Ask Naboo Running From Fate

[Sola Zappal]

Sola had screwed up. Majorly. Her insides were at war. She kept switching from self-blame to defending herself, and had given herself a massive headache. So she was here, on Naboo, trying to make it up to her master. It wasn't going very well. She did not want anything to go wrong, but since it was her, something was likely to go wrong.

Sola scratched at the high collar of her light tunic. She was so used to wearing black all the time that she felt awkward wearing a light blue. Her light brown hair was for once not in a ponytail. Instead, it covered her face, hiding her hideously scarred face that she was usually so proud of. Here on Naboo, however, she did not want to call attention to herself. Which was why she had reluctantly followed her master's orders.

She honestly wasn't exactly sure why she was here. It was one of those simple missions for children where people more powerful used her as a pawn to get what they wanted. They told her what to do one step at a time so if she happened to screw up (which she was likely to do), no information could be taken from her.

@Sicadorito

 

[Quin Leonkri]

After yet another trip to visit his parents, Quin couldn’t help feeling a little better about his parents’... situation regarding the Jedi. While they still fixed him with disapproving looks when he told them about his recent endeavors, at least this time they hadn’t interrupted him with a lecture of how he could have had a much more comfortable life if he’d finished his classes at the Royal Academy. Even though they had in the past, he didn’t mind it so much. They were still his parents, who cared about him deep down, even though they had their significant disagreements on some things.

Now, Quin was on his way to one of his favorite parks in Theed. He hadn’t brought his lightsaber or utility belt with him, nor was he dressed in his normal Jedi robes— one of his parents’ demands on visiting them was to not look in any way like a member of the Order. It didn’t bother him so much, but it was strange walking around without his most prized possession. Instead, he was wearing a simple tan tunic reminiscent of that of his Jedi outfit, but not quite.

As he walked, he couldn’t help but look for a moment at a girl standing nearby. She was wearing a high-collared light blue tunic, which she looked fairly uncomfortable in, and the majority of her face was covered by her hair. It clearly looked like she didn’t want to be bothered, but what if she needed help? Maybe she was lost, or upset, or… needed someone to talk to. From his distance, he couldn’t get a clear Force reading of her emotions, but he decided that it was better to approach her and ask. The worst that could happen was that he would be yelled at, and in that case he would happily leave her alone. But for now, it didn’t hurt to check.

He approached the girl, keeping a respectful distance between them when he stopped.

“Hello,” he said with a smile. “How’s, uh, your day going?”

@Reylo4evr

 

[Sola Zappal]

Sola slowly raised her head when someone spoke to her. Her hair still covered the right side of her face, but her left eye stared the boy down. He had hair a little darker than hers, and he looked to be only a couple years older than her. He looked so... happy. She was glad her feelings were cloaked, which was unusual for her. Usually she wore her heart on her sleeve.

"Why are you talking to me," she said softly. Why this boy was speaking to her, she had no idea. She had shoved her feelings down so deep she no longer knew how she felt when she was looking at this stranger with the sweet, awkward smile on his face.

@Sicadorito

 

[Quin Leonkri]

The girl looked back at Quin, and though he could only get a small glimpse of her face, he got the feeling that she hadn’t been expecting him to come over.

Half of him had been expecting to get no response at all, and when she did, he relaxed a bit. It was a reasonable question to ask on her part too.

“Well… you looked like you were waiting for someone,” he said, briefly looking around as if he was expecting that someone to show up right now. “Or looking for something.” He glanced at the girl expectantly, before shaking his head at himself.

“Or you might be perfectly fine and enjoying your day and I just interrupted you. I can go if I’m a bother, sorry,” he said sheepishly.

@Reylo4evr

 

[Sola Zappal]

Sola cursed herself inwardly. Her one job was to not attract attention, and here she was, attracting attention. It had barely been ten minutes.

She considered her most recent order. Gather intel. Nothing specific, anything useful. She figured this boy could give her information. Or perhaps she needed a reason to hate him. He seemed too nice. No one was ever genuinely nice, in Sola's experience.

She found herself unwittingly jealous of this boy. How could he be so happy and at peace? How was it fair that the galaxy had blessed him, but had kicked her away, deeming her unimportant? She was tempted to pretend she had a normal life and a loving family that was waiting for her to return to them. "Who are you?" she said, her voice with less bite. She was not a stellar actress, but she supposed if she was supposed to be getting information, pushing away all her sources would do her no good.

@Sicadorito

 

[Quin Leonkri]

There was a silence for a few moments, and Quin stood there with his hands awkwardly at his sides. Had he said something wrong? He hoped he hadn’t upset her with any assumptions that he might have made. It was times like this when he wished that he’d paid more attention in etiquette class back in the Academy, though it was probably the only subject he was decent in despite his dislike of it. It would have come in handy now, though.

