Nearly two years had passed since the two of them had met, Luka was now nearly seventeen years old, a young adult and well on his way to moving forward with the next phase of his Jedi training and life in general. His half brother Adrian was now nearly eighteen years old and while still a Sith he had encountered several bumps in the road that seemed to slow down his overall development since thet wo had met. At first they met for lunch or coffee one a month or sometimes a bit less, now the two of them were meeting weekly. The meetings was so important to Luka that he had shoe horned them into his schedule to ensure that they happened no matter what. Given the nature of the meetings, both his master and even his superiors in the medical department agreed that it was for the best.
It was nearly time and at first Adrian had a penchant for being late, which made Luka’s skin crawl, not because of the lack of punctuality, but because his brother was indeed a Sith and being late could mean many things including that he had met his own demise. Adrian had informed him a few months ago that he had parted ways with his master on amicable terms, but could a Sith really leave a master on amicable terms? He wasn’t sure, was his master dead, was he going to come looking for him, or was Adrian simply telling the truth? Either way, Adrian was never late anymore, these weekly meetings seemed as important to him as they were to Luka and as the time ticked by Luka’s pointed ears flared as they heard the distinct footsteps of the slightly older Sith approaching. He turned and offered Adrian a smile and the two of them embraced in a familial hug, patting each other on the back as guys often did to affirm their own masculinity. Adrian looked good, much better than the angsty kid he met nearly two years ago in a hospital.
“Hey Adrian. I know it’s my turn to decide what to do and I’ve got something different planned.”
He offered his brother a reassuring smile.
“My Mom has invited me over for lunch and I think it’d be cool if you’d tag along, you can meet my little sisters and my little brother that we’ve talked about…..and of course my Mom and her husband Anwar, he’s cool enough. What do you think, not too scary for a big bad Sith is it?”
Each word was planned carefully, especially the last part, because if Adrian had doubts they would surely be put aside to prove how strong he was. One trick Luka had learned in the time the two had known each other was managing Adrian meant managing his ego, which was a force of nature to be studied for the ages. It also meant that the young Jedi would have to himself show a little bit of ego himself, which was entirely a foreign concept to him at first, but after he had spent enough time around Adrian he was at least able to fake it.
“Course not, lets go dude.”
Luka clapped Adrian strategically on the shoulder knowing that if the other two comments didn’t work, that surely would. Luka turned and led the way to his parent’s house. This was not something he ever would have done before now, but the young Consular was confident Adrian would never do anything to deliberately hurt Luka and that implicitly meant that his family was off limits. Adrian was a Sith, but a Sith with a moral code of some sort and Luka was certain that part of that code meant family was off limits. Since Luka was part of his family that meant his siblings and parents were too and Adrian wouldn’t harm a hair on their head. Whats more, Luka had detected a far greater amount of light in the young Sith than when they first met, bit by bit Luka was working to chisel away the dark shell that he had made for himself.
What Could've Been
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Adrian Lynd
- Posts: 71
- Joined: Sat Jul 04, 2020 9:46 am
Re: What Could've Been
As the nearly eighteen year old Sith strolled up and hugged his younger brother there was a certain slowness in his step. When they broke away from the hug the young Sith’s red eyes scanned the younger half-sephi’s and nodded quietly to himself. There was a difference in Adrian’s presence and it had been there for some time and he had wondered if Luka had picked up on it. Either way Adrian had, it was a weird feeling that was altogether foreign to him, for the first time in his life he was doubting himself as a Sith. It was uncomfortable and at times it had drive himself to the point of rage trying to dissect it. However, he kept going to these meetings with Luka, he enjoyed them, he enjoyed being around his younger brother, he was something to grasp onto, he was kind of a rock….kriff he was. He was the only person Adrian could ever depend on and the only person he trusted with everything. Increasingly Adrian had made himself more and more vulnerable to Luka, which broke every rule in the Sith book, but it felt good to talk about things and Luka always listened….he heard Luka’s suggestion….oh what the kriff? This was uggh….family stuff, kriff it was like the two were kriffing dating now. What the ever loving kriff?! Just as he was about to decline Luka landed the death blow.”Not to scary for a big bad Sith is it?” KRIFF!!! This little Jedi brother of his knew exactly what he was doing. Without warning Luka clapped him on the shoulder and started moving….motherfu………Adrian turned on his heel and moved to catch up with Luka, he reared back and punched him in his right upper arm….
“You devious little ass. I thought I was the Sith here?”
Adrian grinned and looked at his younger brother whom he doubted would do anything in retaliation and of course he had to know he had the hit coming. Tricking him into this family nonsense…but his legs were still moving, he was still walking beside Luka, he wanted to spend time with him and if that meant meeting Luka’s family, then whatever. Luka was the only one that ever truly made an effort to connect with him, the only one of his own family that is. He loved Alex and Johnathon, but the two of them just seemed to not really care at all, it’s like they did but they weren’t going to go out of there way to go find him. Luka was here…and had gone way out of his way to form a relationship with him. Which didn’t make even as much sense because the two had barely just met two years ago and Alex and Johnathon had known him for their whole lives and he’d only seen one of them in the last six years. Even Svo’k didn’t bother to try and come find him, he didn’t kriffing care, not one bit, if he did he would have made an effort by now…but the half Sephi nerdy half brother was the one he was walking next to, the most Jedi of the bunch he imagined….Luka was a good Jedi, Adrian could see it, it was something to admire he thought…regardless of whether being a Jedi was stupid or not it was definitely admirable how good of a Jedi Luka seemed to be….how good of a brother and a friend he definitely was.
“So your mom is Mrs. Balmore? Your siblings are….Assana, Dalon, and Franchesca? Assana is like almost ten right? The other two are a lot younger? ”
He noticed Luka stopping at the door to an apartment. Were they they already? Damn that was fast. He took a breath and tried to focus, he didn’t want to scare the kids with any of his Sith things, including his eyes. He grasped onto light thoughts, including the warm ones he had about his brother and forced the red out of his eyes and they slowly returned to their natural blue.
“This will be cool, thanks Luka…”
“You devious little ass. I thought I was the Sith here?”
Adrian grinned and looked at his younger brother whom he doubted would do anything in retaliation and of course he had to know he had the hit coming. Tricking him into this family nonsense…but his legs were still moving, he was still walking beside Luka, he wanted to spend time with him and if that meant meeting Luka’s family, then whatever. Luka was the only one that ever truly made an effort to connect with him, the only one of his own family that is. He loved Alex and Johnathon, but the two of them just seemed to not really care at all, it’s like they did but they weren’t going to go out of there way to go find him. Luka was here…and had gone way out of his way to form a relationship with him. Which didn’t make even as much sense because the two had barely just met two years ago and Alex and Johnathon had known him for their whole lives and he’d only seen one of them in the last six years. Even Svo’k didn’t bother to try and come find him, he didn’t kriffing care, not one bit, if he did he would have made an effort by now…but the half Sephi nerdy half brother was the one he was walking next to, the most Jedi of the bunch he imagined….Luka was a good Jedi, Adrian could see it, it was something to admire he thought…regardless of whether being a Jedi was stupid or not it was definitely admirable how good of a Jedi Luka seemed to be….how good of a brother and a friend he definitely was.
“So your mom is Mrs. Balmore? Your siblings are….Assana, Dalon, and Franchesca? Assana is like almost ten right? The other two are a lot younger? ”
He noticed Luka stopping at the door to an apartment. Were they they already? Damn that was fast. He took a breath and tried to focus, he didn’t want to scare the kids with any of his Sith things, including his eyes. He grasped onto light thoughts, including the warm ones he had about his brother and forced the red out of his eyes and they slowly returned to their natural blue.
“This will be cool, thanks Luka…”
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Luka Balmore
- Posts: 82
- Joined: Wed Apr 29, 2020 2:24 pm
Re: What Could've Been
Luka knew better than to wince when Adrian threw the punch, wincing would get him nowhere respect wise with the older Sith. Instead he let out a bit of an ‘ummph’ and breathed out through his nose. It actually did hurt, but he was a Jedi and it wasn’t a hurt that was worth acknowledging, he’d lose ground that way. The only way to indeed maintain the respect level was to get him back, this was not only true of their odd Jedi and Sith sibling relationship, but true of really any relationship between younger and older brothers, especially ones this close in age. Throughout the history books on masculine sibling relationships passed down from generation to generation for the existence of the humanoid species, there was only one response that would maintain the delicate order of things, one response that would keep the balance and preserve the tradition of sibling rivalry.
Luka subtly made a small fist with his pointer finger and middle finger and without warning as they stopped, he swung it lightly but with enough force that he would certainly notice directly between Adrian’s legs, making light but swift contact he immediately withdrew and waited for the reaction which of course would be instantaneous. This was not something that was in character for Luka nor was it something he’d do to one of his other brothers, but Adrian was a Sith and Sith played by different rules, there was a certain amount of posturing and subtle superiority plays that had to be engaged in even if he did not necessarily particularly care for them. He was matching Adrian…and regardless of the pain Adrian would no doubt be experiencing on some level he would respect it and the balance would be maintained.
