Ask Kashyyyk Vine is Alive

[Arla]

Per my OP template, thread is death enabled​

With the village finally evacuated, they all had a chance to catch their breath and patch their wounds. Arla had stripped off her outer shirt and now wore only a tank top that allowed her easier access to patch up her own injuries. First and second degree burns extended up her left arm, shoulder, and side of her neck and an ice-crystal like pattern scarred her right shoulder. These were all now covered in bacta patches and would continue to receive attention in the future, but those were only superficial.

What Arla's mind had been on was what had been said by her brother. They didn't see eye to eye on... well, probably anything, and if he knew all that she'd done in the past he'd probably have tried to kill her. Or perhaps not, he was a Jedi, and Arla was beginning to think she had no real idea of what that meant.

He'd said she was Raze, and she wasn't sure he was wrong. She also wasn't sure whether that was a comment that she should take as a compliment or insult. She strived to be the most dangerous person in the galaxy, and that was what he was. She also knew that he was reviled within the family, and therefore she could extrapolate that Ezra reviled her. Logical, correct?

She was certain she was missing subtlety and nuance here, and that frustrated her as well. She had no idea what she would experience when she met up with Ezra again, but she wasn't expecting anything pleasant.

And yet, he was her brother. Whether they got along or even liked each other was irrelevant to the fact that she would have shifted the galaxy to protect him. It was an odd thing to her and one she neither stated aloud or was fully convinced he knew.

Ultimately, she headed through the medical center in search of him.

You are intact? she asked when she finally found him. More than anything else, she wanted to ensure that any injuries he may have sustained were not permanent. From what she had seen, he faired relatively well despite the apparent hate-rage of the Zabrak. Strange.

 

[Ezra Thorne]

Ezra was still reeling from everything that happened. The medical facility was filled with Wookiees that inhaled a lot of smoke or sustained burns from the Sith that set the entire village ablaze. He wasn’t sure what became of the Sith that engaged them, nor did he care. His priority had been to get the Wookiees to safety and that was accomplished.

The Thorne glanced over when Arla spoke, giving her a blank look at first, “I thought you’d be far away from here by now,” He said quietly. There was no malice in his tone, his face mirroring hers in indifference. It was a wonder he even answered her. Despite any animosity, he did recognize her as family, and that changed things a bit. He had expected her to be gone with the Sith bounties to cash in on them and be on her way, but she was still here.

 

[Arla]

Arla didn't receive a scathing comment, and based on their family it was almost akin to a warm greeting.

Not until the planet is stabilized, she said. Apex troops were still on world and in the orbit, and the acquisitions needed to be stabilized anyway.

It was no surprise that social outreach wasn't her strong suit on the best days, but despite everything that happened, she found herself - probably foolishly - wanting to bridge the gap between the two of them. Her mind drifted back to the statements Raze had made about her attachments, and she wondered if he was right. And yet, she rejected the assertions. Right? Though wasn't it Mother's attachment to Dathomir that had ultimately seen her done in?

You are on a tangent, she mentally corrected herself.

Will you stay to assist the Wookiees? Do you have practice as a healer? she asked. Truthfully, she knew little about her brother's skills, and it was about as close to small talk as she got. Even that, however, was still important information. His plans for the time being... well, perhaps she was looking for something akin to an olive branch. Probably failing, but at least looking.

 

[Ezra Thorne]

He wasn’t expecting a barrage of questions, but he knew that happened only when a Thorne was flustered. He stopped that line of thought - Arla wasn’t a Thorne. Was she? It confused him and left him slightly angry to think that his father had a child with someone else, a woman at that. His father kept countless secrets and his own family was the last to know. From the sounds of it, the same applied for Arla, who until recently had no clue she was Emryc Thorne’s daughter.

His gaze briefly flicked down to the amulet around her neck. It often called to him, and now he knew what it was. It was a vast amount of strength that his father hadn’t entrusted to him, choosing Arla instead. Why? Because she was technically the firstborn? Because she was better? His ears slightly flattened, but he curbed his emotions. He had to remember - again - that she was rapidfiring questions because she was flailing.

“I usually struggle with healing,” He admitted quietly, glancing down at his hands, “I wasn’t even sure I could get the plants to act as intended, but they did,” It was a weakness he hadn’t often shared with anyone. It was a subtle reminder that even he carried traces of Raze in him that he had to overcome.

“Which side are you on, Arla?” He asked flatly, gazing at her. He wasn’t going to beat around the bush.

 

[Arla]

I see, she said, though there didn't seem to be any judgment in her voice as she said it. He seemed powerful to her. More than a match for the average person she met on either side of the battlefield. Of course, she had little knowledge of how powerful most Jedi were, but she had seen him in action.

