Ask Naboo To Lose One's Head

[Sola Zappal]

Sola was still on Naboo. It had been a few weeks since her awkward conversation with Quin, but she supposed it was working in her favor: he always looked at her with pity in his eyes, and it seemed she was not the only one with a conflicted mind. He had been the one to suggest this walk, but Sola thought it was more painful to walk side by side silently, both of them drawn into themselves. Several times she had taken a breath in and opened her mouth as if to speak, but she always exhaled heavily and lowered her head slightly. She was now watching her feet as they walked, her brown boots in contrast with her white leggings. Part of her desperately missed her slightly baggier black pants, tunic and cloak. She was vaguely reminded of the outfit she wore when she first met Quin- today she wore light brown leather boots (these were hers, at least), white leggings (that she found too tight), and a pale blue tunic that she had borrowed from one of the younger maids at Quin's house (the tunic was too tight in her opinion as well).

Her mind had never really gotten a break since she had made her decision to lie to Quin. She was not a good actress, but she didn't really need to act to appear conflicted, upset, or depressed. She knew Quin's pity was what she needed but it hurt her pride every time she caught him looking at her as if she was a wounded animal that needed to be doctored. She also knew he thought she didn't act like a real Sith, which wounded her pride even further. Her pride was now quite bruised but then so was her soul.

@Sicadorito

 

[Quin Leonkri]

When he’d suggested they take a walk, Quin had expected it to be more of a time to relax and talk instead of keeping to themselves. He would have to go back to Yavin soon too— he had to get back into the swing of things. However, almost as soon as the walk began, he realized that he didn’t know what he was going to say to Sola, and she probably wasn’t going to talk to him either.

I wish you could tell me what was wrong.

Quin didn’t know how to ask her without seeming like he was trying to pry. He still didn’t know if it was something he’d said, something he’d done. The past few weeks, he’d been trying to figure it out, but to no avail. If he was being honest with himself… he was a little afraid of her. Even if she was only a Sith-in-training, he didn’t know what to expect. Maybe it was time to move past that, but it was easier said than done.

“So…” he began, looking out at the trees lining the street, “have you given much thought to going to Yavin with me yet? It’s my last week here.”

That is a horrible conversation starter.

I know I know, but what else am I supposed to say? Quin shook his head, dispelling the thoughts. Anything was better than that dreadful silence.

@Reylo4evr

 

[Sola Zappal]

Sola was glad Quin finally spoke. "I have," she said almost immediately after he finished speaking. "And I think I'll go. Worst that can happen the Jedi will turn me away and I'll go back to normal," This was a massive lie- there was no way she could go back to normal after this. She would not only be punished severely for taking matters into her own hands if she was sent back, but her chance to prove herself to her master (and perhaps Quin) would be ruined.

She continued walking alongside Quin, but watched him out of the corner of her eye, waiting for a response.

@Sicadorito

 

[Quin Leonkri]

Quin’s head swiveled to Sola, his eyes widening at her answer. Did I hear her right? Did she say yes? It appeared that she did.

“You’re serious? That’s awesome!” He grinned, wanting to high-five her or something before he remembered that she probably wasn’t as happy about it as he was. It was a big leap for a Sith to take, but Quin would try to be there for every step of her journey. As a friend(they were friends now, right?), it was the least he could do.

“They won’t turn you away. I think I told you this a while ago, but as long as you’re sure you want to learn the ways of the light side, there’s no reason they would.” At least he hoped that was the case. After what happened on Kashyyyk, he didn’t know if things had changed, but they could find out. “Besides, I’ll be there to help! I can put in a good word for you. Man, I can’t wait to start training with you. It’ll be a blast!” Master Mirror certainly wouldn’t mind, would she?

@Reylo4evr

 

[Sola Zappal]

Sola felt something unfamiliar gathering in her chest and she felt the strange sensation that there was a swelling bubble in her throat. She opened her mouth and released a short exhale and forced a nervous smile. "I'm sure," she said vaguely, not specifying what she was sure about. But Quin was so excited and happy, it was unlikely he would notice, and even if he did, he would put as a still lingering nervousness about coming to the light side.