“That’s for the arm. Even.”
Luka grinned wryly and watched his older brother grab himself and wince in the pain.
“Assana is more like eightish and the others are much younger yeah and my Mom’s last name is Butala now…oh and you’re welcome.”
Luka subtly made a small fist with his pointer finger and middle finger and without warning as they stopped, he swung it lightly but with enough force that he would certainly notice directly between Adrian’s legs, making light but swift contact he immediately withdrew and waited for the reaction which of course would be instantaneous. This was not something that was in character for Luka nor was it something he’d do to one of his other brothers, but Adrian was a Sith and Sith played by different rules, there was a certain amount of posturing and subtle superiority plays that had to be engaged in even if he did not necessarily particularly care for them. He was matching Adrian…and regardless of the pain Adrian would no doubt be experiencing on some level he would respect it and the balance would be maintained.
“That’s for the arm. Even.”
Luka grinned wryly and watched his older brother grab himself and wince in the pain.
“Assana is more like eightish and the others are much younger yeah and my Mom’s last name is Butala now…oh and you’re welcome.”
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Adrian Lynd
- Posts: 71
- Joined: Sat Jul 04, 2020 9:46 am
Re: What Could've Been
As he stood at the door, he never saw the tap coming, at the last millisecond before impact he tried to block it but it was too late. He winced and grabbed himself, the pain was immediate shooting from below his waist up into his stomach giving him a sick feeling. His face contorted and instinctively he turned and shoved his younger brother once he righted himself and regained some of his composure.
“Oh you think that makes us kriffing even? I got you in the arm, you hit me below the belt, I owe you one now! Little Jedi is going to learn what happens when you mess with a Sith…”
Adrian shook his head and almost chuckled at the situation entirely. Luka was a JEDI, he didn’t expect that kind of response from him. Maybe from one of his former Sith peers, but not from Luka, a Jedi Healer of all things. The pain lingered in his nether region and in his stomach, but it would subside shortly, it wasn’t the first time he had been hit there. Now of course was the task of finding a time and place to get Luka back and it had to be a surprise and it had to be worse, maybe a full on fist and a harder hit. Whatever. They were here, he needed to compose himself for the non-sensitives…they were Sephi too, he didn’t know any other than Luka and Luka was only half. What were Sephi like? Were they all like him? He thought back about what he said to Luka a moment ago…about messing with a Sith….he hoped Luka didn’t take that too seriously, he liked the relationship he had with him and he did NOT want to kriff it up.
“Oh you think that makes us kriffing even? I got you in the arm, you hit me below the belt, I owe you one now! Little Jedi is going to learn what happens when you mess with a Sith…”
Adrian shook his head and almost chuckled at the situation entirely. Luka was a JEDI, he didn’t expect that kind of response from him. Maybe from one of his former Sith peers, but not from Luka, a Jedi Healer of all things. The pain lingered in his nether region and in his stomach, but it would subside shortly, it wasn’t the first time he had been hit there. Now of course was the task of finding a time and place to get Luka back and it had to be a surprise and it had to be worse, maybe a full on fist and a harder hit. Whatever. They were here, he needed to compose himself for the non-sensitives…they were Sephi too, he didn’t know any other than Luka and Luka was only half. What were Sephi like? Were they all like him? He thought back about what he said to Luka a moment ago…about messing with a Sith….he hoped Luka didn’t take that too seriously, he liked the relationship he had with him and he did NOT want to kriff it up.
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Luka Balmore
- Posts: 82
- Joined: Wed Apr 29, 2020 2:24 pm
Re: What Could've Been
Luka chuckled again as Adrian shoved him.
“No, you see I didn’t deserve the hit so we are indeed even.”
Quickly before Adrian could react, Luka knocked on the door and composed himself as well. He was having fun with Adrian and a couple of years ago him making friends with any kind of a Sith would have been out of the question but then again a couple of years ago he had not yet met his half brother either. Was he actively trying to turn him? That was such a difficult question to answer, because while yes, he did in fact want Adrian to give up the ways of the dark side and at the very least just live a happy life that did not exactly have to be with the Jedi. The truth was just a bit more complex than that, because Luka had been consciously working Adrian and he had seen the young Sith soften so much in their time together, he had probably known it more than Adrian had even realized. He felt that he was close to turning, but he had never yet brought it up and Luka certainly was not going to be the one to bring it up as it could undo everything and weaken the Sith’s trust in him. No Adrian had to be the one to bring it up and that might still take time, but the fact that he had not been stabbed for tapping Adrian in the nether region was definitely a sign of something. When they first met, he had gathered that Adrian had killed fellow Sith for less. In fact there were stories Adrian had shared with him about how cut throat being a Sith was and the types of things that had both happened to him and that he had done to other Sith. However Adrian had never mentioned any of the things that he had done to Jedi, probably for good reason as he knew Luka would be honor bound to do something about it. This had gotten Luka thinking, what would he have done if Adrian confessed to killing a Jedi?
It was a perplexing thought and he guessed that his reaction and follow through steps would depend entirely on Adrian’s delivery. If Adrian mentioned it in a bragging way showing off his machismo and prowess in combat…that would have to end one way, a way neither of them would like. If he brought it up displaying genuine remorse, that would end much better for both of them. Why was he thinking about this and where was his mom anyway? As if own cue the door opened and his heart warmed as he saw his mother, who almost instantly wrapped her arms around him. Luka of course offered her a hug back as she kissed his cheeks, which were now turning a very light red in front of Adrian. Nevertheless he was still happy to see her.
“Mom! Good to see you! This is my half brother Adrian, his father is….well you know. Adrian this is my Mom Elisse Butala.“
Elisse stood several inches shorter than both Adrian and Luka, her blonde hair had a few strands of grey starting to rear their ugly head despite her relatively young age, having a son while still in school and giving him to the Jedi, remarrying and having three more children did tend to take an emotional toll and did add to one’s stress level, so a few grey hairs was perfectly natural even if they did make her feel a bit self conscious. Her eyes matched those of Luka and Adrian, she scanned the slightly older boy up and down dressed head to toe in black, much like his father had been way back then, his face bore him a striking resemblance as well. One that did not sit well with her, but one that she had prepared herself for since Luka had pre-warned her that Adrian may very well be coming with them. She offered Adrian a warm smile and instead of offering him her hand, instead when she broke away from Luka she held her arms out.
”Luka my son, my big strong son, I swear you get bigger every time I see you! Adrian, it’s lovely to meet you and seeing as how you’re Luka’s brother, we don’t do handshakes in his household, let me give you a hug.“
She did want to comment on his resemblance to Svo’k, but she knew that was a touchy subject for all involved so she avoided it. She wrapped her arms around Adrian, perhaps taking him a bit by surprise.
”Both of you boys come in this house right now, you look positively famished don’t they feed you at that temple. You’re a Jedi too right Adrian?”
As they set exactly one foot inside the door Luka was mobbed by his younger Siblings, first Assana made her way to him and through her arms around his waist, taking him a bit off balance, he dropped to his knees and then Dalon and Franchesca were on him too.
“Easy guys, I missed you too! That’s Adrian over there, he needs some attention too I think.”
Almost on cue Dalon immediately noticed the other teenage boy in the house, only this one was dressed in black and looked….cool, like super cool. Luka was cool, but this other big kid looked really cool, he…he just couldn’t explain it, his ears weren’t like his though and that was weird but he looked like fun. In an instant Dalon ran over to Adrian and hugged his leg.
“Actually Mom, Adrian is a…..”
“No, you see I didn’t deserve the hit so we are indeed even.”
Quickly before Adrian could react, Luka knocked on the door and composed himself as well. He was having fun with Adrian and a couple of years ago him making friends with any kind of a Sith would have been out of the question but then again a couple of years ago he had not yet met his half brother either. Was he actively trying to turn him? That was such a difficult question to answer, because while yes, he did in fact want Adrian to give up the ways of the dark side and at the very least just live a happy life that did not exactly have to be with the Jedi. The truth was just a bit more complex than that, because Luka had been consciously working Adrian and he had seen the young Sith soften so much in their time together, he had probably known it more than Adrian had even realized. He felt that he was close to turning, but he had never yet brought it up and Luka certainly was not going to be the one to bring it up as it could undo everything and weaken the Sith’s trust in him. No Adrian had to be the one to bring it up and that might still take time, but the fact that he had not been stabbed for tapping Adrian in the nether region was definitely a sign of something. When they first met, he had gathered that Adrian had killed fellow Sith for less. In fact there were stories Adrian had shared with him about how cut throat being a Sith was and the types of things that had both happened to him and that he had done to other Sith. However Adrian had never mentioned any of the things that he had done to Jedi, probably for good reason as he knew Luka would be honor bound to do something about it. This had gotten Luka thinking, what would he have done if Adrian confessed to killing a Jedi?