He was tempted to say that he had somewhere to be and brush off the awkward interaction when the silence was broken by the girl, asking him a simple question of who he was. The girl’s tone seemed to have softened. Maybe she did need something after all and was just a little shy to ask, and he was making some progress.

“I’m Quin,” he introduced himself and stuck out a hand for her to shake, if she chose to. “Nice to meet you.”

@Reylo4evr

 

[Sola Zappal]

Sola stared at Quin's hand for a moment before reaching out her own to shake it. She was suddenly aware of how pale and small her hand was in his warmer, larger one. She realized she was probably holding on too long and quickly dropped her hand, crossing her arms over her chest. "I, uh, yeah," she said intelligently.

She had never had a normal conversation with anyone. She had no idea what to do. She supposed she should introduce herself. "Sola. I'm Sola," she clarified. A little too late, she wondered if she should have given him a fake name. "I, uh, got lost," she added. He seemed the type to help out anyone and everyone that needed it.

@Sicadorito

 

[Quin Leonkri]

Quin couldn’t help grinning at how awkward she looked when she took his hand, and he was glad to see that he wasn’t the only one. The girl returned to a defensive position soon after and he withdrew his hand, not wanting to make her more uncomfortable than she already seemed. That much he knew, even if he hadn’t paid much attention in class.

Then she revealed that she indeed was lost, and Quin nodded in understanding. Theed was a large city, and had he not grown up here, he likely would have found it overwhelming and difficult to navigate too.

“Well, Sola, you’re in luck! I would say I know my way around,” he said with a smile. “Where are you looking for? I’d be happy to give you some directions.”

@Reylo4evr

 

[Sola Zappal]

Sola's mind raced as she tried to come up with something plausible. "I- I caught a ride here and have no way to get off world again, and I was trying to find somewhere to stay or something to do while I'm still here-" she paused. She had never spoken that many words one after the other. She looked at Quin sheepishly from behind her hair. Only her left eye was visible. He might reconsider his offer of help if he saw how disfigured she was.

@Sicadorito

 

[Quin Leonkri]

Once Sola hurriedly explained her situation, Quin tapped a finger to his chin in thought.

“There are hotels around here. Do you have any credits?” he asked, then realized that was probably a sensitive question. “Or… parents who could pick you up? I could take you to the spaceport.” Then his brows creased into a soft frown. The girl was younger than he was, and though he was pretty sure she could take care of herself, it was a bit much for her staying all alone in a strange place with no one familiar.

The third option was that he could take her back to his parents’ place, but what would they say to that? He doubted that security would allow her in. Then he shook his head. He could figure this out later— Sola had mentioned looking for something to do while she was here. That much he could help with.

“Well, I was on my way to the park. Want to come with me? I could show you around,” he offered.

@Reylo4evr

 

[Sola Zappal]

Sola opened her mouth and shut it. No, she didn't have any credits. And no, she definitely did not have any parents; her father had killed her mother than she had killed her father. Her muscles tensed and that familiar anger started to rise to the surface but she shoved it down quickly. She got out a choked "No" before Quin spoke again.

"Sure," she replied, a little less choked this time. She figured seeing a park wouldn't hurt, and meanwhile, she could take in any information her master might find useful. Something occurred to her. This 'mission' felt tedious, like busy work. It didn't really seem to serve any purpose. Her master had likely just wanted Sola to prove herself and spend some self-reflection. Well, Force knew she never looked inwards. Perhaps her master wouldn't be too angry if she strayed a little...

@Sicadorito

 

[Quin Leonkri]

Quin realized that he’d accidentally struck a nerve by bringing up Sola’s parents, and decided it was better not to press it anymore. Her choked up response sounded like her situation was more than simply not having someone available to pick her up. Instead, he didn’t say anything more and gestured for her to come along after she agreed to visit the park with him, making his way back to the road that would lead there.

“So, how are you liking Naboo so far?” he asked as they walked, hoping to take her mind off of whatever was troubling her. He was careful to remain on her left side, noticing that was the only eye she was looking at him with. It was none of his business, but he couldn’t help wondering why.

@Reylo4evr

 

[Sola Zappal]

Sola was quiet as they started walking towards the park. Not having anything to do with her hands, she uncrossed her arms and then crossed them again awkwardly. She turned her head slightly to the left, eyeing Quin. "It's very bright," she said softly, which was the truth. Naboo was the most colorful and exuberant planet Sola had ever seen. She was used to brown, yellow, and red planets- planets with unbearable heat and sand that always got in uncomfortable places. To see such a beautiful, bright planet was strange, even if a little unsettling. It was easier to hide on a planet like this. Perhaps that was why her master had sent her here.

She kept her stare on Quin, and decided to ask a question of her own. "Do you live here?" He seemed to know his way around pretty well, and he already knew more about her than she did about him.