She stayed quiet for the rest of their walk, her mind still trying to put together last minute plans. She was so distracted she might have missed them- but it was her father's training that kicked in when she felt a small, unpleasant wave of the Force. She slowed and looked around without moving her head and barely saw them in time to give a short shout of warning before taking a larger step forward and to the side to shove Quin out of the way. Three figures in all black with black masks covering the bottom half of their face landed around Sola. One guy that looked to be a human male had landed on Sola and she barely managed to break her fall with the Force before face-planting on the hard walkway. The male that had landed on her was sprawled on her legs, his much heavier weight pinning her to the ground. They opened fire on Quin who was still nearby and Sola threw out her arms, forming a brief Force shield in front of him. She then used the Force to grab the man on top of her with invisible hands and threw him off of her, sending him flying a good ten feet in the air. He hit the ground with a nasty smack and didn't get back up. Sola was quickly on her feet and in her hand was her humming red saber.

@Sicadorito

 

[Quin Leonkri]

If Sola was sure, that was great news. Quin would grin back at her before moving on with the walk, this time the silence a comfortable one. He was so deep in thought about how training might go that he didn’t even notice something was wrong until he felt Sola roughly push him aside.

“Whoa, what—” Then he saw them, three men with masks, one attacking Sola and the other two firing at him. Eyes widening, he launched himself to the side, just narrowly avoiding the bolts. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that they seemed to stop in midair, and realized that Sola had created a shield.

He didn’t have time to thank her before they fired again. But this time he was ready, and he aimed a Force push at one of them, sending him flying into the wall, and jerked the arm of the other so that both shots went wildly off course. Looking over quickly, he saw that Sola had already taken care of her attacker, her saber ignited. Hopefully she would take care of the other one… though preferably not kill him. He wanted answers.

Before the second man could regain control of his arm again, Quin would run over and tackle him to the ground, knocking the weapon out of his grip and pinning him to the ground.

“What do you want? Why are you attacking us?” he asked furiously. The man continued to struggle beneath him, but he didn’t say a thing. “Answer me!”

@Reylo4evr

 

[Sola Zappal]

Sola swung her saber and just managed to stop herself before she decapitated the third man. It seemed Quin had the other one under control and would interrogate him, so she settled for holding him still with the Force and conking him over the head with the base of her saber. His eyes crossed for a split second and then he collapsed backwards. She kept her saber on, still breathing quicker than usual. She wondered if her lack of pity or regret at the way she had handled the men had given her away; she also wondered what would have happened if she had followed through and killed the man.

Pushing these thoughts out of her brain, she turned to face Quin, who was pinning the last man to the ground. She walked around to the front of the man, making sure he could see her red saber. He could put two and two together, and maybe, if he was scared enough of the Sith, he might talk.

@Sicadorito

 

[Quin Leonkri]

Red light washed over the man’s masked face as Sola approached with her lightsaber. Quin could see the fear in his eyes as she did, and he practically felt it come off him in waves. Then he suddenly realized what he was doing. Even if this man and whoever his friends were had attacked them… physically threatening him wasn’t something his master would approve of. He loosened his grip, and the man stopped struggling.

“Why did you attack us?” Quin asked again. The man’s eyes were fixed on Sola, and the Padawan heard him gulp.

“W- we were sent here.” Now he was looking back at Quin. “We were told it would be an easy fight.” Sent here? He glanced at Sola for a brief moment.

“Who sent you?”

“It was—” But before he could finish, Quin jumped as he heard another blaster shot and fell back. When he got back up to his knees though, the man was already dead, a clean hole through his head. Already he could hear sirens in the distance, and he looked at Sola.

“I think we should get out of here.”