It was a perplexing thought and he guessed that his reaction and follow through steps would depend entirely on Adrian’s delivery. If Adrian mentioned it in a bragging way showing off his machismo and prowess in combat…that would have to end one way, a way neither of them would like. If he brought it up displaying genuine remorse, that would end much better for both of them. Why was he thinking about this and where was his mom anyway? As if own cue the door opened and his heart warmed as he saw his mother, who almost instantly wrapped her arms around him. Luka of course offered her a hug back as she kissed his cheeks, which were now turning a very light red in front of Adrian. Nevertheless he was still happy to see her.
“Mom! Good to see you! This is my half brother Adrian, his father is….well you know. Adrian this is my Mom Elisse Butala.“
Elisse stood several inches shorter than both Adrian and Luka, her blonde hair had a few strands of grey starting to rear their ugly head despite her relatively young age, having a son while still in school and giving him to the Jedi, remarrying and having three more children did tend to take an emotional toll and did add to one’s stress level, so a few grey hairs was perfectly natural even if they did make her feel a bit self conscious. Her eyes matched those of Luka and Adrian, she scanned the slightly older boy up and down dressed head to toe in black, much like his father had been way back then, his face bore him a striking resemblance as well. One that did not sit well with her, but one that she had prepared herself for since Luka had pre-warned her that Adrian may very well be coming with them. She offered Adrian a warm smile and instead of offering him her hand, instead when she broke away from Luka she held her arms out.
”Luka my son, my big strong son, I swear you get bigger every time I see you! Adrian, it’s lovely to meet you and seeing as how you’re Luka’s brother, we don’t do handshakes in his household, let me give you a hug.“
She did want to comment on his resemblance to Svo’k, but she knew that was a touchy subject for all involved so she avoided it. She wrapped her arms around Adrian, perhaps taking him a bit by surprise.
”Both of you boys come in this house right now, you look positively famished don’t they feed you at that temple. You’re a Jedi too right Adrian?”
As they set exactly one foot inside the door Luka was mobbed by his younger Siblings, first Assana made her way to him and through her arms around his waist, taking him a bit off balance, he dropped to his knees and then Dalon and Franchesca were on him too.
“Easy guys, I missed you too! That’s Adrian over there, he needs some attention too I think.”
Almost on cue Dalon immediately noticed the other teenage boy in the house, only this one was dressed in black and looked….cool, like super cool. Luka was cool, but this other big kid looked really cool, he…he just couldn’t explain it, his ears weren’t like his though and that was weird but he looked like fun. In an instant Dalon ran over to Adrian and hugged his leg.
“Actually Mom, Adrian is a…..”
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Adrian Lynd
- Posts: 71
- Joined: Sat Jul 04, 2020 9:46 am
Re: What Could've Been
The hug had taken him by surprise but he did absolutely return to the gesture to her, she seemed like a nice enough person and she hadn’t brought up kriffing Svo’k so why not. Then came the question. Did she not know? What should he say?! Without thinking he said the first thing that came to his mind deliberately cutting Luka off mid sentence.
“Yes Ma’am, I’m a Jedi, no braid because well I’m kind of new. I got into some stuff I shouldn’t have when I was younger…but I’m better now. It’s so nice to meet you too, Luka is an awesome person, you must be proud.”
He looked to Luka out of the side of his eye as Dalon ambushed him at the knees. He dropped down to make eye contact with young child and brushed his mop of brown hair back for a moment. He didn’t have much experience with little kids, but this dude seemed kind of cool, but kriff this situation was kind of awkward. I…it was awkward but there was something about it that was right and he wasn’t going to question it. Adrian took a breath and smiled at the young child, the other two siblings still showing much more interest in Luka. Dalon here had to be the odd one out, a house full of girls as the only boy, that must of been different and Adrian sort of felt like he could relate it to his own childhood, he was the only one that had his Sith stuff together. Kriffing Alex was so Jedi the damn sun seemed to shine directly on him and butterflies and rainboys kriffing chased him around. Johnathon was….something….whatever and Svo’k….screw him.
“So you’re Dalon right? I’m Adrian nice to meet you little dude.”
It had taken a brief moment, but finally the words that had come out of his mouth to Elisse landed in his mind. What had he said to her? “I got into some stuff I shouldn’t have when I was younger…but I’m better now.” He paused as Luka’s younger bother was still showering him with affection. Was that a lie or was it true? He glanced to Luka to catch his gaze for a brief second before returning his attention to Dalon. No it couldn’t be true, he was a Sith and Sith were the rightful rulers of the galaxy and….it felt weird. It didn’t feel like a lie when he had said it, it felt like the truth but he was accustomed to lying so even a lie could feel like the truth to him, but this was different. He wasn’t trying to manipulate her, he had just paniced and said the first thing that came to mind….why did he panic? Why was that the first thing that came to his mind?! He ruffled Dalon’s hair wishing he had something to offer him to play with. The Sith knives were certainly kriffing out, you don’t give a knife to a non-sensy kid unless you’re literally trying to kill him and Adrian sure as hell wasn’t…in fact this kid made him feel warm all over….kriff! He was getting so soft.
“You guys have a nice home, thanks for having me over.”
“Yes Ma’am, I’m a Jedi, no braid because well I’m kind of new. I got into some stuff I shouldn’t have when I was younger…but I’m better now. It’s so nice to meet you too, Luka is an awesome person, you must be proud.”
He looked to Luka out of the side of his eye as Dalon ambushed him at the knees. He dropped down to make eye contact with young child and brushed his mop of brown hair back for a moment. He didn’t have much experience with little kids, but this dude seemed kind of cool, but kriff this situation was kind of awkward. I…it was awkward but there was something about it that was right and he wasn’t going to question it. Adrian took a breath and smiled at the young child, the other two siblings still showing much more interest in Luka. Dalon here had to be the odd one out, a house full of girls as the only boy, that must of been different and Adrian sort of felt like he could relate it to his own childhood, he was the only one that had his Sith stuff together. Kriffing Alex was so Jedi the damn sun seemed to shine directly on him and butterflies and rainboys kriffing chased him around. Johnathon was….something….whatever and Svo’k….screw him.
“So you’re Dalon right? I’m Adrian nice to meet you little dude.”
It had taken a brief moment, but finally the words that had come out of his mouth to Elisse landed in his mind. What had he said to her? “I got into some stuff I shouldn’t have when I was younger…but I’m better now.” He paused as Luka’s younger bother was still showering him with affection. Was that a lie or was it true? He glanced to Luka to catch his gaze for a brief second before returning his attention to Dalon. No it couldn’t be true, he was a Sith and Sith were the rightful rulers of the galaxy and….it felt weird. It didn’t feel like a lie when he had said it, it felt like the truth but he was accustomed to lying so even a lie could feel like the truth to him, but this was different. He wasn’t trying to manipulate her, he had just paniced and said the first thing that came to mind….why did he panic? Why was that the first thing that came to his mind?! He ruffled Dalon’s hair wishing he had something to offer him to play with. The Sith knives were certainly kriffing out, you don’t give a knife to a non-sensy kid unless you’re literally trying to kill him and Adrian sure as hell wasn’t…in fact this kid made him feel warm all over….kriff! He was getting so soft.
“You guys have a nice home, thanks for having me over.”
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Luka Balmore
- Posts: 82
- Joined: Wed Apr 29, 2020 2:24 pm
Re: What Could've Been
Luka’s eyes darted instinctively to Adrian as he lied about who he was. That was not something Luka was happy with but he was going to have to let it go for the moment anyway as he was not going to correct him and embarass him in front of the whole family. If he wanted to play at being a Jedi that was totally fine, Luka was not going to stop it.
“Yes Mom they do feed us, we just do a lot of training.”
Luka was trying to make sense of what his two younger sisters were saying as the clamored over each other for his attention. Assana seemed particularly proud of some high mark she had achieved in school and Luka was extremely congratulatory of that and then as he was giving Franchesca some attention as well, he caught site of Dalon and Adrian really hitting it off. This was a good thing he thought to himself, this was absolutely a good thing. In fact he picked up on the warmth coming from his older half brother and could not help but be astounded by it, he hadn’t felt it like this before. Adrian was genuinely happy and..Luka scrunched his forehead for a moment playing over what Adrian had said. He cocked his head and looked at the older teen. Was he even a Sith anymore? When did that happen exactly? Of course he was, his eyes were red fifteen minutes ago, he had the dark presence, he dressed the part but….he did seem different.
“I’m afraid you’ll just have to feed us here on the floor Mom, it seems as if we have been attacked and inundated by tiny little monsters.”
Luka hugged both of his little sisters tightly and smiled.
“Where’s Papa Anwar?”
Elisse rolled her eyes, but did not want to break up the family reunion taking place on the floor, she smirked a bit at the name Luka had for her husband. He couldn’t just be normal and either call him Dad or Anwar, no. He had to somehow combine the two so that he was definitely treating him with the respect he deserved, but at the same time making the distinction that Anwar was not technically his father, boys were weird and she was quite sure she would never understand them.
