Jair Crawford
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Post by Jair Crawford on Sept 18, 2024 12:39:08 GMT -8
Jair noticed the change in her countenance. But there was a fairly simple explanation to her question. "We used to have a vast plethora of unique plants here. The good news is, the vast majority of them survived and have been transplanted to the gardens in our new Temple. When the time is finally right to return there, you will get to see what this place really looked like. I might be biased but I think the new ones are an improvement. They just aren't the place where my memories lie..."
What would he do now? He moved to the center of the courtyard, sat down, and meditated. Soon in his minds eye all of the plants returned to their proper places. He saw himself, and the woman, the one who he could not quite fully remember, but clearly loved, talking in the gardens. He listened intently as the words came back to his mind.
~"I'm sorry... I was completely wrong... Wick betrayed us..."~ ~"Jair, relax. Don't beat yourself up for trusting someone who you had called 'friend,' I'm back now and I'm safe . . . and I'm cured. Wick did betray us . . . and now we know that is someone who we cannot trust. We learn from our mistakes. Let us hope he learns from his."~ ~" I... felt it..."~ ~"You felt . . . what, Jair?"~ ~"The pain..."~ ~"My pain . . . Why didn't you try to break the connection of the Force between us, Jair? The least I want for anyone to know what I went through . . ."~ ~"No no no... I needed to know what was happening... otherwise we might have gotten to you too late... I'm just... sorry you had to go through that..."~ ~"It's not your fault for what happened up there. But if the pain was becoming too much for you - if it ever does in the future - you need to promise you'll break off the connection, Jair. I don't want you or anyone else to suffer on my behalf... ... ... ... ... Do you think it was weird that Mereck and Valance worked together?"~ ~"Everything happened so fast... I couldn't believe it though... Valance helped us..."~ ~"Why do you find that hard to believe? I told you that he cared about me. Valance wasn't lying to me, and as far as I know, he hasn't lied to me yet. I'm only glad that they worked together this time."~ ~"Once again I must apologize. You were right about Valance... he isn't out to hurt you. Maybe... just maybe... he's finally found good within him. I certainly hope so..."~ ~"What can I say? I have an effect on people."~
The view of his surroundings in his minds eye changed as the conversation continued. This conversation did not happen here in the gardens... they happened in the old medical wing... Odd, that the Force would draw him out here instead to show him this. Regardless, he sensed there was more...
~"... ... ... ... My sister could probably explain it to you a little better if you really want to learn."~ ~"You have a sister?"~ ~"She's somewhere around here on the planet. If you do wish to see her, I would recommend that you take caution around her . . . especially if she can sense the light side in you. I would just be as careful as possible if you found her..."~
Flashes of the crimson haired woman... a different woman, from some of his earliest 'visions', returned to him vividly at this memory... This mysterious crimson haired woman was once again, cradling a baby, and trying to sing him to sleep. It was the song! The song that Mark asked Jair about at the temple... the song Jair was humming, and didn't even know what it was... This was all so very confusing. But this new memory would repeat itself now... several times, while being interrupted by a still, quiet image of a red plant out in the Felucian wilderness... wait, not quite in the Felucian wilderness... but in the outskirts of Niango...
Eventually, it was evident that no additional information was coming to him. He opened his eyes, stood up, and turned towards Gwyn. "Every time I get any answers, they come with a thousand more questions left unanswered..."
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Gwyn
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Post by Gwyn on Sept 18, 2024 13:04:48 GMT -8
[ Gwyn | Open Courtyard (Former Gardens) | Military Base | Felucia ] Attn: Jair Crawford Gwyn watched as he walked to the centre of the courtyard, and sat down, going into a meditation. She eyed him for a long while, having followed him and stood in front of him for nearly an hour. That was when she realized he could be at this all day, just like last time, in which case, he would be quite hungry and worn. As it was, he barely had any rest before they arrived here, and at that, his sleep had been interrupted by that confrontation with Ylbran Smuthbrein (what a name!).
Thus the young woman ended up wandering a little. As this was a military base, it was far more locked up, and she felt awkward because she didn't know anyone here or how military Jedi operated, having only Jair for a guide on how friendly Jedi were, as her previous encounter had more unpleasant results. Shaking off the gloomy memories, Gwyn eventually returned to her ship, checked on Jair's R9 droid, who was quite thoroughly pampered by the service droids in the maintenance bay, then she made her way to the galley and began preparing some food and drink.
She prepared some gizka steak, roasted over with spiced vegetables and oil and butter. Then she made a few buns with self-raising flour, water and yeast. She squeezed out and pulped a sweet fruit into juice, and lastly fried some eggs. The preparation and cooking took her some time, and she worried she might not get back in time before Jair came out of his meditations, but suddenly realized she could...feel his presence...his condition? She wasn't sure how or why, but she knew he was still lost in his memories. Once more she wished she could forget.
