Ask Sitting on the Dock

[Renfry]

Theme​

Renfry was all kinds of frowning. It had taken her a bit longer than expected to hear the full details of what happened on Denon and even then there were gaps that needed filling in. She'd heard Raze was injured badly, but that was about the extent of what the reports had said.

By the time read the report, Emryc was already out of the hospital and apparently missing. She knew nothing about what had happened, and the fact that he had vanished without a word was unsettling. Add to that the fact that she was still reeling a bit from what she'd learned about his marital status, and there was only one thing to do.

She couldn't even decide what she would do when she found him. Her anger had dissipated, but the pain lingered despite her attempts to put it behind her. Perhaps with time, but a few days wasn't nearly enough time for that.

It wouldn't be any surprise that she was coming. It was the same technique she'd used to find him previously as well, leaving a hot sensation in the blood and a sour taste in the mouth that more or less telegraphed her intent to find him.

This was not what she expected. This tiny little village and... was he out on a dock... fishing?! Renfry couldn't decide if she was angry or confused. Surely there was an explanation for this. Surely there was a reason. She refused to believe that he didn't have a reason. A good one.

And so she walked right up to him as he fished and stood there for a moment, face twisted in confusion.

What are you doing?

 

[Emryc Thorne]

Life had been surprisingly pleasant here. He had a naturally charismatic personality and that didn’t change with blindness. He caught the attention of several of the village ladies, though he mostly kept to himself. He managed to find work by picking up odd jobs to do his share around the village. Most recently he learned how to fish by focusing with the Force. With the loss of his sight, the Force came in clutch to fill in the blanks here and there.

Emryc explained away his abilities by saying that blindness enhanced all his other senses and no one questioned it. He was also popular among the children mainly because of his entertainingly terrible drawings. However, he kept a stash of several iterations of the same face he drew - some of his best work - all for himself. The rest of his drawings were for the children to take.

Today was a perfect day for fishing - the sun had just crested over the horizon and it wasn’t too hot just yet. Emryc could sense the life teeming around the surface of the water, marveling at how fine tuned his skills with the Force had become over the months.

He cast the lure and sat at the end of the dock, legs hanging over the edge. He kept to himself as he focused on what he was doing, not sensing who was arriving behind him just yet.

For Renfry’s part, she had a little girl following her. This little girl didn’t like how the stranger looked angry and waltzed right into the village. When Renfry paused to bark questions at Emryc, the little girl was especially miffed. She ran up to squarely kick Renfry in the shin before running off to tattle on her.

Meanwhile, Emryc set the fishing rod down and rose to stand. She would notice already that he was taller than she remembered. His skin was bronze and he was shirtless, his shoulders broad and corded muscles rippling and bulkier than ever from days of hard labor. He finally turned to look in her general direction, his face far different than she remembered. He sported a full beard, but the eyes were just as piercing though they didn’t meet her gaze. He had a thin flower stem protruding from the corner of his lips that he twirled a bit.

He took a moment to focus on her aura to confirm who it was before he turned around and sat back down, grabbing the fishing rod to resume what he was doing.

 

[Renfry]

Renfry was less than thrilled when some little girl came up and kicked her. If Renfry had done that at her age she would have been laid out by one of her sisters of the the Clan Mother. But the girl was already running off.

Yeah, run away you little brat, she grumbled, her mood only worsened. And then there came Emryc. Emryc who was just... what had happened to his face? And he didn't smell as good... What had this place done to him?!

One thing that didn't change was his infuriating manner of just ignoring her.

So what you're just going to ignore me until I go away? she asked. She supposed that was an option, but she also had a tendency to cut off her nose just to spite her face.

Also he didn't look at her. Even when he turned toward her he didn't... actually look at her. No, surely she'd just failed to see that.

Why are you... fishing? she asked, still confused and now more annoyed. As she kept standing there waiting for an answer, she couldn't help but notice the evil eye that some girl was giving her from across the way. Little did she know, the woman was absolutely convinced that she was going to marry the bearded blind man someday and didn't like seeing some facial-marking woman coming up to talk to him.

 

[Emryc Thorne]

Emryc went right back to fishing, tugging gently at the lure as he felt for the slight vibrations. Between his sharp ears and focusing with the Force, he could guess where the ripples were. Unfortunately Renfry peppering him with self explanatory questions made things that much more difficult.