”Oh he got called into work, something about no one knowing how to use the refresher without his help is what he muttered as he walked out the door.”
She smiled at Adrian
"Well good for you Adrian, it takes a real man to admit when he's done wrong. I just met you, but that makes me proud, and I'm sure Luka is proud of you too."
“Yes Mom they do feed us, we just do a lot of training.”
Luka was trying to make sense of what his two younger sisters were saying as the clamored over each other for his attention. Assana seemed particularly proud of some high mark she had achieved in school and Luka was extremely congratulatory of that and then as he was giving Franchesca some attention as well, he caught site of Dalon and Adrian really hitting it off. This was a good thing he thought to himself, this was absolutely a good thing. In fact he picked up on the warmth coming from his older half brother and could not help but be astounded by it, he hadn’t felt it like this before. Adrian was genuinely happy and..Luka scrunched his forehead for a moment playing over what Adrian had said. He cocked his head and looked at the older teen. Was he even a Sith anymore? When did that happen exactly? Of course he was, his eyes were red fifteen minutes ago, he had the dark presence, he dressed the part but….he did seem different.
“I’m afraid you’ll just have to feed us here on the floor Mom, it seems as if we have been attacked and inundated by tiny little monsters.”
Luka hugged both of his little sisters tightly and smiled.
“Where’s Papa Anwar?”
Elisse rolled her eyes, but did not want to break up the family reunion taking place on the floor, she smirked a bit at the name Luka had for her husband. He couldn’t just be normal and either call him Dad or Anwar, no. He had to somehow combine the two so that he was definitely treating him with the respect he deserved, but at the same time making the distinction that Anwar was not technically his father, boys were weird and she was quite sure she would never understand them.
”Oh he got called into work, something about no one knowing how to use the refresher without his help is what he muttered as he walked out the door.”
She smiled at Adrian
"Well good for you Adrian, it takes a real man to admit when he's done wrong. I just met you, but that makes me proud, and I'm sure Luka is proud of you too."
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Adrian Lynd
- Posts: 71
- Joined: Sat Jul 04, 2020 9:46 am
Re: What Could've Been
She had mentioned being proud of him and that Luka must be too, that was an interesting feeling, it was confusing. Coupled that with Dalon loving on him and everything else going on in the home it was a bit overwhelming for the nearly eighteen year old. He took a few breaths but didn’t let it show that he was feeling everything a bit more than normal. The meal came and despite Luka’s joke, they all wound up at the table eating a deliciously home cooked meal for lunch of all things. These Sephi’s certainly knew how to cook and he sort of wondered if that was on Luka’s list of abilities as well. The lunch was a blur and so were the events after lunch except for one, as Elisse was going around collecting the plates, Luka and Adrian both helped a bit with the dishes and she had offered Luka and Adrian tea, which resulted in a quirked eyebrow from Elisse when Luka said that they would both prefer coffee if possible…then Adrian had interjected…
“I can do tea, never gave it a chance before…”
Even Luka had been surprised by that remark and in truth he did not much care for the tea, but he had tried it and drank it anyway, Luka on the other hand seemed to perfectly enjoy it and he had silently wondered to himself he had preferred tea to coffee this entire time. Not that it mattered, what a stupid little kriffing thing anyway. A few more hours had passed in a blur, he was being perfectly social and playful to Luka’s siblings, chatting with his Elisse and playing speeders on the floor with Dalon, a game he was not exactly sure he understood the point of but Dalon seemed to be enjoying it and in truth that made Adrian smile. Then he looked at the young child who set his toy down and faced Adrian who was sitting with his back against the couch. The child crossed his legs in front of him sheepishly.
”Adweean, can I see your Light Sword?”
A chill ran down Adrian’s spine, his lightsabers were both delicately balanced instruments of destruction, mishandling of them by a non-sensy kid would result in a filleted toddler in about two seconds. Adrian’s eyes darted to Luka who seemed to be just as concerned with the notion, then he craned his neck and met Elisse’s gaze who seemed to stare back into his eyes and nodded with a bit of concern.
”CAREFULLY, yes if that’s okay with Adrian.”
No shit carefully was the first thought that came to Adrian’s mind. How was he going to do carefully, he assumed Dalon would want to see the blade, and for other reasons that were not limited to safety, but did definitely include the blood red sinister blade that would draw a lot of questions, that was out of the question. He nodded to Elisse and while he did not want to be rude, this was not the ideal situation to be in. He took a breath and looked at Dalon and then Luka, then Dalon again. He nodded to himself and his gaze finally rested on Dalon’s innocent looking young face.
“Yes, but I’m not turning it on for you, it’s not safe. I need you to go stand over there, while I make them safe for you to handle on your own okay and even then you need to promise me you’ll be super careful. Okay Dalon? I’m going to stand up now and work on them for a second, when I sit down you can come back over.”
The young boy nodded excitedly and spinted to the center of the room were Adrian had directed him to go, not that there was any danger of Adrian accidentally igniting the weapons, he had handled them for years, but he wanted to remove all danger out of the equation. He then looked at Luka and was satisfied that both of the girls were safely with him before he slowly pulled himself to his feet….leg was asleep that tingled. Kriff kriff kriff….better. Adrian, moved his black cloak back and grabbed his lightsaber on his right hip with his left hand. He then reached down at the pommel and twisted it clockwise. There was a snappy metallic sound and then he pulled out the entire inner workings of the weapon. The first thing he did was pull the power supply, for a split second he thought that would be enough as he placed it in his pocket. Then he remembered that lightsabers can hold residual power, enough to maybe active for a split second. Normally not a worry, but once again that’s how you wound up with filet of Dalon. He then called the crystal to his hand with the force not wanting to upset the delicate balance of the machinery with his bare hand and he placed it in his pocket. If Dalon activated it now, all it would do is make a noise for a brief second, no danger at all. He slid the base of and the inner workings back in, turned it the other way and locked it into place. He was about to sit down and then he thought….maybe he wants to see both? Then he’d be unarmed…..whatever, he was safe here….unless this was an elaborate trap by Luka. He glanced at his younger brother….that was a dumb thought. He grabbed his other lightsaber and repeated the process, holding both of the hilts in his hand now, he sat down and motioned for Dalon to come over.
“When handling any weapon Dalon, you have to assume it’s dangerous. What I just did made it safe, but you don’t really know that, so when I hand it to you, you need to treat it like it could hurt you and anyone you swing it at. Don’t look down the emitter which is this bit here, thats where the blade comes out of. If you’re unsafe with it, I’m going to take it back. Got it?”
Dalon nodded excitedly and Adrian slowly offered him the hilt in his right hand. The young child gently took it and held it between both of his hands, it was lighter than he thought.
“You’ll notice it’s a lot smaller than Luka’s, that’s because I use two and he only uses one. Neither way is better or worse, it’s just what he likes and what I like.”
He watched as Dalon took the weapon and held it like a young Sith….err…Jedi he guessed. If he wasn’t concerned about appearances he totally would have rolled his eyes. He noticed him holding it in the ready stance that the Jedi often used, clearly he had likely either seen that on the holonews or Luka had shown it to him. Ahh to corrupt a youth….this could be funny.
“Let me show you something….“
He gently motioned for the lightsaber back. He took both hilts and connected them together at the pommel and twisted them, locking them together, forming one double sided lightsaber. He smirked at Luka over his left shoulder. Before he started his demonstration he double checked his own working, making absolutely damn sure that this was safe. He then while seated, twirled the joined hilts rapidly between his hands so fast that they blurred to the naked eye, the emitters never once crossing his own bodies path or Dalon’s. He then stopped and the hilt was level in his right hand both emitters facing out and way from both of them.
“Now, you’re not quite going to be able to do that but try spinning it slowly putting one hand over the other.”
He carefully handed Dalon the weapon and guided his hands in the most basic spinning motion, one hand over another slowly, something even a non-sensy kid could master. He was careful not to to remove his hands too far as he knew the weapon while balanced, did pose a bit of a risk of bashing Dalon in the forehead if it was a bit heavy for him.
“Very good Dalon, don’t go too much faster. You’d need a lightsaber your own size to keep up with me, spin this too fast and you’re going to hurt yourself.”
Dalon smiled and after several moments of twirling fun he gave the lightsaber back to Adrian who disconnected the two hilts and clipped them to his belt. There was no reason to put the power supplies and crystals back in yet, he had Luka here who was still fully armed and it just wasn’t a priority at the moment. He smiled at Dalon who quickly embraced Adrian in a hug. Adrian smiled back and patted the young boy lightly on his back, this was certainly not helping his inner confusion at the moment, but it was okay. He was sure of it.
