Time Heals Most Things

[Silas Rin]

Andara
Two Years after Tython​

Time heals most wounds, or at least staying busy enough you didn't have time to think about it did. Silas had thrown himself into his life work at Sanctuary after Tython. He had assumed he could be on peaceful terms with the Jedi, if not allies. He had been ambitious, and could have handled the situation but there was no time to look back at.

It was not an easy transition, but he settled into his new life of solitude over time. He could no longer afford to let his emotions drive him to action even if they were made with pure intentions. The Galaxy had fallen into chaos again as Jedi were hunted first in Republic Space and then outside as well. Occasionally he would lay awake at night and wonder what had become Ralaa. If she had found the purpose she had always been looking for. He no longer had the energy to harbor hard feeling against her or the Jedi. He felt sympathy for them as their Order slowly was taken apart.

In the two years since had last had contact with the Jedi, Sanctuary had grown significantly. They had added additional buildings to house new children and begun planting fields around the outside of the compound to grow food. As the staff grew, their families joined them. In many ways, Sanctuary was beginning to feel like a small town than just an orphanage.

Silas found himself in the fields that morning. It was already hot and would likely grow even more so as the day progressed. He was showing a group of older children how to tend the crops. It was not easy work, but Silas enjoyed it and welcomed any opportunity to help.

He dismissed the children to get lunch, but lingered in the fields. There was no doubt he was beginning to go old, he could feel it and recently he started to look it. His once dark brown beard was now showing spots of gray in it. Underneath that though was still the same warm expression he often had carried in his youth.

He sat down on the ground against a piece of equipment and drank from the canteen of water as the wam air blew through the fields.

 

[Ralaa Talus]

Time heals most wounds, or that's what most people believe- In truth, time serves as a distraction which allows us to forget these wounds for a while, but the scars remain. These wounds fester beneath the skin and on occasion, resurface. Sometimes you're fortunate enough to avoid them for a time, but they never truly leave. It had been two years since she had left Silas and Sanctuary to return to the Jedi Order, but in all that time she'd never been able to move on entirely and perhaps she wasn't meant to. So, she found herself walking the familiar path towards Sanctuary despite her promise to Master Zeerda that she wouldn't return.

It had changed in her absence, the fields filled with crops and buildings finished. Ralaa imagined that Silas had busied himself with work to distract himself from whatever feelings he harbored towards her desertion- Ralaa wasn't even sure that he wouldn't turn her away today. He couldn't be blamed for a lack of forgiveness as she hadn't even been kind enough to tell him why she had returned to the Jedi. The only hint she had given him was the burnt bear they had recovered on Coruscant and the crystal he had gifted her in his proposal. For all purposes, he deserved to be angry, but Ralaa had spent so much time in hiding from the Republic that old memories had resurfaced and a pulling desire to see him and driven her to madness.

She took a deep breath, approaching the open fields under the burning sun. If she knew Silas at all, he was sat out there on his own- time to be alone was a rarity here and Silas wasn't one to pass up the opportunity.

He sat with his back against a piece of equipment, canteen in hand as his eyes watched the skies. The sight of him made her feet heavy and for a moment, she paused at the end of the driveway, sure that no one would see her. There was a part of her that feared his reaction and another that wanted to close the distance between them. It was a few minutes before the second option won over and she moved to stand a few feet behind him.

"Silas," she whispered.

Ralaa shouldn't have been here- it was dangerous for her as a Jedi in Republic space, but Silas was worth it, even if he turned her away.

 

[Silas Rin]

His head rest against the metallic surface behind him as he closed his eyes. He had begun to doze a bit when something pulled at the back of his mind. A feeling of...familarity. The late summer breeze carried with a scent that reminded him of her. He could almost feel her. Surely he his mind had begun to wander into a dream but he didn't try to stir himself. It was comforting even if it carried with it a small amount of lingering pain.

He wasn't really sure how long that lasted when he heard a rustling behind him. It was then he realizes that he wasn't dreaming the stir of the nearby presence in the force. His eyes shot open and he stood, turning to see her come into view. He was shocked. In the days after they had left Tython he expected...something but as the days turned into weeks which turned into month all hope of that had slipped away. He had thought for so long what he might say if ever given the opportunity, but now he found himself at a loss.

"I.." he stopped himself not really sure where to even begin. Why had she come now? Was she alone? Had other Jedi accompanied her. He didn't fear Ralaa, but her Order disdained him. He felt a bit naked without his staff but he took a step towards Ralaa. "Is everything alright?" he settled on asking. If she was here, it was likely she was in trouble, or trouble was coming to Sanctuary. His voice was low, but filled with concern. He shook some of the dirt from his clothes which didn't do much to make him any cleaner.