“You are scaring the fish with all your screeching,” He said gruffly at last, knowing full well that she wouldn’t budge until she was satisfied. Emryc shifted slightly to the side and patted the space next to him on the deck with his hand, “Sit.”

The woman that was eyeing Renfry had her hands on her hips and she was glaring daggers. The village was suspicious of strangers, and Emryc had become quite popular in it. The locals were rather protective of him, though some of the ladies had ulterior motives.

Emryc still didn’t answer Renfry's questions as he often didn’t when they seemed like rhetorical or silly questions. He simply stared off into the distance and continued to fish, his demeanor suggesting that he was quite content.

 

[Renfry]

Renfry's teeth were clenched as she waited for an answer. She didn't get one, but he did offer her a seat after a few more moments. She just stood there for a moment, measuring choices. She could just stand there and start actually screeching at him, but that wouldn't get her anywhere, nor was she interested in airing her grievances in front of a village that already seemed entirely too interested in her.

There was a slight, exasperated huff before she moved over and sat on the edge of the dock. If she'd been paying attention she would have thought it was nice and relaxing, but she wasn't here for nice and relaxing. She was here for the person who had brought her into the Sith. The person she had pledged to... the person she had begun to...

I hate you, she said, as she had often told him when he was frustrating her, though he knew her well enough to know there wasn't an ounce of truth to it. She didn't even sound convincing, more resigned than anything.

No one else brought this out in her. She may not always be calm, but even her spikes of anger normally resolved themselves within moments. But he had a way of bringing out both the best and worst sides of her.

So she took a moment to collect her thoughts as she would do with anyone else.

Why are you here? Any answer this time, please, she finally said after a few more moments, her voice now calmer and she turned to look down at the reflections in the water for the first time. This was weird. She felt weird.

 

[Emryc Thorne]

Emryc stared vacantly ahead as Renfry declared that she hated him, a phrase he heard from her many times prior. He kept calmly sitting there chewing on the flower stem and gently tugging at the lure when he felt nibbles. The fish were skittish this morning, and he hadn’t had any solid bites yet. Renfry followed up yet again with the same question and he was silent for a few moments.

“I am fishing,” He stated flatly after a while. He finally felt a bite and began to tug and reel it in, his face visibly lighting up as it felt like a sizable fish. Emryc focused entirely on pulling the fish in for a moment until he yanked it up from the water, a large green fish flopping around on the end of the line.

Emryc swung it towards himself, almost thwacking Renfry in the face in the process. He brought it close and unhooked it before tossing it into a bucket next to him. It was when it was out of sight that he applied the Force to drain the life from it to cut down on the unnecessary struggling. It was a nifty trick he had picked up from his wife. He still hadn’t quite gotten used to that term, his mind briefly wandering to Malicia and how her empire may have been expanding now.

Emryc tossed out the fishing line again, saying nothing else. He had technically entertained Renfry’s question with an answer, but truthfully it was that simple. There was no profound reason or deep soul searching happening here. Emryc had always been simple by nature, and that applied even now.

 

[Renfry]

Ugh. It wasn't an answer and he knew it. She was on the verge of getting more annoyed again but forced herself not to let it take over.

No, what you're doing is fishing. I asked why, she said. If he wanted to be so specific about what she was asking then she could correct as well, though she doubted it would get her anywhere.

She was almost hit in the face by the flailing of the fish, which met its very unfortunate end moments later. She could feel the tug at the strings of the Shadow and recognized the feeling of life being drained away. So he hadn't lost his connection to the Force or anything like that.

So what this is all just a spur of the moment fishing trip? she asked, looking over at the fish in the bucket. She grabbed it fish and pulled out her knife. Preparing game was well within her wheelhouse, and it beat simply sitting there brooding.

She slit the fish down the center, starting to prepare what he had caught unless he stopped her. It felt almost comforting in its own way. Familiar.

 

[Emryc Thorne]

Emryc knew it would take some time before he got another bite and he relaxed where he sat. He heard Renfry speak, but it was followed by her retrieving the fish. He could hear the familiar sounds of preparing a fish, as he had done it numerous times now. Emryc’s OCD around getting any gunk on his fingers had gone down significantly since he embraced the villager life.

“I often do things that make little sense to others,” He said after a while, “I’m known as Rick around here,” He spoke as he tugged the lure gently, hoping for little bites. She would notice that while he stared in the general direction, his eyes vacantly looked off into the distance and failed to look at anything specifc. His gaze fell above the horizon instead of along it. His pupils also didn’t constrict when the sun shined on them and the light was slowly directly landing their way now.