And the plants had done what he wanted them to do. At the end of the day, that was what mattered. Or at least, that was how she saw it.

I am on our family's side, she said plainly. She knew they were alone here and no one was listening, so there was no need to speak in riddles or subtleties. There was little else that mattered to her in the galaxy besides their family. She had no interest in aligning herself with another government or religious organization for anything more than a contract at a time.

I have no interest in choosing sides beyond that. It has not gone well in the past, she said, likewise voicing something to him that she had never truly mentioned before. There was a piece of her that was still trying to cut ties in order to protect herself. It was a hard reality she had come to live with.

Once upon a time, she had gone seeking answers to questions about the Jedi, and perhaps at that time - though unlikely - she could have found her way to their cause. That time seemed to have passed now. Nor did she find herself seeking to align with any Sith.

Why did you join the Jedi? she finally asked.

 

[Ezra Thorne]

Ezra stared intently at nothing as she spoke. Our family. What did that even mean anymore? He fidgeted with a box of bacta patches, his gaze flicking over to her amulet again, “Do you think Raze is not a part of that family?” He asked calmly before his eyes moved up to gaze into hers. Did someone stop being a part of family the moment they turned into a monster? He was surprised at his own question, but up until recently he thought he was the defective one - the only Force user in the family. Was Raze not a part of their father? Was Raze not every bit of their father as Emryc? He felt sick to his stomach, but there were more questions than answers.

He exhaled and looked away at her question, stacking a few boxes here and there to keep himself busy, “I carried darkness in me. If I sought a path that was anything less than the Light, I would fall too easily,” He cast her a sideways glance, a subtle reminder that she wasn’t so different from a Sith in his eyes. Simply refusing to adopt Sith titles didn’t mean someone didn’t display Sith characteristics. Everything Arla did on the field would have gained the approval of the Dark Lord. And Raze.

“It’s tougher than any other path out there,” He reminded her, “It’s easy to throw our strength around. It’s much harder to temper it,” Ezra almost scoffed at himself. He could practically see Zathria beaming with pride at him sounding so damn Jedi, but he finally began to see things with some clarity after fighting side by side with Arla.

 

[Arla]

Arla considered the question he asked in silence. In some ways, she felt like she had more in common with Raze than with Emryc, and she didn't know what to make of that when it was all said and done. Jaikus and Mother both warned her away from him, and on a certain level she could understand why... and on another level, there was still part of her that wondered.

I do not know what he is to us, she admitted. He was connected to them by spirit if not blood anymore, and yet he was not a part of the family unit. Was she? Perhaps that was what caused the most doubt in her: she had always been kept away. The outcast child who only recently had the opportunity to see the true faces of her family.

He started moving about the room, organizing pieces of it to keep himself busy and she simply stood there, straight and not looking particularly relaxed.

Strength is how you defeat your enemies. Tempering it will only result in the victory of your enemies, she said. It was true... from a certain point of view.

Of course they didn't see eye to eye, but even so her mind drifted back to the recent fight. She had been furious and enraged at her enemies, but even more than that at herself. She still had so much insecurity within herself. A desire to prove things to... to who? Herself? Her family? The galaxy? She didn't even know, but there was something instinctual and primal within her that was hungry.

And she had let that need drive her reaction. She had lost control, and it was reckless. Something else to chastise herself for no doubt.

 

[Ezra Thorne]

Ezra shrugged, “Then let them have their victory,” He said vacantly, “If victory comes at the cost of substantial life and damage, it’s not a victory,” He finished with the bacta. He turned to face her, not entirely surprised they didn’t agree, “The Sith you fought defeated you,” He stated flatly, not elaborating further. Nothing she said would sway him otherwise, and he didn’t care either way. The Sith had gotten inside her head - a place where most were vulnerable. The Sith had successfully taunted and lured Arla away from the mission. If Ezra hadn’t said something, he could only guess at how much more damage would have been done to the villages. It didn’t matter that the Sith was broken and captured, she had played Arla like a fiddle - intentional or not.

“The Light has its flaws,” He said calmly, “And Jedi are infuriating,” Ezra said with a faint smirk, “What will you do with the captured Sith?”

 

[Arla]

Arla said nothing to refute his statement. She knew there was at least an element of truth to it. She'd already berated herself for it, but she also knew that victory came at a cost. It always did. No doubt, she'd continue to second guess herself until she came to terms with... herself.

Hm, she said, an almost humorous tone to it as he said that the Jedi were infuriating and the Light had its flaws. That they could agree on.

Once they're stabilized, I'll take them in for their bounties, she said. She had no real idea how he would feel about the fact that the Sith were going to be turned over to the Empire. The Empire and the Jedi weren't at war, but they weren't friends. But Arla was no real fan of the Empire either.