He stopped after taking a few steps forward as he waited for her to respond. He reached out with the Force, sensing if there were others nearby.

 

[Ralaa Talus]

Silas wouldn't sense any other presence- Ralaa had come alone, though she knew Andara was no longer a safe place. The Jedi Order was spread thin, no longer welcomed within Republic space. Ralaa had taken a great risk in returning, but she couldn't have ignored the overwhelming desire to see him again- even once more. Time healed most wounds, but couldn't fill the emptiness his absence had left in her heart, one only Silas knew how to heal.

He stood and she watched, a sadness in her eyes. It had been two years since she had departed Andara, but the hurt she had endured seemed to now flood back as she stood in front of him. Silas had given her so much and still she had chosen a path that hadn't included loving him in return. Her heart ached for him the same as it had when she had chosen to leave, but she found herself resisting the urge to wrap her arms around his him- she doubted Silas would appreciate it after all she had put him through. Still, it was important to her that he understand her absence was not resulted from a lack of love- she loved him more than even she understood.

"It was not my intent to startle you." she frowned, looking to the ground. "Nothing is wrong. I promise, you're safe."

Her eyes wandered back to him, hands clasped in an awkward and nervous manner. Her words rang truthful, no harm would come to Silas or his children, but unease settled in her stomach as she considered her position as a Jedi on a Republic world- how quickly would Francis Belsair turn her into the Republic if he knew she had returned? Ralaa had aided in rescuing his son, but in order to keep his family safe it was important that he play to the interests of the Republic and that meant reporting any Jedi presence.

"I hate to admit that I'm unsure of what to say- words do nothing to explain what brought me here. I-" she paused, taking a deep breath. "I just wanted to see you." Her words were heavy, soaked in guilt but still she held her shoulders back, refraining from crumbling in front of him. Ralaa had kept her emotions caged for so long, that it was hard not to let them drown her. Instead, she offered Silas the faintest of smiles- a kind gesture of everything he had endured at her hands.

 

[Silas Rin]

He didn't sense anyone else, though that didn't necessarily mean there wasn't anyone. He couldn't trust many in this Galaxy, but if there was one thing he was going to bet on, it would be that Ralaa would never bring harm to the children here. He took a tentative step forward. "Are you alright though?" he asked again.

Her words matched exactly how he felt. He was glad she had come, whatever the reason was. Even if it was just to see she was alive and well. There was a slight pause after she spoke. Silas hated that it felt a little awkward now. So much had happened here over the last years, things he desperately had wanted to share with her.

He picked up a bag laying on the ground containing his lunch. "I suppse I can be convinced the share." he said, grin sparking on his face. "After two years, I am sure you could use some real food." he said motioning for her to follow.

He made is way out of the fields and towards the cliff side that looked over a valley below Sanctuary. "I had build houses near the creek to house the growing staff. It is getting harder and harder to find a quiet space." he said coming out of the tree line a few feet around from the cliff side.

He sat down, his feet hanging over the edge. "I'm glad you came, Ralaa." he said quietly before breaking off half of the sandwich he had made and handed it to her.

 

[Ralaa Talus]

Ralaa followed behind Silas in quiet fashion, listening to his familiar voice. Her attention trailed to the homes that now stood in the fields that had once been open and she realized just how much Sanctuary had grown in her absence. Years she had spent concerned that Silas had needed her here, but it seemed now that he had managed well on his own, unlike the former Jedi Master. Perhaps he hadn't needed her as much as she had needed him and now Ralaa wondered if her coming here hadn't been in his best interests- Silas seemed well enough without her, before she opened old wounds.

Taking another breath, she moved to sit beside him but was careful to leave some distance in case she wasn't entirely welcomed. "You don't have to share with me," she responded with sincerity, her tone a bit sheepish. In the years that had followed her desertion, Ralaa continued to struggle to see herself as anything more than her mistakes and the once confident woman was replaced by someone far less than what she had once been. It wasn't Silas' fault or his burden to bear, but there was a part of her that hoped seeing him would help her to hurt less.

"I needed to see you," she paused, looking to her legs that dangled over the edge of the cliff. "I had hoped that it would help to know that you were okay, despite what had happened. I hadn't wanted you to believe that I didn't care."

Ralaa looked over to him, offering the faintest of smiles. "I am honestly happy to find you this way and to see that Sanctuary has grown."