“Why are you here, Renfry?” He asked quietly after a moment, “It wouldn’t have been easy to find me even with any kind of connection,” He tugged at the lure again, “You did a ritual for it.”

@Phoenix

 

[Renfry]

And that's why I'm asking, she said. If she already understood why he was here she wouldn't have bothered making her way all the way out here.

You went to Denon, reports said you were badly injured, and then you vanished without a trace. Are you really surprised that I'm here? she asked. Despite working on the fish, carving out the bad and leaving behind the meat, she still kept looking over at him. She looked at the way he didn't look at anything. He didn't watch the fish or the line. He really couldn't see, could he? It was hard to believe, but perhaps made a bit more sense.

Yes, I did, she said. She had found him time and again, and she was certain that no matter what happened or where they each went their paths would be infinitely intertwined. Or perhaps she was simply ensuring that they would.

So Rick how long do you intend to stay here? she asked.

 

[Emryc Thorne]

Emryc didn’t feel any other bites, but he had endless patience. He could sit here all day and just fish. It was a trait many found both admirable or annoying. He usually preferred to be left alone as the other fishermen quickly found out. Emryc often didn’t answer questions and made for poor company. Men and women that loved to gossip loved it because they could talk his ear off and he would sit there listening without a word.

He heard Renfry list off about the Denon reports, the very name of the planet causing his jaw to tighten slightly. Emryc tugged at the lure slightly again, but still nothing. He couldn’t even hear the gentle splashes now. He reeled the line all the way in and cast it out towards where he could hear some subtle ripples.

His keen ears also picked up some angry discussions going on back towards the village. There were two women angrily griping about ‘who the hell that woman was'. Emryc said nothing about any of this, gently tugging at the lure.

“I am surprised,” He stated flatly, “You usually seek me out because you need something from me. I have lost everything and have nothing right now, and yet here you are,” Emryc twirled the stem between his lips around, chewing on the end of it for a moment, “You must still be madly in love with me.”

 

[Renfry]

There was a spike of unmistakable anger within her as soon as he spoke. She considered doing something very spiteful like snapping his fishing rod with the Force or simply throwing the fish she was working on back in the water, but she didn't... yet.

Oh, and she also thought about slapping him, but she didn't do that either. Very civil.

No, you've lost your allure. Wife and kids steals the fun out of it, she retorted, not missing a beat but also not lingering on it. Despite everything, that was actually not the reason she was here nor was she interested in talking about that.

So that's it then? she continued. He knew where to press to get a rise out of her, and he'd pressed in just the right spot to upset her. She could tell that even mentioning Denon had upset him, but she didn't mention it again. That being said, she also wasn't relenting. He'd known her long enough to know how stubborn she could be.

You're just quitting? Giving up on everything you worked for? Just embracing hobo Rick and going to fish until you die?

 

[Emryc Thorne]

Emryc grinned shortly after his statement, knowing it would likely get a rise out of Renfry. He didn’t understand why people had such a problem with loving him. He understood love to simply be something one did and to just accept that. Why did others treat it as a poison? Why did it harm them so? Emryc barely understood the concept himself, but he usually found it liberating instead of restrictive.

He was yanked out of his thoughts when Renfry jabbed back with a response. Emryc whirled his head around towards her, but he couldn’t meet her gaze as usual, looking above her head. The look of surprise was clear on his face, “Kids?” He all but hissed, the fishing rod having dropped from his hand. It fell into the water and began to float away, eliciting a curse from him.

It would become clear that Renfry’s casual commentary hit him like a punch to the gut. There was an almost panicked look on his face, and he wasn’t quite sure why. Malicia had made her intentions clear, and he knew it was all part of solidifying their hold. Nevertheless, the realization was incredibly jarring and he wasn’t entirely sure how to process it. The fishing rod he had come to cherish so much began to float away serenely in the lake.

 

[Renfry]

Renfry had simply assumed he was aware of the pregnancy. The fact that he might not hadn't even really crossed her mind. She felt a moment of satisfaction at getting such a reaction out of him and only a few seconds later a feeling of guilt. This wasn't a particularly good way to find out about having a kid - or kids - nor was it right of her to have felt satisfaction in revealing it in such a way. Sometimes she really could be terrible.