@Sicadorito

 

[Quin Leonkri]

The park, not to mention Naboo itself, was bright indeed. As he and Sola stepped onto the gravel path surrounded by patches of red millaflowers that was the entrance of the park, Quin couldn’t help but think that he would never trade this planet for anything else.

The shade covered the road in front of them in patches, courtesy of the overhanging leaves and branches of the trees above. As they strolled further into the park, the pair passed the occasional bench, and soon they were far enough from the traffic that there was hardly any indication that they were in the middle of one of the largest cities on the planet.

“I did, for a long time,” Quin glanced over and responded to Sola’s question when she asked. “It can be a lot to take in at first, but I think you’ll like it more the longer you stay.” Then he paused, looking at her curiously. “Speaking of which, are you planning on staying for long?”

@Reylo4evr

 

[Sola Zappal]

Sola felt so calm and so unusually... angry she almost didn't know what to do with herself. "I... I might stay a while longer, Naboo is strange and beautiful," she admitted. Only after the words were spoken did she realize they were true. She had never had a chance to enjoy herself in her life. Perhaps a week wouldn't hurt.

For a minute, she forgot herself, and tucked the hair covering the right side of her face behind her ear.

@Sicadorito

 

[Quin Leonkri]

“I’m with you on that one,” Quin agreed. There wasn’t a planet more unique and beautiful than this one, in his opinion. He also found himself slightly pleased that Sola had decided on staying— judging from how she seemed to be unwilling to look at him from her other eye and the quiet way she spoke, he had the feeling that the girl had been through a lot and needed someplace to settle down for a little while. If Naboo could provide that place, he was glad that she seemed willing to take it.

He glanced over again, this time his eyes widening in momentary surprise when he saw that Sola had brushed the hair covering the right side of her face behind her ear. It revealed the scars underneath, and he realized why she had kept him from seeing them before. The sight of scars was not foreign to him as someone who had a master whose primary occupation was a healer, but on a girl so young… what sick being would have done that to her? What was certain now was that his new companion had her own story to tell, one that was certainly more complicated than he would have assumed.

Turning forward again to avoid looking like he was staring, Quin softened his tone.

“Where are you from, Sola?”

@Reylo4evr

 

[Sola Zappal]

Sola suddenly realized what she had done when she caught Quin looking at her scars. Heat flushed to her cheeks and she ducked her head. She was just about to cover her face again when he spoke. Her hand froze in the motion of reaching for her hair. It was the first time she had heard her name spoken by someone who didn't plan on using her or hurting her. Or at least, she thought Quin wasn't planning on doing any of those things.

"Tatooine," she replied honestly. Her homeworld in no way gave away her connection to the Sith, so she figured it would be safe to disclose this information.

@Sicadorito

 

[Quin Leonkri]

Sola was quiet-spoken indeed, and Quin found himself starting to enjoy her company. Plenty of the people he’d grown up with went on and on about themselves and never stopped to truly listen to what others had to say, what stories other beings had to tell. Sola seemed willing to listen, even if his insatiable curiosity led to him being the one asking most of the questions. Perhaps his parents’ strict demands of what kind of clothing he wore on Naboo wasn’t all bad— he doubted he would have been able to genuinely get to know Sola if he’d been clad in his Jedi robes. It often drew looks, and whether they were dirty or not depended on the place. In the ISC, whether it be Naboo or Tatooine, he didn’t expect them to be approving. Would Sola’s opinion of him change, if he told her?

Perhaps it was better not to ask.

He nodded at her response, looking into the canopy above for a brief moment as he pictured the planet. “I’ve never been to Tatooine. What’s it like there? All I know is that it’s… hot. Deserty, and uh, not like Naboo at all.”

@Reylo4evr

 

[Sola Zappal]

Sola forgot herself and smiled a little. "Deserty" was putting it simple. "Not like Naboo at all," she agreed. "Very brown." she described. There was not much else to say about it- it was a pretty dull planet, not considering the history of it.

She noticed Quin seemed to think a lot before answering each question. She wondered what he was thinking about, and if he was thinking about a way to get out of this conversation. Maybe he wasn't; he was the one asking all the questions anyway.

@Sicadorito

 

[Quin Leonkri]

When Quin glanced over, he couldn’t help smiling himself as he saw Sola’s lips curl upward. There was no better feeling than seeing someone else smile, whether it be after fixing up their arm or simply having a conversation.

“Very brown, eh? Reminds me of another desert planet I’ve been on,” he responded. “Only it—” He paused, remembering where he was and who he was talking to, and shook his head abruptly. “Never mind.” It didn’t bring up good memories anyway, and the last thing he wanted to do was to dampen the mood. Especially when the person he’d just met was someone who had come from far away and certainly had more important things to worry about.

“Well, uh, at least the weather here is nice, erm, today,” he added awkwardly.

@Reylo4evr