“I can do tea, never gave it a chance before…”
Even Luka had been surprised by that remark and in truth he did not much care for the tea, but he had tried it and drank it anyway, Luka on the other hand seemed to perfectly enjoy it and he had silently wondered to himself he had preferred tea to coffee this entire time. Not that it mattered, what a stupid little kriffing thing anyway. A few more hours had passed in a blur, he was being perfectly social and playful to Luka’s siblings, chatting with his Elisse and playing speeders on the floor with Dalon, a game he was not exactly sure he understood the point of but Dalon seemed to be enjoying it and in truth that made Adrian smile. Then he looked at the young child who set his toy down and faced Adrian who was sitting with his back against the couch. The child crossed his legs in front of him sheepishly.
”Adweean, can I see your Light Sword?”
A chill ran down Adrian’s spine, his lightsabers were both delicately balanced instruments of destruction, mishandling of them by a non-sensy kid would result in a filleted toddler in about two seconds. Adrian’s eyes darted to Luka who seemed to be just as concerned with the notion, then he craned his neck and met Elisse’s gaze who seemed to stare back into his eyes and nodded with a bit of concern.
”CAREFULLY, yes if that’s okay with Adrian.”
No shit carefully was the first thought that came to Adrian’s mind. How was he going to do carefully, he assumed Dalon would want to see the blade, and for other reasons that were not limited to safety, but did definitely include the blood red sinister blade that would draw a lot of questions, that was out of the question. He nodded to Elisse and while he did not want to be rude, this was not the ideal situation to be in. He took a breath and looked at Dalon and then Luka, then Dalon again. He nodded to himself and his gaze finally rested on Dalon’s innocent looking young face.
“Yes, but I’m not turning it on for you, it’s not safe. I need you to go stand over there, while I make them safe for you to handle on your own okay and even then you need to promise me you’ll be super careful. Okay Dalon? I’m going to stand up now and work on them for a second, when I sit down you can come back over.”
The young boy nodded excitedly and spinted to the center of the room were Adrian had directed him to go, not that there was any danger of Adrian accidentally igniting the weapons, he had handled them for years, but he wanted to remove all danger out of the equation. He then looked at Luka and was satisfied that both of the girls were safely with him before he slowly pulled himself to his feet….leg was asleep that tingled. Kriff kriff kriff….better. Adrian, moved his black cloak back and grabbed his lightsaber on his right hip with his left hand. He then reached down at the pommel and twisted it clockwise. There was a snappy metallic sound and then he pulled out the entire inner workings of the weapon. The first thing he did was pull the power supply, for a split second he thought that would be enough as he placed it in his pocket. Then he remembered that lightsabers can hold residual power, enough to maybe active for a split second. Normally not a worry, but once again that’s how you wound up with filet of Dalon. He then called the crystal to his hand with the force not wanting to upset the delicate balance of the machinery with his bare hand and he placed it in his pocket. If Dalon activated it now, all it would do is make a noise for a brief second, no danger at all. He slid the base of and the inner workings back in, turned it the other way and locked it into place. He was about to sit down and then he thought….maybe he wants to see both? Then he’d be unarmed…..whatever, he was safe here….unless this was an elaborate trap by Luka. He glanced at his younger brother….that was a dumb thought. He grabbed his other lightsaber and repeated the process, holding both of the hilts in his hand now, he sat down and motioned for Dalon to come over.
“When handling any weapon Dalon, you have to assume it’s dangerous. What I just did made it safe, but you don’t really know that, so when I hand it to you, you need to treat it like it could hurt you and anyone you swing it at. Don’t look down the emitter which is this bit here, thats where the blade comes out of. If you’re unsafe with it, I’m going to take it back. Got it?”
Dalon nodded excitedly and Adrian slowly offered him the hilt in his right hand. The young child gently took it and held it between both of his hands, it was lighter than he thought.
“You’ll notice it’s a lot smaller than Luka’s, that’s because I use two and he only uses one. Neither way is better or worse, it’s just what he likes and what I like.”
He watched as Dalon took the weapon and held it like a young Sith….err…Jedi he guessed. If he wasn’t concerned about appearances he totally would have rolled his eyes. He noticed him holding it in the ready stance that the Jedi often used, clearly he had likely either seen that on the holonews or Luka had shown it to him. Ahh to corrupt a youth….this could be funny.
“Let me show you something….“
He gently motioned for the lightsaber back. He took both hilts and connected them together at the pommel and twisted them, locking them together, forming one double sided lightsaber. He smirked at Luka over his left shoulder. Before he started his demonstration he double checked his own working, making absolutely damn sure that this was safe. He then while seated, twirled the joined hilts rapidly between his hands so fast that they blurred to the naked eye, the emitters never once crossing his own bodies path or Dalon’s. He then stopped and the hilt was level in his right hand both emitters facing out and way from both of them.
“Now, you’re not quite going to be able to do that but try spinning it slowly putting one hand over the other.”
He carefully handed Dalon the weapon and guided his hands in the most basic spinning motion, one hand over another slowly, something even a non-sensy kid could master. He was careful not to to remove his hands too far as he knew the weapon while balanced, did pose a bit of a risk of bashing Dalon in the forehead if it was a bit heavy for him.
“Very good Dalon, don’t go too much faster. You’d need a lightsaber your own size to keep up with me, spin this too fast and you’re going to hurt yourself.”
Dalon smiled and after several moments of twirling fun he gave the lightsaber back to Adrian who disconnected the two hilts and clipped them to his belt. There was no reason to put the power supplies and crystals back in yet, he had Luka here who was still fully armed and it just wasn’t a priority at the moment. He smiled at Dalon who quickly embraced Adrian in a hug. Adrian smiled back and patted the young boy lightly on his back, this was certainly not helping his inner confusion at the moment, but it was okay. He was sure of it.
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Luka Balmore
- Posts: 82
- Joined: Wed Apr 29, 2020 2:24 pm
Re: What Could've Been
The lunch had been great, Luka had been surprised when Adrian had agreed to tea, he wasn’t exactly complaining though. The truth was he thought Adrian would consider tea to be a sissy drink or something of the sort and it would lower his impression of Luka altogether. However the point of honest fact was that this was a Sephi household and Sephi’s preferred tea, at least all the ones he had ever met including himself. So when that delicious warm herbal liquid delighted his taste buds and soothed his throat with it’s nutritious goodness, he was quite pleased. He had been watching Adrian throughout the course of the day and he had been quite pleased with what he saw. Adrian had taken to all of his siblings, especially Dalon who just seemed to be happy to be around another guy having been vastly outnumbered before. If Luka was being completely honest with himself he would admit that Adrian was indeed a bit more of a guy’s guy than Luka was. Luka had a naturally soft expression, he was a healer, and was just overall more of a gentle soul and Adrian…well Adrian was really none of those things. Minus the Sith thing, Adrian was clearly the type of guy that was a bit rough around the edges and would clearly be up for a bit of rough housing if the situation called for it….his arm throbbed lightly from where Adrian had it it earlier….clearly he was fine with rough housing.
Luka smirked at his older brother as he was playing speeders with Dalon on the floor, what a game that little guy had come up with, the rules seemed only to be that Dalon’s speeder always won…even though no one seemed to know what was actually involved in winning. Meanwhile he was sitting there with Franchesca on one knee and Assana cuddled up to him on his other side regaling them with tales of the temple and what exactly it was that he did on a daily basis. It was mostly medical healer stuff, he steered clear of anything violent or graphic that would occasionally happen. No need to tell them about a sucking chest wound or severed artery that showered him in blood, only the good things. That was how Luka preferred to look at life anyway, to recognize that the bad does indeed happen, but to focus on the good and move forward leaving the bad behind and learning from it if necessary.
It was then he heard Dalon ask in just about the cutest little kid voice imaginable if he could see Adrian’s lightsaber. Luka’s level of alertness jumped up about five notches at that question and his eyes much like Adrian’s had darted between Adrian and his mother. He was not sure he liked the idea of his younger brother touching a Sith lightsaber, moreover seeing a red blade, that would require a lot of explaining to do on his part about who Adrian was and what the red blade meant. Moreover, yes Dalon had seen and held Luka’s lightsaber before, but Luka was….there and the safety lockout was armed, so the worst thing Dalon could do is bash himself with it and Luka was right there, he could heal that in a second. Adrian’s weapons however were Sith, he doubted there was even a safety lockout built in, moreover they were inherently dark. He listened to Adrian warn his brother about going to the other side of the room and not turning it on. That was pragmatic…good. Then what was he doing? Luka watched in amazement as Adrian pulled the power cell….and the crystal….whoa. Then he repeated it with the other weapon and all Luka could do was smile, it wasn’t a functioning lightsaber now, neither of them were. This was absolutely astonishing, the Sith had just disarmed himself completely in front of a Jedi, the amount of trust that showed in Luka was definitely something. He watched as Dalon played, but he kept more of an eye on Adrian, not fearful or anything, but more in amazement at the maturity level and level of care Adrian was displaying to ensure no harm would come to Dalon. This solidified in his mind the entire visit, there had definitely been risk in bringing Adrian here and he had considered the risk to be rather lower, but this….this demonstration……maybe the risk was just completely non-existent.