She watched the fishing rod begin to float off and it struck her that that was probably a bigger deal for him now than it would have been normally. And that was probably why he was here. Or maybe not. Her failure to understand him never ceased.

She sighed slightly, her finger working low at her side. The water's flow coincidentally nudged back toward them to bring the pole within reach. She was smart enough to not make her actions overt. As obnoxious as she could be, she probably wasn't here to entirely undermine his existence here.

She leaned down over the edge and plucked the rod from the water with a splash, setting it on the dock between them.

And finally she was silent. As was her way, the outburst ended in a silence as she gathered her thoughts. A glance around the area ensured there were no eyes on her at the moment and she leaned forward, hand down by the water, and plucked a fish from the water with the Force. Was it cheating? Yes, but she wanted her hands busy and she'd already finished with the other fish.

She started working on this one as well, letting silence sit between them as she thought.

Are you happy here? she finally asked, her voice lacking the confrontational tone that it had generally held up until now.

 

[Emryc Thorne]

Emryc looked in her direction, completely perplexed. He barely processed what she was saying, and she casually moved on to ask if he were happy.

“Renfry,” He cut in sharply, “You just told me I’ve become a father,” Emryc gruffly told her before he rose from where he had been sitting, even saying the words aloud making him feel queasy. It was clear the topic bothered him, and Renfry’s completely tactless way of broaching the subject only made him withdraw further into his mind.

He walked back across the dock with his fishing rod, not even pondering on the fact that she had been thoughtful enough to retrieve it. His mind was whirling and the realization hit him far harder than he could have expected. When he discussed the possibility of an heir with Malicia, it had been a simple and obvious course of action. Marrying her made him powerful and children with her would cement that rule. It was a similar strategy to what he had been pursuing with the Queen of Naboo.

Why had the news rattled him so much then?

Emryc spat out the stem he had been chewing on, striding back towards a hut that was his own.

A few of the village women saw this and immediately walked over towards Renfry. The woman that had been glaring at her looked at her with daggers in her eyes.

“Who the hell are you and why are you bothering Rick? We don’t welcome outsiders here and you’re disturbing the peace.”

 

[Renfry]

In truth, Renfry's visit couldn't have been going much worse. But she was stubborn and determined or something. Maybe she was just leave him alone after this and stop bothering him any longer. But she couldn't just run away from this. This was her fault.

He got up and started to leave and Renfry just let out a defeated sigh as he walked away. She wiped off her knife and put it away, rinsing her hands and pushing herself to her feet to follow him. For the life of her she didn't know why this was upsetting him so much, but then, there were probably a lot of reasons weren't there?

She went after him when her path was cut off by... oh boy. Renfry was not in the mood for this at all, but she also didn't want to make a scene for Emryc's sake.

Believe me, I understand not liking outsiders, she said, though she doubted they were going to listen to her at all. That was something she definitely had in common with these people though.

But this is important and if Rick tells me to leave, then I will, deal? she asked. They probably weren't going to leave her alone, but maybe she'd get lucky. It wasn't actually their business anyway. She intended to press on either way and if they tried to - what did these type of people try to do, Subdue her? - then she'd have to deal with that.

 

[Emryc Thorne]

“Rick won’t tell you to leave because he’s sweet,” The woman huffed, “He is too nice for his own good sometimes. Poor man needs someone to ward off hussies like you that keep crowding him.”

The woman next to her nodded aggressively in agreement, “He doesn’t need any floozies around him. Especially since we’re going to be betrothed.”

“Yeah and-wait,” The woman stopped, turning to the other woman, “What do you mean? He and I have a connection. Don’t make me laugh, Eli, clearly he and I are meant to be together.”

“Are you kidding me?” The woman screeched, “Have you not seen the hours I’ve spent sitting with him on the docks?”

“He will sit there for days if the fish kept biting and will listen to anyone that shows up! A box of rocks can be sitting next to him and he'd be just as content.”

The women began to bicker back and forth enough for Renfry to make a smooth escape away from the chaos.

Emryc’s hut was extremely unremarkable and barely held itself together. The roof was made from straw that looked as if a decent rainstorm would collapse the entire thing. It was a mud hut with a mat on the floor for his bed and a few fishing and hunting tools. While appalling conditions for those that were used to modern luxuries, it was simplistic enough for someone like him.

He sat with his knees curled and his arms resting on his knees, deep in thought. He had to center his mind, calling back to his usual discipline whenever his thoughts spiraled out of control. Knowledge of having children had shaken him to his core, and he had to rapidly reel himself in and find tranquility again.

