Mos Espa

Crystal closed the hatch of the ship behind them as Eimhin and she returned from the desert and claiming a crystal for her future lightsaber. She shook the sand off of her cloak and then stomped her feet a few times before slipping out of the borrowed shoes that were a few sizes too big. Adonias had a lot of spare outfits of different sizes but only his size of boots. She really needed to buy herself new clothes. She mentally added it to the long list of tasks ahead of her. Sighing, she walked over to the workbench with the child and carefully brought out the crystal. Setting it down, she looked at Eimhin. "This is going to take a lot of concentration on my end and it may take some time so please try to be as quiet as possible and I'll answer any questions afterwards."

She didn't wait for an answer. She trusted the boy surprisingly. She cracked her neck side to side then fell into the force's embrace. A few hours later and she was finishing up. Sliding the crystal slowly into place with the force, she closed everything up. The lightsaber itself was sleek but simple. When she thumbed the switch to engage the blade, it shot out easily. The brilliant blue blade lit up the nearby area and Crystal smiled. It was good to have a lightsaber again.

Crystal shot a quick grin at the boy. "Blue is a popular color, something about how the crystals form." She shrugged, she wasn't a scientist by any means but had always found rock formations interesting. "Now that I have my lightsaber, I need to go get some clothes and more supplies. Are you familiar with Mos Espa? Any idea where I could get some good gear?" Waiting for Eimhin to respond, she twirled her lightsaber experimentally a few times then fell into the Makashi form and completed a few shuffling steps, trying the balance of the weapon. It felt good in her hands, like an extension of her arm. She couldn't wait to fight with it.

Crystal chuckled. Now this child was reminding her of Adonias. The guilt threatened to bubble up again but she stuffed it down. "Something tells me you already have some experience but I'll tell you a few things about fighting with a lightsaber. Just don't tell you family I was the one to teach you!" She cringed, they'd probably be horrified to hear their precious young one had been consorting with a dark jedi. She walked Eimhin through a few basic lightsaber holds, even letting him hold hers briefly without turning it on. Then she showed him the basic steps to Makashi form. Master Strife had taught her his favorite form as she aged and it paired well with her quick feet and graceful abilities.

Crystal slipped the saber in her pocket and followed the child out of the ship and down the ramp once she'd slipped the borrowed shoes back on her feet. Her nerves jumped with excitement as well as Eimhin infected her with his glee. She half jogged along with him, She was eager to get outfitted again. Ever since she woke up alone and without her belongings, she felt lost. It was time to feel like herself again. Letting the child guide her, they quickly found a stand that sold basic jumpsuits and thick soled boots. She smiled. She'd missed boots like those, they were excellent for diffusing force lightning attacks. She bought what she needed, a pair to wear and then a few more to have on hand. After making sure she had the clothing essentials, she wandered over to the fruit stand and bought snacks for herself and Eimhin to munch on. Fresh fruit juice ran down her chin as she stood in the sun off to the side of the stand with the boy. Crystal laughed, feeling alive in perhaps the first time in forever. This was what life was about. She would miss this. All good things always came to an end. That thought darkened her mood but she still made an effort to appear light hearted for the boy's sake.

Crystal forced a smile, unwillingly to go into a detailed explanation of her pessimistic view on life. "Nothings wrong, I was just thinking we should get back to the ship. It's almost nightfall and you need some rest I'm sure." She gathered up all of her bags more securely and walked off down the street after making sure the boy was following her. She wasn't sure why, but the force seemed to be sending her an ominous message. She intended to listen. She would meditate and train hard in the next few weeks to make sure she was ready for when she searched for Darth Strife again. A vicious grin flitted across her face. She would enjoy destroying him.

Soon they arrived back at the ship and she made sure that her companion had a proper meal before letting him use the passenger seat in the ship to sleep. She stayed up all night, drifting in the force as she looked for guidance and healing.

Morning came too quickly and Crystal hadn't slept a minute. As the suns rose, she put herself through her paces right outside the ship. She loved the early morning, and on Tatooine this time was essential due to the heat that never really left the planet. Shadows slowly shortened around herself as she finished the steps of the complicated fighting pattern she was practicing. She wiped sweat off her brow and then went back into the ship to clean up. She finally changed into one of the new sets of clothing she'd bought, exchanging a slightly large jumpsuit for a form fitting pair of leather pants and long sleeved top. She slid on the ankle boots, and slowly laced them on. They were thick soled but not a stiff material. She would be able to move easily in them. Once finished, she stood up and went to see if Eimhin was awake for the day.

Crystal rushed to Eimhin's side and hugged him tightly to her. She knew all too well about nightmares and though her master would have berated the boy for crying, she couldn't bring herself to do that to a child. She murmured soothing words to the boy as she rubbed his back. Once he was calmer she spoke, "Do you want to tell me about it?" She didn't have much experience with children but she did know it helped to talk about the nightmares.

Crystal stifled a laugh. She was almost certain there was no way that Eimhin had dreamed about her old master. But the description of his dream sure reminded her of him. "It's okay, I'm used to getting electrocuted and I'll tell you a secret." She waited for the boy to lean a little closer before she whispered, "And the darkness is only scary if you are alone. I'm pretty sure you will never be alone, Eimhin, you have a lot of people in your life who sound like they love you." She snuggled him closer for another minute before popping up and announcing loudly, "Let me go make some blue milk pancakes and hot caf! I picked up supplies at the market yesterday." She hurried off to grab the supplies and start making food. Food always helped nightmares too. Though she couldn't remember ever being comforted after a bad dream. The majority of her childhood with Darth Strife had consisted of making her own food, comforting herself, and bandaging her own wounds. She frowned slightly as she created the pancakes. She couldn't complain, she really couldn't. But neither would she do the same thing to this innocent boy. She quickly returned to his side and wordlessly handed him a cup of caf and a plate of pancakes.

Crystal blushed slightly, unused to kind words or praise. "You are sweet, Eimhin. So, what do you want to do today?" Exhaustion pulled at her but she had gone without sleep far longer before. It was almost a mandate when training to be a sith with Darth Strife. "I already got my training in so we could go for a walk in the desert or maybe just explore some other areas here in Mos Espa? When did you say your family would come back for you?" Slight unease prickled down her spine, she couldn't imagine leaving her own offspring for so long.