Luka. He heard the voice in his head, reminding him stay vigilant, he could trust him but he was still technically a Sith. This was good, he couldn’t let his guard completely vanish even if the risk was now so low it was completely negligible. He saw Adrian click the sabers together and rolled his eyes, a double bladed weapon was intrinsically Dark Sided, at least that was what some Jedi taught…this coupled with the smirk Adrian offered him confirmed this theory. No matter, Dalon was not a Jedi, nor was he sensitive so it didn’t really matter as Adrian showed him what he could do. Wow Adrian was fast, the thought that it came from years of experience was a sobering one to Luka. He watched Adrian teach Dalon all the moves that he could and smiled, then Dalon returned the weapon and hugged him….wow, he thought. What was even more astonishing was that Adrian did not bother re-assembling his weapons….what did that even mean? Luka thought to himself for a long moment. His concentration was broken by his mother’s rise from her seat, she had been chatting on and off with both of them all day.
”Well boys, as much as I’d like you both to stay don’t you have a time you’re supposed to be getting back?“
She said almost sadly even if she did feel it was her duty to remind them so neither of them got in too much trouble.
Luka smirked and looked at his watch which doubled as a commlink.
“Unfortunately yes we do.”
The children collectively groaned Luka kissed both of his sisters on the forehead, hugged them both and stood up.
“Sorry guys, but we aren’t leaving forever, we’ll be back.”
Dalon latched onto Adrian’s shoulder and was with him when he stood up too.
“Dalon, I think you better let go of Adrian so he doesn’t get in trouble and then we can both come back to visit you sooner.”
Luka smiled at his younger brother who had given him next to no attention this day, but it didn’t bother him in the least bit. He ruffled his hair a bit, hugged his mother and made his way to the door. Dalon finally allowing Adrian to give him one last hug and set him down.
Elisse hugged Adrian and Luka both and met their gaze.
”Luka you need to stop by and see us more. Adrian, you are welcome here anytime and I mean that, Dalon seems to really love you and he’d love to see more of you.”
Luka smiled
“I’ll try, I’m a Jedi Doctor basically, I don’t have a ton of free time, but I’ll try…and I’ll drag him with me if everyone wants.”
With that they walked out the door waved and said the last of their goodbyes. As they started walking down the street, Luka noticed Adrian fumbling with his lightsabers a bit, reactivating them no doubt, that was prudent. He then stopped when they got around the corner and looked at his older brother.
“Adrian…..you didn’t have to tell them you were a Jedi, I didn’t want you to feel like you had to lie, I’m sorry if you did…..I…..really liked how you and Dalon got along, I don’t want to force it, but will you come with me next time too? They really loved you, all of them did, especially Dalon.”
Luka noticed Adrian had not turned to meet his gaze yet and he gently placed a hand on his left shoulder.
Luka smirked at his older brother as he was playing speeders with Dalon on the floor, what a game that little guy had come up with, the rules seemed only to be that Dalon’s speeder always won…even though no one seemed to know what was actually involved in winning. Meanwhile he was sitting there with Franchesca on one knee and Assana cuddled up to him on his other side regaling them with tales of the temple and what exactly it was that he did on a daily basis. It was mostly medical healer stuff, he steered clear of anything violent or graphic that would occasionally happen. No need to tell them about a sucking chest wound or severed artery that showered him in blood, only the good things. That was how Luka preferred to look at life anyway, to recognize that the bad does indeed happen, but to focus on the good and move forward leaving the bad behind and learning from it if necessary.
It was then he heard Dalon ask in just about the cutest little kid voice imaginable if he could see Adrian’s lightsaber. Luka’s level of alertness jumped up about five notches at that question and his eyes much like Adrian’s had darted between Adrian and his mother. He was not sure he liked the idea of his younger brother touching a Sith lightsaber, moreover seeing a red blade, that would require a lot of explaining to do on his part about who Adrian was and what the red blade meant. Moreover, yes Dalon had seen and held Luka’s lightsaber before, but Luka was….there and the safety lockout was armed, so the worst thing Dalon could do is bash himself with it and Luka was right there, he could heal that in a second. Adrian’s weapons however were Sith, he doubted there was even a safety lockout built in, moreover they were inherently dark. He listened to Adrian warn his brother about going to the other side of the room and not turning it on. That was pragmatic…good. Then what was he doing? Luka watched in amazement as Adrian pulled the power cell….and the crystal….whoa. Then he repeated it with the other weapon and all Luka could do was smile, it wasn’t a functioning lightsaber now, neither of them were. This was absolutely astonishing, the Sith had just disarmed himself completely in front of a Jedi, the amount of trust that showed in Luka was definitely something. He watched as Dalon played, but he kept more of an eye on Adrian, not fearful or anything, but more in amazement at the maturity level and level of care Adrian was displaying to ensure no harm would come to Dalon. This solidified in his mind the entire visit, there had definitely been risk in bringing Adrian here and he had considered the risk to be rather lower, but this….this demonstration……maybe the risk was just completely non-existent.
Luka. He heard the voice in his head, reminding him stay vigilant, he could trust him but he was still technically a Sith. This was good, he couldn’t let his guard completely vanish even if the risk was now so low it was completely negligible. He saw Adrian click the sabers together and rolled his eyes, a double bladed weapon was intrinsically Dark Sided, at least that was what some Jedi taught…this coupled with the smirk Adrian offered him confirmed this theory. No matter, Dalon was not a Jedi, nor was he sensitive so it didn’t really matter as Adrian showed him what he could do. Wow Adrian was fast, the thought that it came from years of experience was a sobering one to Luka. He watched Adrian teach Dalon all the moves that he could and smiled, then Dalon returned the weapon and hugged him….wow, he thought. What was even more astonishing was that Adrian did not bother re-assembling his weapons….what did that even mean? Luka thought to himself for a long moment. His concentration was broken by his mother’s rise from her seat, she had been chatting on and off with both of them all day.
”Well boys, as much as I’d like you both to stay don’t you have a time you’re supposed to be getting back?“
She said almost sadly even if she did feel it was her duty to remind them so neither of them got in too much trouble.
Luka smirked and looked at his watch which doubled as a commlink.
“Unfortunately yes we do.”
The children collectively groaned Luka kissed both of his sisters on the forehead, hugged them both and stood up.
“Sorry guys, but we aren’t leaving forever, we’ll be back.”
Dalon latched onto Adrian’s shoulder and was with him when he stood up too.
“Dalon, I think you better let go of Adrian so he doesn’t get in trouble and then we can both come back to visit you sooner.”
Luka smiled at his younger brother who had given him next to no attention this day, but it didn’t bother him in the least bit. He ruffled his hair a bit, hugged his mother and made his way to the door. Dalon finally allowing Adrian to give him one last hug and set him down.
Elisse hugged Adrian and Luka both and met their gaze.
”Luka you need to stop by and see us more. Adrian, you are welcome here anytime and I mean that, Dalon seems to really love you and he’d love to see more of you.”
Luka smiled
“I’ll try, I’m a Jedi Doctor basically, I don’t have a ton of free time, but I’ll try…and I’ll drag him with me if everyone wants.”
With that they walked out the door waved and said the last of their goodbyes. As they started walking down the street, Luka noticed Adrian fumbling with his lightsabers a bit, reactivating them no doubt, that was prudent. He then stopped when they got around the corner and looked at his older brother.
“Adrian…..you didn’t have to tell them you were a Jedi, I didn’t want you to feel like you had to lie, I’m sorry if you did…..I…..really liked how you and Dalon got along, I don’t want to force it, but will you come with me next time too? They really loved you, all of them did, especially Dalon.”
Luka noticed Adrian had not turned to meet his gaze yet and he gently placed a hand on his left shoulder.
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Adrian Lynd
- Posts: 71
- Joined: Sat Jul 04, 2020 9:46 am
Re: What Could've Been
The day had been a blur in the young Sith’s mind. First he was meeting Luka for their weekly thing, then he was all of the sudden cast into an unfamiliar environment, greeting and hugging strangers and breaking bread with them. Then he was the fascination of young boy whom he could only describe as bright and optimistic, words that existed and he knew of sure, but words that he never really had any purpose for using. Dalon was good. Luka’s family was good. They were everything to each other and it was quite clearly true how much they all cared for each other and how much Luka meant to them. He thought about that for a long moment because as quickly as the day started it had ended with hugs and warm feelings all around, including his own. He grit is teeth as he walked down the street with Luka. He was a mix of emotions and as he put his lightsabers back together it was clear that his heart was not exactly in it at the moment. His right one was fully assembled and functional he clicked it to his belt and then as Luka spoke he did not bother with the left one and let his hands fall by his side. He heard his words, he didn’t have to lie and he knew that…but you can’t just tell a nice family like that, that you are a Sith who has killed countless people, maimed countless more and yes even tortured some. It just was not something you said in company like that and the thing is, normally he never would have cared, but he was trying so damn heard to not embarrass Luka that for the first time in his life he really questioned who he was and it was a feeling that would not go away.