Her work done, she put everything into a basket and found a large cloth with which she could lay out on the floor and spread the food out once she returned to the courtyard. The sun was setting, and she wondered if it was too soon? But she felt a prompting to leave the ship, so she did.
By the time she got back to Jair, she sensed he was coming out of his meditations, and the air was cooler. She'd already laid out the blanket, the food, drinks and sat herself sideways, as she watched him. He spoke to her almost immediately. She merely nodded, then gestured to the meal she'd prepared. “Eat your fill, Jair Crawford. Then, you should rest a spell. You have travelled far and taken very little rest. Perhaps clarity will come with sleep.”
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Jair Crawford
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Post by Jair Crawford on Sept 18, 2024 13:30:25 GMT -8
Jair nodded, and accepted the meal graciously. How long had he been meditating again? This time it didn't feel like as long as last time, but... he wasn't keeping track of time still, by any means. Gwyn's instincts were on point though. Jair needed the sustenance.
"Thank you, again. You've gone out of your way here. Remind me to return the favor sometime." He said with a smile as he allowed his mind to rest from the meditations. Although he couldn't help but think about everything he had gleaned, and also what else he had yet to solve, which was, quite a lot unanswered. As he ate, he began to explain more to Gwyn. He could trust her with details at this point.
"I still don't know her whole name... part of it is obscured from me... But it's beyond clear at this point that I loved her. How do you lose the memory of someone you love?"
That, perhaps, was the most baffling part of all of this, to Jair. This felt like falling for someone all over again, only this time, he still didn't fully know who she was. If it weren't for his Jedi training in patience, the very prospect of it would be maddening, but even with his training, some level of frustration would seem palpable to Gwyn.
"I evidently developed a bond... a connection... in the Force with her at some point... which makes this all so much more strange... I loved her, and was bonded to her in the Force, and yet... somehow... lost all memories of her. For years..."
What Jair had not fully put together yet was that his bond with her, this woman from his past, though weakened, was NOT severed. Not completely. A sliver of the bond remained. And it was perhaps this that led him to be able to retrace his steps at all in the first place. But there were still too many gaps in his memory to be able to piece this part of the puzzle together yet.
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Gwyn
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Post by Gwyn on Sept 18, 2024 16:08:06 GMT -8
[ Gwyn | Open Courtyard (Former Gardens) | Military Base | Felucia ] Attn: Jair CrawfordGwyn smiled, glad that she could do something for Jair. She pondered on his mystery. He was on a journey to recover lost memories, and he was just going around, wherever the Force led, it seemed. Then he was sharing with her more details, and she felt a pang in her chest when he talked about his great love. She wished she knew how to help him with that. Her dull-blue eyes sparked with interest as he talked about a bond.
“Would that I could give you the answer, Jair,” said Gwyn, “alas, I have never been in love before, that I am at a complete loss for what you have experienced.”
She frowned in thought, pulling up her knees to herself, then she looked over at him, “This...bond...you have, does it still remain? Is it alive?”
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Jair Crawford
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Post by Jair Crawford on Sept 18, 2024 16:23:00 GMT -8
Jair would not know the answer to that question. The answers to that question lay hidden behind lost memories still. Even before he lost his memories, that bond was last only able to be sensed under very specific circumstances. It was such an event that led to the events that would cause all of this to transpire... but all of this, still, lay behind memories yet uncovered.
"The problem is... I can't remember, and right now, I have no way to test it... At least, not yet..."
There was another thing that was disturbing him. When he first started having flashes of these memories, they were preceded by visions... or at least, what Jair thought were visions... visions of a very dark, ethereal place. How that had anything to do with any of his memories was a mystery, but he didn't have a good feeling about that. And should that somehow turn out to be more than just a vision, he would not want Gwyn to follow him there, if that was a place he had to face. Of course, he had no idea that this simply wasn't going to happen. He had not yet made the connection that his "visions" were a memory of Chaos itself. All he knew was... it was odd and unsettling. Nevertheless, for now, with what little he did know, he knew where they needed to look next. He finished up his food and looked over to Gwyn.
"But I can tell you that the next answer waits for us... somewhere in the outskirts of Niango..."
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Gwyn
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Post by Gwyn on Sept 18, 2024 16:25:28 GMT -8
[ Gwyn | Open Courtyard (Former Gardens) | Military Base | Felucia ] Attn: Jair Crawford“All right,” said Gwyn, and she looked towards the dark sky, “the night is upon us. Perhaps we can sleep, and make our way in the morning?”
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Jair Crawford
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Post by Jair Crawford on Sept 18, 2024 16:30:40 GMT -8
Jair nodded, as he stood up, intending to head back towards the ship.
"Right... that's probably a good idea." As much as he would have loved to book it to Niango now, he really did need sleep.
