicated his life to but now showed no respect for.

To avoid wondering about things that may or may not be, Reuben kept busy doing work and chores where he could, being who he was always destined to be- nobody. As he was browsing in the market, there was a brief commotion behind him before the sound of feet pounding the ground began to grow distant. "Stop, thief!" One of the vendors shouted but Reuben didn't so much as look. In another life he would've taken down the thief but not any more and not here, Dantooine was far more lawless than Corellia had been but it didn't bother him nearly as much any more.


@Algarus
 

Kalanda Tishire

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Touching down on Dantooine, Kalanda wold begin her journey like she had so many times before, with just a destination and a desire in mind. Setting foot on the world, the Nightsister began her walk, moving through the spaceport and into the marketplace, as she could feel the force guiding her towards Reuben, he was close now, she could see him in her mind's eye. She heard the cry of a thief to her left, as she witnessed a man running towards her, a grin over his face as he had some smuggled goods bundled against his chest. Kalanda moved out of the man's way, not wanting to get caught up in the path of the thief, but it seemed wrong to let just a bad deed go unpunished. She let the man go, as he ran past her in a hurry, but unfortunately for him he seemed to mysteriously trip and be sent flying into a concrete building headfirst, as he slumped to the ground unconscious. How odd. Kalanda relaxed her hand looking around for the local security force to sweep this mess up, as she merely moved on.

As Kalanda moved onward, she caught sight of Reuben, and quickened her pace. She bore no saber, no armor of the Sith. She long since swore that off, having learned all she truly needed was her convictions and the force. Sith doctrine had blinded her to that reality, and Eithni had been the one to set her free from that prison. "Excuse me sir." She started, quickening her step, as she wore a rather genuine smile. She would reach out, trying to loop her arm around his as if they were some couple; though she expected him to react negatively to this. "I was wondering when I'd see you again. You've put on some weight Reuben." She muttered, as she leaned on him just a tad. She was just waiting for a stunned response, maybe a shocked explicit word. He probably had thought she died, she hadn't told many people what path she had chosen at the end of it all. They were nearing the end of the market, soon they would be alone, which was right where she would want him.

@Sunfrog
 

Reuben Azari

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It had been years since he had intentionally used the force and it would take a lot for him to consider using it again. The only time he was aware of its presence was when he could sense the emotions of others to a high degree but he was numb to most other force abilities now, it wasn't just the Jedi he wanted out of his life, it was everything related to them. The reminder of his past life was painful and being reminded of the life before that hurt even more.

When he felt an arm loop around his, he immediately flinched and instinctively tried to pull away as crime was commonplace here so you could never be too careful but then his eyes fell on the person the arm belonged to and he immediately relaxed and didn't resist her any more and was very surprised to find the woman he had met twenty three years prior when they were young adults fighting in a war against each other. "Kalanda?!" He asked in disbelief but evidently without anger, despite her comment.

"What are you doing here?!" He asked, barely able to contain his shock. It was sad to say but Kalanda was one of the longest standing people in his life, even if they had been mortal enemies for the first few years of their acquaintance and despite their differences and arguments, he could almost say he was glad to see her, she definitely seemed to have improved in mood from the last time they met when she seemed so hopeless and lost- only now Reuben knew exactly how that felt.

If Kalanda were to find out about his stance on the Jedi now she would probably say something along the lines of I told you so, although Reuben wasn't in the mood for her antics if she had come to gloat about how she had been right so he brushed her arm off his. "What do you want?" He asked more solemnly, immediately suspicious of her presence.


@Algarus
 

Kalanda Tishire

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It was exactly what she wanted to hear from the man, as Kalanda's smile widened. She was actually happy to see him, if one could believe it. "Yes darling, it is I." She answered, chuckling as she did. She was rather happy to have found him, even more so that he was still alive despite it all.

Kalanda's smile faded into a frown, as she tilted her head and eyed the man up. He hadn't grown at all in power, in fact he was wasting his potential away. It was dreadfully sad. "I wanted to see you." She stated honestly, taking a step forward as she looked him in the eyes. "I've thought about you weekly for years Reuben, I was always wondering where you had gone, what you had done. If you were alive." She frowned, opening her arms up to indicate she wanted an embrace. "I had so much I wanted to tell you Reuben. I just wanted to tell you thank you, for helping me find my path. It's thanks to you I'm still here." She smiled once, looking him over as he seemed rather miserable with his life. "Reuben, is something wrong?" She muttered, her happiness beginning to simmer down, he didn't seem happy to see her at all. So much for a happy reunion.

@Sunfrog
 

Reuben Azari

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Reuben couldn't deny that he was glad to see Kalanda and happy that she was alive despite the devastation that had wreaked both of their orders but he wasn't sure whether he wanted to hear what she had to say about the Jedi now that he agreed with her and proved she had been right all along.