He felt his brother’s arm on his back, his brother, the kriffing Ji’dai….the Jedi healer the one whom he was supposed to hate or turn….yet the hand of a Jedi was on his back and he did not flinch, he did not move to stab him with a knife or a lightsaber he just stood there as tears started to form in his eyes. He scrunched his eyes and made them go away and turned his head to Luka, his blue eyes meeting the blue eyes of his brother. What was happening?
“I know….I just didn’t want to be the…I don't know. I wish I had a family like yours."
He snorted to try to clear his throat from that cracking sensation you get when you’re about to burst into tears. He swallowed hard.
“Luka…you know, no one has ever loved me before.”
He paused recognizing the truth of the his words.
“I mean kriffing hell man….he….he loves me and so does your mom and your sisters….I…I just….I don’t damn well deserve to be loved. I’m a f*cking Sith, I’m vicious, I’m a murderer and I’m………the bad guy. I….how can they kriffing love me? How can anyone love me?”
He choked back tears as he stared into Luka’s eyes.
“I mean, Dalon looks up to me, and I kriffing know he’s a non-sensy kid, but….I….I don’t want him being like me, he’s too good. He’s like you and Alex, he can’t do what I do….he can’t idolize me. My whole life has been about being, better, stronger, meaner, darker, and more powerful than the next Sith and now….now it just…..it seems….pointless….and I’ve been feeling this way for months.”
He stopped, knowing Luka would know just when to start speaking he had to regain his composure and he had to say the thought that had been lurking in his mind for months, the thought that had been building up and growing the more time he spent around Luka. Now it was at a head and trying to find a way out.
“I….I don’t know if I can be a Sith anymore Luka….”
There it was, the thought that had cost him countless nights sleep over the last several months, the thought that was tearing away at his soul and it was true. He had severed ties with the Sith in the last six months almost entirely, never renouncing them but wanting to do his own thing and instead of really doing his own thing, day by day, he stopped training, he stopped meditating on his anger and hatred and he had almost stopped being Sith especially in the last two weeks. He still had embraced the darkness, but it was all a show, he had to keep up appearances, for Luka….he couldn’t…..become weak, because Luka was a Jedi and weakness…..he could be arrested.
He felt his brother’s arm on his back, his brother, the kriffing Ji’dai….the Jedi healer the one whom he was supposed to hate or turn….yet the hand of a Jedi was on his back and he did not flinch, he did not move to stab him with a knife or a lightsaber he just stood there as tears started to form in his eyes. He scrunched his eyes and made them go away and turned his head to Luka, his blue eyes meeting the blue eyes of his brother. What was happening?
“I know….I just didn’t want to be the…I don't know. I wish I had a family like yours."
He snorted to try to clear his throat from that cracking sensation you get when you’re about to burst into tears. He swallowed hard.
“Luka…you know, no one has ever loved me before.”
He paused recognizing the truth of the his words.
“I mean kriffing hell man….he….he loves me and so does your mom and your sisters….I…I just….I don’t damn well deserve to be loved. I’m a f*cking Sith, I’m vicious, I’m a murderer and I’m………the bad guy. I….how can they kriffing love me? How can anyone love me?”
He choked back tears as he stared into Luka’s eyes.
“I mean, Dalon looks up to me, and I kriffing know he’s a non-sensy kid, but….I….I don’t want him being like me, he’s too good. He’s like you and Alex, he can’t do what I do….he can’t idolize me. My whole life has been about being, better, stronger, meaner, darker, and more powerful than the next Sith and now….now it just…..it seems….pointless….and I’ve been feeling this way for months.”
He stopped, knowing Luka would know just when to start speaking he had to regain his composure and he had to say the thought that had been lurking in his mind for months, the thought that had been building up and growing the more time he spent around Luka. Now it was at a head and trying to find a way out.
“I….I don’t know if I can be a Sith anymore Luka….”
There it was, the thought that had cost him countless nights sleep over the last several months, the thought that was tearing away at his soul and it was true. He had severed ties with the Sith in the last six months almost entirely, never renouncing them but wanting to do his own thing and instead of really doing his own thing, day by day, he stopped training, he stopped meditating on his anger and hatred and he had almost stopped being Sith especially in the last two weeks. He still had embraced the darkness, but it was all a show, he had to keep up appearances, for Luka….he couldn’t…..become weak, because Luka was a Jedi and weakness…..he could be arrested.
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Luka Balmore
- Posts: 82
- Joined: Wed Apr 29, 2020 2:24 pm
Re: What Could've Been
Luka stopped dead in his tracks, the lightheartedness of the day faded as Adrian spoke. He could feel the swell of different emotions swarming through his older brother like a storm gaining power. This was dangerous, he trusted Adrian as much as he could, more than a Jedi ever should trust a Sith, but Adrian was his brother and had demonstrated a substantial amount of grace towards family. The danger was which way this storm was going to turn, was it going to head towards shore and dissipate upon arrival? Or was it going to go out to sea, gain more strength and then strike with vengeance. Luka had to think before he spoke, there was so much at stake here, was he happy to hear the words coming out of Adrian’s mouth? Of course he was, he was overjoyed, but conveying that could push Adrian in the opposite direction, Jedi were his enemy and had been his whole life, that’s what he had been trained to believe and point of fact the Jedi were the enemy of the Sith, so it wasn’t exactly a lie. The reasoning depended on your point of view he supposed, but he was fairly sure that there was definitely a good and bad going on here and despite a fair amount of bias on the subject, he could pretty much objectively say that the side that did not kill it’s weaker students without mercy was probably not the bad side. His blue eyes studied his brother for a long moment, his normally warm expression faded and was replaced by a calm and somewhat stoic expression, he crossed his arms in front of him his hands disappearing into the sleeves of his robes.
“Adrian.”
He took a deep breath and planned his words carefully.
“I’ve always loved you my brother. You are a part of my family, so point of fact you do have a family like mine because they are yours. I trust you Adrian Lynd and I love you, so much so that I brought a Sith into the home of my defenseless non-sensitive family because they are your family too.“
He paused for a brief moment.
“I know full well what Sith are capable of, without casting any judgement on you and what you have done and what you may or may not have done, I assume that you’ve killed Jedi, that lightsaber wound I fixed on your arm was put there by a Jedi who has moved on to become one with the Force, I have always assumed that. I could’ve hated you for that, I could’ve fought you over it, you probably would’ve won. But what would have been the point of all that? We both would’ve lost a brother forever and whomever survived would’ve been forever wounded by the experience. What we have now is good.”
He moved forward and placed his right hand on Adrian’s shoulder.
“Dalon loves Adrian Lynd, he loves the Adrian Lynd you showed him. The kind and compassionate young man that you’ve always been. You say you don’t think you can be a Sith anymore and the Jedi in me is jumping up and down for joy, but as your brother I look at you and I have a duty to not manipulate you into doing something you might not want to do.”
Luka lied with perfect sincerity, he of course was subtly manipulating Adrian, he had been doing so for near two years now, but sometimes the ends justified the means.
“You’ve been a Sith your whole life, it’s part of your identity. Can you really give that up? I’m not going to push you one way or another, I’m a Jedi so you obviously know what I would prefer here, but what I prefer here cannot be what drives you down a path you might not want to go down.”
He took his hand and placed it over Adrian’s chest.
“This must be what dictates your course of action Adrian, what’s in here, your passion. If you want to be a Sith, I recommend killing me now because I’m clearly the chains that must be broken for you to obtain ultimate power. Kill me and nothing will be holding you back from being the best Sith you can be.“
Luka removed his hand from his brother’s chest and let it fall naturally by his side. He did not take a step back, he did not prepare for battle in any noticeable way, he felt that what he said was the right thing to say and it would likely push Adrian down the correct path. He quietly hoped the correct path would be the path of good renouncing the Sith and all that they stood for, but he was well aware that Adrian could choose the other path….
“Adrian.”
He took a deep breath and planned his words carefully.
“I’ve always loved you my brother. You are a part of my family, so point of fact you do have a family like mine because they are yours. I trust you Adrian Lynd and I love you, so much so that I brought a Sith into the home of my defenseless non-sensitive family because they are your family too.“
He paused for a brief moment.
“I know full well what Sith are capable of, without casting any judgement on you and what you have done and what you may or may not have done, I assume that you’ve killed Jedi, that lightsaber wound I fixed on your arm was put there by a Jedi who has moved on to become one with the Force, I have always assumed that. I could’ve hated you for that, I could’ve fought you over it, you probably would’ve won. But what would have been the point of all that? We both would’ve lost a brother forever and whomever survived would’ve been forever wounded by the experience. What we have now is good.”
He moved forward and placed his right hand on Adrian’s shoulder.
“Dalon loves Adrian Lynd, he loves the Adrian Lynd you showed him. The kind and compassionate young man that you’ve always been. You say you don’t think you can be a Sith anymore and the Jedi in me is jumping up and down for joy, but as your brother I look at you and I have a duty to not manipulate you into doing something you might not want to do.”
Luka lied with perfect sincerity, he of course was subtly manipulating Adrian, he had been doing so for near two years now, but sometimes the ends justified the means.