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Gwyn
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Post by Gwyn on Sept 19, 2024 11:50:41 GMT -8
[ Gwyn | Open Courtyard (Former Gardens) | Military Base | Felucia ] Attn: Jair CrawfordGwyn nodded and put everything away, picked up the blanket and trailed after Jair. This was familiar for her. It was what she used to do for the other knights back on Brùn, and at least Jair wasn't mean about it, so it made it much easier for her to take care of everything.
[ Luxury Suite | Passenger Rooms | Deck One | Morninglord-class light defender (Unnamed) | Hangar | Jedi Military Base | Felucia ]
Gwyn took the lead this time, dropping off the picnic basket and blanket unceremoniously on the floor near the boarding ramp, she led Jair up to the top deck, and showed him a corridor with a red velvet carpet covering the entire floor, the walls were painted in a pastel cream colour and the ceiling had a pearly white finish, but the rich orange light fixtures enhanced the warm and welcoming feel.
“This is the passenger deck,” said Gwyn, with a shy smile, “you can take any of them for your own, but they're all largely the same and have identical furnishings. There's a private galley if you feel like you need a drink or something to eat just up the corridor to your right, each room has its own refresher. My quarters is in the lower deck, near the cockpit. I guess it's the captain's quarters. What time would you like to set off for Niango?”
She had no idea how long Jedi slept, or if they slept at all. She recalled some Sith on Brùn liked to boast how they could go without sleep for a week. That seemed like unnecessary torture on themselves in her opinion.
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Jair Crawford
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Post by Jair Crawford on Sept 19, 2024 13:01:58 GMT -8
Jair looked around the passenger deck. It was one of the nicest passenger quarters he had seen in a while.
"This is amazing..." He remarked, tiredly, but genuinely. "I probably just need a good sleep through the night. I should be ready to go to Niango in the morning, if that works for you."
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Gwyn
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Post by Gwyn on Sept 19, 2024 13:23:12 GMT -8
[ Gwyn | Luxury Suite | Passenger Rooms | Deck One | Morninglord-class light defender (Unnamed) | Hangar | Jedi Military Base | Felucia ] Attn: Jair Crawford“Yes, it is,” said Gwyn, then she bowed low, “good night, Jair.”
She left the man to choose his quarters, and returned to the boarding ramp, closing it up, retrieved the basket and blanket and cleaned everything. When she was done, she entered her quarters. She stared at the bed, where she spent many a night crying herself to sleep. She pushed all the dark thoughts away and changed out of her day clothes, and lay down. Only her eyes stayed wide open.
Almost half an hour later, after much tossing, turning and staring at the ceiling, Gwyn gave it up for a lost cause. Oh, she was tired out. Bone tired, even. But she couldn't sleep. Not here.
Once more, she felt Jair's presence in the Force. Even when asleep, she could sense him. Well, he wasn't hiding himself. He had no reason to. Before she knew it, she found herself standing at the door of his room. She lowered the corridor lights, and silently opened the door, crept in like a slinking cat, carrying her own blanket, and lay down on the floor by his bed. And sleep came at last to the girl.
She awoke with a start, and she could see the first rays of sunlight creeping through the curtained viewport. Alarmed, and not desiring to be questioned about her presence in his bedroom, she slipped out as quietly and as quickly as she could. All her years of servitude to the Nùe nobility in absolute silence paid off in this moment. She returned to her quarters, showered, changed, and prepared a simple breakfast for Jair, ate her fill and was in the cockpit, preparing the ship for departure. She could feel when Jair stirred awake and she was so glad for this...connection, whatever it was. But now, she concentrated on shielding her mind and thoughts...or rather, she schooled her features and emotions to whatever Jair might have expected, keeping it neutral and calm.
When she felt him approaching the cockpit, she spoke as soon as the door's slid open, “Good morning, Jair, we can lift off in another minute.”
She looked up at him expectantly and fiercely suppressed any other emotions for the time being. All she allowed to be felt was curiosity, expectation and wonderment. The usual state she was in whilst Jair was on his quest to recover his memories.
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Jair Crawford
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Posts: 359
Affiliation: Jedi
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Post by Jair Crawford on Sept 19, 2024 13:35:37 GMT -8
Jair sensed that Gwyn seemed calmer today. Or at least, that's what he could sense from her. He did not know that she had been working on guarding her thoughts. And he would not pry to find out, unless she allowed him to. So for now, he was happy to assume she was feeling calmer today. That was a good thing. He nodded as he approached, and sat down in the copilot seat, feeling very much refreshed from a good nights sleep.
"I am ready whenever you are. It will be in the outskirts, from what little I can see."
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Gwyn
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Post by Gwyn on Sept 19, 2024 13:46:11 GMT -8
[ Gwyn | Cockpit | Deck Two | Morninglord-class light defender (Unnamed) | Hangar | Jedi Military Base | Felucia ] Attn: Jair CrawfordGwyn nodded, and powered up the ship, obtaining clearance from the base operator, and the ship was soon airborne.
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