"I'm glad you found me." He replied with a small smile. He had never looked for Kalanda, he was afraid of what the truth could be if he did, he would rather live in the uncertainty than find out a terrible truth. "I've thought about you a lot too, I hoped you would change your mind about the Sith and it might have just saved your life... And it looks like you did." He didn't hesitate to hug Kalanda when she opened her arms to him and in that moment he felt overwhelmingly sad at the memory of what they had once been.

"To thank me?" He asked, surprised, unaware that he had had that profound an impact on Kalanda whereas he just dismissed everything she had told him about the Jedi. "Well... I'm just glad you're safe." He told her sincerely, though he was unsure what path she was referring to, it wasn't the Sith so he assumed not to have any issues with it.

He sighed and considered for a moment whether or not to tell Kalanda but decided that there was nothing she could say that would make things worse and he could take a little gloating from her as he had done in the past. After her being so honest and open with him, he owed it to her to do the same. "You were right about the Jedi, it took me the best part of twenty years to see but I've renounced that part of my life." He said with bitterness. "Listening to you would've saved a lot of heartache."

@Algarus
 

Kalanda Tishire

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To Kalanda's surprise, he didn't try and renounce her presence. Rather he welcomed her. What a strange change in circumstance this was. She hugged him tightly, taking in a breath as if she had just reunited with a long lost friend. He felt sad, heavy, like ye was letting the world plant its foot firmly on his back and pressing him into the dirt. The smile she had on slowly dimmed into a frown, as she could feel his spiritual suffering. She didn't break the hug initially, instead keeping hold as she attempted to comfort him in this trying time he was in. Finally, she would let go, taking a step back to look him over. She looked like a disappointed mother currently, as seeing her old rival like this was not going to work. Kalanda merely 'tsked' and took Reuben by the arm, linking it with hers as if they were an item now. "Walk with me, we shall have words."

He had finally seen her points, the peices all lines up for the man as he was literally at the end of his rope. It was almost tragic, hearing of how he once held the jedi up as infallible, to just be sent plummeting into the ground like a doomed star fighter; broke her old witchy heart. She would pull him from the market, moving out into the more abandoned section of the town now. "Reuben, if I've learned anything in the last twenty years, is that you need to form your own beliefs, your own convictions. Even if they maybe seen as wrong or insane, they are yours and still valuable to you." She looked up to him, still dragging him by the arm. "So if you have renounced the order, then what does the great Reuben follow? Shall you become of the Sith and creep the shadows, waiting for some new born babe to happen along your path?" It was purely a rhetorical question, hopefully he was still bright enough to recognize that.

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Reuben Azari

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Despite all Kalanda had done, the insults she had spat at him and sometimes he had returned, it was refreshing to talk to her like the two normal people they were now, without their polarising orders driving them to be enemies. No doubt Kalanda had changed and it was evident by the way she treated him, with... compassion? It was a shock to say the least, although he knew she wasn't heartless, he had not expected her to react so positively to the fact he had told her that he was wrong and she was right. Reuben didn't contest walking with her, hoping that she may be able to provide some comfort or shed some light onto the situation he had been keeping to himself.

He paused and thought about what Kalanda said for a moment, wondering where the Jedi beliefs he had had ended and his own beliefs began. "I do have my own beliefs, I believe that the Jedi are a disgrace to everything they claim to uphold." He said with undeniable bitterness. For years they were taught that the Jedi way was unequivocally right and although he had had his doubts while still in the order he still held the Jedi with high regard, believing their cause to be noble and true which in theory was correct, only in practice it seemed that the Jedi weren't as effective as they had hoped to be and ended up being inactive or worsening situations, even creating wars, albeit inadvertently.

"I'm on my own now, well... not really, after the purge I had no where else to go so I stuck with my former master and every single day is a reminder of the past and now it's just going to happen again because the Jedi will not allow themselves to be defeated. She's teaching her kids about the force, setting them up to get killed by Mandalorians or in pursuit of a peace that will never be." He said with sudden annoyance, though it was only because he cared about all of them and didn't want to see them trapped in an endless cycle of war and inevitably dead because of ideals someone else had forced them to adopt.

@Algarus
 

Kalanda Tishire

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How unbecoming of him. In the old days, Kalanda might have gloated over the young man, perhaps mocked him for his failings, but that was the younger Kalanda, the woman who was deathly insecure of herself. Reuben was having a crisis of identity, just as she had done years ago, but he didn't have Eithni nor Amur to see her through it. No, he had done this journey on his own, through the lies of the jedi. Even if he had listened to her all those years ago, it wouldn't have amounted to anything. He would have been just as unhappy as she had been within the Empire. "That's not exactly a solid belief to stand on Reuben." She commented, but let him continue on, knowing all to well what it was he was feeling. She raised a hand and gripped his shoulder sensing that he was extremely bitter about things. She had never seen this side of him, in a way it reminded her of herself. "Maybe she is teaching them because it is important that they know where they come from, what they believe. From what you say, you don't seem to believe the order should project anyone. You believe them to be marked for death, only allowed to be treated like cattle lead out to pasture, waiting to only be shot. Am I right?" Kalanda spoke calmly, her eyes looking to Reuben, then back ahead as they began to leave the outpost behind. She kept her senses about, anticipating someone to perhaps leap out and interrupt the pair. "Reuben, I dont think the issue is with the order. Being frankly, I think you feel lost in this galaxy, and holding onto the order to survive this has corrupted your way of thinking." She stated, giving his arm a small tug so as to distract him. "This master of yours believes things can get better, which while foolish, she wishes for her children to believe as well. Else they will turn into what you are now." She nudged him with her elbow, smiling just a tad. He used to be so positive, so naive. She didn't like him being so cynical, it just felt wrong.