@Reylo4evr

 

[Sola Zappal]

Sola didn't think it was possible for her heart rate to rise that quickly and yet she suddenly felt light headed and the pounding in her chest was the only thing she could hear. She squeezed her eyes shut into a prolonged blink and when she opened them the world came back into focus. Her mind immediately arrived at the worst possible scenario- the three men were sent by her higher ups in the Sith Empire, and she was in trouble. Or perhaps even worse, he had been sent by the Jedi and they knew a Sith was in their midst and attempting to gain an advantage. But how could they know? The only Jedi she had run into was Quin and he was still clueless. Or was he? Were they playing informants against each other and neither of them know? She began to doubt herself.

She couldn't help her sarcastic response. "You think," she said, turning off her saber.

@Sicadorito

 

[Quin Leonkri]

Whoever had killed the man, they weren’t there anymore. After a quick sweep of the rooftops, Quin saw that they were clear. But the sirens were getting closer, and if they didn’t leave soon, it was likely that the blame would be put on them. It was both a blessing and a curse that there were no cameras around— what was evidence against the men could backfire if they saw Sola’s saber.

We’ll find out another time.

“Come on.” After hearing her quip, Quin grabbed Sola’s hand and pulled her into the nearest alley, checking both ways before making his way out. He wouldn’t look back until they were a good distance away, now in a public plaza, and it was only then that he turned back to face her.

“Thanks for saving me back there. I didn’t even see those guys until… you know. Are you alright?” His eyes searched her face.

@Reylo4evr

 

[Sola Zappal]

Sola stayed quiet for the most part as Quin grabbed her hand and pulled her into the alley, and then led her back into the plaza. When he thanked her, she found herself doubting. She had never doubted this much, and she didn't know what it meant. She had also never been thanked for doing something for someone else. "...Now we're even," she said after a pause. She knew they weren't really, he had just let her crash at his place for a few weeks and she had saved his life which didn't quite level out but at least he was still a little in her debt, which was how she liked it.

@Sicadorito

 

[Quin Leonkri]

“We’re keeping score?” Quin smiled, glad to see that Sola looked uninjured. With how sudden the attack was, he was impressed that she’d managed to hold her own in addition to throwing up a shield that had probably saved him. She really was something else.

Looking around to actually see where they were, he realized that this was the very same plaza that he’d first met her.

“Whaddya know? Right back where we started,” he commented. “To think we were attacked twice since then, in the same city. Maybe that was why my parents always insisted on having security.” Even as he said it, he couldn’t help wondering why it’d happened. Who would want to kill a pair of teenagers, and what would they gain from it? As far as he knew, very few knew around here that he was a Jedi, and no one probably knew that Sola was a Sith. He found himself looking at her. Unless… they did? That she’d been here before, and had enemies?

There was a lot he didn’t know, but he hoped that things would be cleared up soon. As for now, he was happy that they were both safe.

@Reylo4evr

 

[Sola Zappal]

Sola didn't say anything to Quin's first comment, but she did notice they were where they had started. She wasn't one to be superstitious or superficial, and she forced a smile when Quin brought it up that they were back here.

She kept quiet, until he looked at her with a curious look on his face.

"What do we do now?" she said, still walking by his side.

@Sicadorito

 

[Quin Leonkri]

Quin’s gaze lingered for a bit on Sola’s face as he saw her smile. Even though it didn’t reach her eyes… it made her look prettier. Was it rare, he wondered, to see a Sith smile? There was so much he didn’t know about the dark siders, and maybe that was part of the reason why he felt so drawn to Sola. But, while it was part of it, he didn’t feel that it explained the whole thing.

Ehh, feelings. Too confusing.

“After that…” Quin mused, “I’m kind of feeling a cuddle with my gualama. I have her over for some special grooming. She should be home by now.” He grinned. “Want to pay her a visit?”

@Reylo4evr

 

[Sola Zappal]

Something flickered in Quin's gaze when he looked at her but Sola forced herself to push it to the back of her mind. It seemed she was forcing herself to do a lot of things. "What's... what's a gualama?" she asked. Only after the words were out of her mouth did she realize she sounded stupid. And why did she care what a gua-whatsit was?

These days, she didn't understand her own mind and she didn't know whether she hated the lack of control or liked the way Quin made her feel.