 

[Renfry]

And make her escape she did. Renfry had no intention of sticking around with them any longer than she had to and she was off like a shadow.

She was unfazed by his hut. She had lived in similar conditions before and was hardly one to judge. She'd already done enough judging...

What was she even supposed to say? Everything she ever said to him was the equivalent of putting her foot in her mouth. Unless he stopped her, she would step inside.

I'm sorry... I... thought you knew, she said. It was a weak apology, and she didn't know what to say. Part of her said she should just leave him alone and let him be so she didn't make it worse.

She moved over and sat on the floor as well. She didn't know if he would need something, but rather than say the wrong thing again she just decided to be silent. If he wanted to speak, he could, but if not then she would allow him to think or meditate or whatever he needed to do.

 

[Emryc Thorne]

Emryc had composed himself quite a bit by the time Renfry entered his hut. He wasn’t entirely surprised - she was generally poor at social cues. He internally prepared for more obtuse commentary that he would have to manage through. To his surprise, her next words were far more reasonable.

He sat in silence for a moment, something that likely would have stopped bothering Renfry a long time ago. After a while he finally exhaled, “I came here because I was angry,” He said at last, “I was considered unfit for duty, I lost my ship, I lost my sight. I was on a path to go the same way as foolish Sith that let rage cloud their judgement. ISC and everything I had set up would have collapsed. I had to remove myself from that situation and find tranquility.”

It was the first time Emryc had said it all aloud, and it was almost cathartic. He didn’t expect Renfry or anyone else to understand. People only came to him to need something or take jabs at him and question who he was or why he did things. Very few took the time to understand his subtleties and complexities. Very few could appreciate him for simply who he was. Emryc reached for his pocket and pulled out an e-cigarra. Within moments he was blowing out a cloud of smoke, one of his lingering habits.

“I married Malicia to become Prince Consort of Korriban,” He explained, “It was similar to the plan I had for the Queen of Naboo. It was all part of a plan, but…” He trailed off as he took another drag, “Hearing about children…” Emryc couldn’t quite formulate the words.

“I have nothing to give you, Renfry,” He stated flatly after a moment, “I am not doing anything remarkable here, nor am I going to go back until I am ready, if ever. You can keep digging at me and lashing out, but as always, it will get you absolutely nowhere. Do us both a favor and pull the duskblade out of your ass.”

 

[Renfry]

Renfry listened in silence for once. She listened to everything he had to say. She found herself mourning for him as he spoke of what he had lost. She knew what it meant to him. Not just his sight, but his ship as well. He had lost two pieces of himself.

She winced at the mention of marriages, but it was nothing new and she quickly shoved the thought aside, burying it deep. Even at his final statement there was no reaction. Her characteristic quips, anger, and general difficult-ness were notably absent.

She almost said she understood, but she probably didn't.

She was silent for a long moment after he finished speaking. I came here to try to get you to come back, she began. But now that she was here, she questioned whether or not that was really for the best.

But I'll stop... harassing you about that, she said. Yes, she knew she harassed. It often didn't stop her from doing it, but she did know. And then there was another long silence.

Can I help? she asked. She half expected either "no" or "leave" as the response to that question, but if that was the answer, then she would find another way. It was as simple - or perhaps complicated - as that.

 

[Emryc Thorne]

Emryc sat in silence after she finished speaking. Just as she failed to understand him, he had his own troubles with analyzing her. Why come all this way just to yell at him? She obviously harbored a lot of anger towards him. Did she come here simply to lecture him? Why was she so attached to him anyway? Why did she care if he went back or not? He was here living his best life.

The half Sephi silently pondered for a while, mind delving through all the information he had gleaned from her tome and also his research on Dathomirians. There had to be a reason for her strange behavior and pattern of actions.

After a long while he plain and simple forgot what she asked entirely. He snapped his fingers and looked in her general direction based on honing in on her presence, “You are a Nightsister,” He stated flatly as if having some sort of grand epiphany, “You want to use me for breeding purposes because I’m the most alpha male recognized by your people and you're the Queen,” He nodded at his own words, hand coming up to thoughtfully stroke the beard on his face. It was a new and comforting habit he had picked up, “If you wanted some of this raw perfection in your flawed gene pool, you just had to ask. Why all the drama?”

Oh yeah, he was spot on with this. He knew it.