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Reuben Azari

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"Well it's true, isn't it?" He asked, almost with disbelief. At least if Kalanda wasn't going to gloat to him then he at least expected her to agree with him since he was agreeing with what she had told him, though it was twenty years too late. He thought she would support his views or at least understand but he began to grow irritated with her. "Why are you defending her?" He asked incredulously. "They are being set up for slaughter, just like the order was and will be again. The same mistakes are always made but never learnt from." Although he respected Ash for wanting to teach her children about their roots, under such trying circumstances he thought it was definitely a dangerous game to play.

Reuben thought about all that Kalanda had said before responding, looking down at her when she tugged his arm, he wasn't angry with her, only the situation and the past and even what could have been. "Are you denying that there's a problem with the order? The Jedi created their own enemies and then entered a never-ending war with them and claimed that emotions were dangerous and yet feared their enemies more than anything else. I lost everything because of the Jedi, my cousin Avan was exiled and joined the Sith because of their faulty indoctrination and well... me." He frowned and looked down at the floor. As much as he wanted to, the Jedi couldn't be blamed for everything. "If they weren't force sensitive then they wouldn't have this problem..." He pondered.


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Kalanda Tishire

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Kalanda smiled, looking away from Rueben as she tugged down on his arm. He was so fueled by his emotions, off balance. Poor little Reuben. Time had certainly not be kind to him. He thought he was taking his masters side, trying to defend the ideas that she considered to be childish. "Defending her? I'm not. I'm explaining it. You see Reuben, she is trying to give her children something to hope for." She explained, knowing he wasn't going to understand. Reuben had seemed to grow to hate the force, it was so unusual for him. She wasn't sure what to say exactly.

Kalanda's face twitched as the name 'Avan' was brought up, recalling the acolyte from so long ago. Little idiot had probably gotten himself killed. "I knew your cousin. I met him long ago, he wasn't happy at all with the jedi." Kalana muttered, looking to the ground, then back up to Reuben. "I see now, that the problem isn't he was unhappy with the order, but rather he was unhappy with himself. He longed for freedom, thought that maybe the Sith could provide it. But he didn't know that the order came with it's own punishment." It was funny how time made sense of things, least to Kalanda. She had followed a path that Kados had lead her own, never seeking her own path until it was too late; or would have been, if not for Eithni. "That's not the issue Reuben, the issue is that their mother is a jedi, and they will kill her. Would you like them to find and murder her? Crucify her before your eyes? Would that make you happy?" Kalanda asked, her eyes looking over to Reuben. "Would you like me to kill her for you perhaps? Would that satisfy the rage within you, Reuben?" She asked, her yellowish green eyes locking onto Reuben, as she was merely asking rhetorically. She didn't plan to actually kill this woman, but she wanted to know just how far her friend had fallen.

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Reuben Azari

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"Hope?" He scoffed and shook his head. "There is nothing to hope for. The Jedi are almost gone and the galaxy will always be at war. Maybe if we just don't resist authority then we can all live at peace." He said, not sounding sad but rather defeated. The Jedi had done some good when they had the power to do so but they were but a drop in an ocean and although personally to him it was about making a meaningful difference to individuals, how meaningful could your actions be when people were trapped in a cycle of poverty, slavery and crime? These were issues far beyond the Jedi scope.

Reuben sensed a change in Kalanda at the mention of Avan and searched her face for some confirmation of what she was feeling or even what might have become of him. "I know... it's partly because of me." He admitted. When they had first joined the Jedi as teenagers, Reuben was doubtful of the Jedi and disagreed with many aspects of Jedi life, thoughts which were shared with Avan who subsequently held the same opinion. Only... in time Reuben's devotion to the order grew stronger until his doubts were only minor worries but Avan never accepted any other beliefs, only tolerating what he was told he should behave like until he saw a clear way out. "I shared my doubts with him when we first joined and then in the end when he shared his doubts with me... I threatened him." He said, clearly ashamed of the actions he had taken. There was no way to justify it but he at least tried to offer some explanation so he didn't seem completely ruthless. "I was afraid." He said, looking down at the floor.

Reuben didn't show any emotions as Kalanda asked him whether she should kill Ash or not, he felt so disconnected from the world that such a question didn't shock him. "No." He replied plainly. "I may not be a Jedi but I know you can't just solve everything with a quick flick of the lightsaber."


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