“You’ve been a Sith your whole life, it’s part of your identity. Can you really give that up? I’m not going to push you one way or another, I’m a Jedi so you obviously know what I would prefer here, but what I prefer here cannot be what drives you down a path you might not want to go down.”
He took his hand and placed it over Adrian’s chest.
“This must be what dictates your course of action Adrian, what’s in here, your passion. If you want to be a Sith, I recommend killing me now because I’m clearly the chains that must be broken for you to obtain ultimate power. Kill me and nothing will be holding you back from being the best Sith you can be.“
Luka removed his hand from his brother’s chest and let it fall naturally by his side. He did not take a step back, he did not prepare for battle in any noticeable way, he felt that what he said was the right thing to say and it would likely push Adrian down the correct path. He quietly hoped the correct path would be the path of good renouncing the Sith and all that they stood for, but he was well aware that Adrian could choose the other path….
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Adrian Lynd
- Posts: 71
- Joined: Sat Jul 04, 2020 9:46 am
Re: What Could've Been
As Adrian stood there as those last words left his mouth a storm of emotions gained strength in his core. He shook his head and felt Luka’s hand on his shoulder it was a good feeling, it was a feeling of care, trust, and brotherly love. Not many Jedi had really come this close to him in the outside universe. Sure there was Naboo, sure there was that brief time he had stayed at the Jedi Temple and then there was of course….her. In general however, no Jedi other than Luka had been this close to him both physically and emotionally and lived to tell the tale. He was a ruthless killer, he had been trained to be one since the moment he entered this world as a sentient being. He had held red lightsabers in his hands from the time he was two on, his whole life had been dedicated to the Dark Side of the force and seeking out greater power at the expense of whoever dared to get in his way. The lives he had taken were countless, he’d been killing since he was about five, at first with help from older Sith of course, but his first kill was at such a young age that it had an effect. Then again and again, he had become immune to the effect of it, killing was like using the refresher, getting a glass of water, or eating, it was just something he did that was a part of life.
Then Luka mentioned the wound in his arm and the Jedi that must have put it there, Adrian hung his head in shame. Why was he feeling shame? His eyes raised to meet the caring calm blue eyes of his younger brother. He was why, he was a Jedi and….and all he could do now was see Luka in that Guardian lying dead in the mud two years ago. It was as if the Jedi, the arch enemy of the Sith had finally been humanized when for so long they had been dehumanized in his mind and made into obstacles to be smashed through in his pursuit of power.
“Yeah….he was a Knight…He tracked me down, knew I was dealing arms…we fought, he was good, very good, the best I’d faced. He slashed my arm, put me on defense, I was sure I was going to die, but….I tricked him, I kept favoring my good arm and he thought the other was useless, so I…got him with that. He was young…older than me, but still a new Knight…Guardian Class. I…..he….it was him or me….but….I…Luka I just see you in him now whenever I think about it and I ask myself why didn’t I just walk away? I never knew his name…”
Luka’s hand on his chest… “If you want to be a Sith I recommend killing me now.“ Adrian had frozen at the thought. He couldn’t kill Luka, Luka was his brother and he loved him, Luka…had been more of a friend and brother to him than anyone else in his life and Luka…was right. He looked down at the ground in shame again, but then back into Luka’s eyes who had let his hand fall from Adrian’s chest. He was right, even down to his comparison to the Sith code, which did surprise Adrian a bit. He looked at his younger brother and the temptation did present itself. What was one more life after all? He had taken so many and what made this one any different? His upper lip curled a bit and anger began to swell in his system for a minute. Had Luka been orchestrating this whole thing?! NO! He couldn’t have been, not for this long, of course he’d rather not see Adrian as a Sith but he had always been understanding and he had just said as much…’Beware of the treachery of the Jedi’ teachings echoed through his mind. He scrunched his eyes and quickly grabbed his lightsaber, it’s familiar hilt feeling comfortable in his hand that moved so quickly it would take anyone a moment to react. His lightning reflexes had been honed since birth, his killer instinct coming to full power. His thumb caressed the ignition and then he felt something. An absence of warmth he had grown accustomed to in the last two years, the absence of his brother from his heart. It was devastating….and it only took a fraction of a fraction of a second to feel it, his mind raced and saw images of Dalon, how crushed he’d be if Adrian betrayed Luka….how destroyed that innocent child would be and his mother and sisters….they didn’t deserve that….He cast his lightsaber down onto the ground harmlessly and then through his arms around Luka tightly collapsing into the younger teen’s shoulder. For the first time in his life, he had been defeated, but it didn’t feel like had lost anything. Tears flowed freely soaking the younger Jedi’s shoulder, his legs were like rubber and Luka was now supporting his full body weight.
“I…I can’t….I…..I can’t be a Sith anymore…..I’m not a Sith….I can’t kill you, I never could……you’re my brother and I love you Luka. I can’t….I’m sorry…..I’m so sorry Luka….I’ve been a terrible person…….I…..I’m sorry….”
He tried to stop, but he couldn’t, all of it was true and he knew it was. He felt a weight lifting off his chest, his anger and hatred drifted away, replaced only by guilt and regret over a wicked life that had taken so many son’s and daughters from loving mothers. So much pain he had inflicted on so many people and he just….he just couldn’t do it anymore. It was all wrong and for the first time in his life he was admitting it to himself….
“Take….me…..take me to the temple Luka, I’ll turn myself in……”
He took a deep breath and snorted.
“They’ll….execute me won’t they? That’s what I deserve….”
Then Luka mentioned the wound in his arm and the Jedi that must have put it there, Adrian hung his head in shame. Why was he feeling shame? His eyes raised to meet the caring calm blue eyes of his younger brother. He was why, he was a Jedi and….and all he could do now was see Luka in that Guardian lying dead in the mud two years ago. It was as if the Jedi, the arch enemy of the Sith had finally been humanized when for so long they had been dehumanized in his mind and made into obstacles to be smashed through in his pursuit of power.
“Yeah….he was a Knight…He tracked me down, knew I was dealing arms…we fought, he was good, very good, the best I’d faced. He slashed my arm, put me on defense, I was sure I was going to die, but….I tricked him, I kept favoring my good arm and he thought the other was useless, so I…got him with that. He was young…older than me, but still a new Knight…Guardian Class. I…..he….it was him or me….but….I…Luka I just see you in him now whenever I think about it and I ask myself why didn’t I just walk away? I never knew his name…”
Luka’s hand on his chest… “If you want to be a Sith I recommend killing me now.“ Adrian had frozen at the thought. He couldn’t kill Luka, Luka was his brother and he loved him, Luka…had been more of a friend and brother to him than anyone else in his life and Luka…was right. He looked down at the ground in shame again, but then back into Luka’s eyes who had let his hand fall from Adrian’s chest. He was right, even down to his comparison to the Sith code, which did surprise Adrian a bit. He looked at his younger brother and the temptation did present itself. What was one more life after all? He had taken so many and what made this one any different? His upper lip curled a bit and anger began to swell in his system for a minute. Had Luka been orchestrating this whole thing?! NO! He couldn’t have been, not for this long, of course he’d rather not see Adrian as a Sith but he had always been understanding and he had just said as much…’Beware of the treachery of the Jedi’ teachings echoed through his mind. He scrunched his eyes and quickly grabbed his lightsaber, it’s familiar hilt feeling comfortable in his hand that moved so quickly it would take anyone a moment to react. His lightning reflexes had been honed since birth, his killer instinct coming to full power. His thumb caressed the ignition and then he felt something. An absence of warmth he had grown accustomed to in the last two years, the absence of his brother from his heart. It was devastating….and it only took a fraction of a fraction of a second to feel it, his mind raced and saw images of Dalon, how crushed he’d be if Adrian betrayed Luka….how destroyed that innocent child would be and his mother and sisters….they didn’t deserve that….He cast his lightsaber down onto the ground harmlessly and then through his arms around Luka tightly collapsing into the younger teen’s shoulder. For the first time in his life, he had been defeated, but it didn’t feel like had lost anything. Tears flowed freely soaking the younger Jedi’s shoulder, his legs were like rubber and Luka was now supporting his full body weight.
“I…I can’t….I…..I can’t be a Sith anymore…..I’m not a Sith….I can’t kill you, I never could……you’re my brother and I love you Luka. I can’t….I’m sorry…..I’m so sorry Luka….I’ve been a terrible person…….I…..I’m sorry….”
He tried to stop, but he couldn’t, all of it was true and he knew it was. He felt a weight lifting off his chest, his anger and hatred drifted away, replaced only by guilt and regret over a wicked life that had taken so many son’s and daughters from loving mothers. So much pain he had inflicted on so many people and he just….he just couldn’t do it anymore. It was all wrong and for the first time in his life he was admitting it to himself….
“Take….me…..take me to the temple Luka, I’ll turn myself in……”
He took a deep breath and snorted.
“They’ll….execute me won’t they? That’s what I deserve….”