@Sicadorito

 

[Quin Leonkri]

Quin’s smile only grew wider when Sola asked what a gualama was. He definitely didn’t want to spoil it, but she was in for a pleasant surprise.

“In that case, you’re definitely going to meet her. Let me show you!”

A little while later, they were back at his estate, and he went to the hangar that, for now, served as Nyssa’s room. He entered the code that would open the door, and as it slowly began to lift up, he turned to Sola.

“Just be careful not to make any sudden noises or movements, especially when her back is turned. She might be a little bit shy, but she doesn’t bite!” The door opened, and the room appeared empty at first.

“Uh… give me a second.” He walked in, letting his eyes adjust to the light before he caught sight of a shape towards the back of the room. “Nyssa?”

At the sound of her name, the baby gualama’s ears perked up and she cautiously made her way over. When she saw Sola, she stopped, her eyes wide as she stared. But she would slowly approach the pair when she saw that Quin wasn’t reacting.

“You can pet her. She’s nice,” he said with a grin. "This is a gualama."

@Reylo4evr

 

[Sola Zappal]

Sola was so still she could've been a statue. She had no idea what to expect as Quin opened the doors to the hangar but the creature that greeted her was definitely not what she had expected. Nyssa walked on four legs but instead of hooves she had claws. She had a long snout with horns that curled over toward her nose, and kind eyes that seemed to stare deep into Sola's soul, but rather than be disgusted, Nyssa nudged her head forward under Sola's partly extended hand.

Sola slowly stroked Nyssa's nose, then turned to Quin. "She reminds me of you," she said softly. This was perhaps the most truthful thing she had said during her entire time on Naboo with Quin.

@Sicadorito

 

[Quin Leonkri]

Sola and Nyssa seemed to get along well, and he was glad to see it. After all the baby gualama had been through, he was happy to see that she hadn’t completely lost her faith in strangers. He would definitely have to tell Elidan of her progress the next time they saw each other.

But his friend’s comment about how Nyssa reminded her of him made Quin blink twice.

“Me? How so?” He met her gaze, both surprised and curious at what she meant. “I mean… I guess we both really like fruit…” Speaking of which, he extended a hand toward the food basket and a shuura flew into his hand. He offered it to Sola with a grin.

“Want to feed her?”

@Reylo4evr

 

[Sola Zappal]

Sola didn't know how she would explain that comment and immediately regretted it as soon as she said it, so she was glad for the distraction and change of topic when Quin let her feed Nyssa.

She took the fruit in her hand and slowly extended it, her body tense. She was glad to have the gualama's eyes off her; Sola didn't much like her soul being penetrated. Nyssa looked at the fruit in her Sola's hand for a second, before opening her mouth and eating it whole, her lips brushing Sola's palm, leaving it wet with gualama slobber. Sola hastily drew her arm back as soon as the fruit was gone and wiped it on her pants. She didn't know whether to laugh nervously or just stay quiet. Every time she spoke, she embarrassed herself anyway.

@Sicadorito

 

[Quin Leonkri]

The fact that Sola hadn’t responded to his inquiry didn’t escape him, but Quin decided not to press it. Instead, he was interested in how well she and Nyssa seemed to get along, despite how Sola promptly drew her hand back as soon as the gualama finished eating the fruit.

“My friend and I actually found Nyssa right here on Naboo,” he said, patting the baby gualama on the head. She reached up to rub her nose against his palm, and he smiled for a brief moment. “There were poachers in the woods, and they… killed her mother.” The smile faded then, as he thought back on it. “Nyssa was hiding underneath some roots. It was lucky we found her then, because she probably would have starved if we didn’t. At the time she could only have milk, and her herd already moved on.”

He went back to petting the gualama. Her fur was wonderfully soft after just coming back from the groomer. Smiling at Nyssa before looking at Sola again, Quin let out a content sigh.

“She’s grown so much since then. I think the memories will always be with her… but she’s learning to cope. Sounds weird to say, but I think she has a lot to teach us.”

@Reylo4evr