[open] Could've followed my fears all the way down;

[provenforce]

Who: Rey and you
When: throughout December
Where: Cadens, Nocwich, Horizon
What: catch-all
Warnings: will be added if needed


I've been having a hard time adjusting
I had the shiniest wheels, now they're rusting
I didn't know if you'd care if I came back
I have a lot of regrets about that

Comments

it's all good!

[thepath]

[ In case she'd notice, he has his own lightsaber—a long, silver double-ended one—clipped to his belt, pendant against his hip. Even in the Horizon, he still isn't dressed like a Jedi at all—except for that lightsaber. ]

Tell me about it.

[ His tone might be light and breezy, but he really means it. He spent five years on Bracca, all but cut off from the Force, not daring to even touch his lightsaber, let alone practice with it. Rusty doesn't even begin to cover it. He thought he was going to die.

He turns his attention to the cluster of droids next, his expression brightening. ]

Who do we have here? [ First things first, he wants introductions to all the droids! ]

[provenforce]

[ She absolutely notices his saber, and she'd ask about the double blade, having dreamed of such a weapon herself but never getting to build it, but the droids have finished introducing themselves to each other and when Cal calls attention to them BB-8 is the first to roll forward, beeping happily in introduction.

Rey laughs, gesturing to him. ]

Well, like he said, this is BB-8. The little one-wheeled droid is D-0, he's shy, and the old man is R2-D2 [ referring to R2 as old gets an offended warble, but Rey just smiles. ] I'm sorry, are you not old enough to remember the entire span of the Empire's reign and the New Republic's?

[ The silence really speaks for itself, here. Turning to look at Cal her eyebrows furrow briefly as she considers R2's history, before she asks ]

R2 used to belong to Anakin Skywalker. Did you know him?

[thepath]

[ Cal is fully fluent in Binary, so the offended warble draws an amused smile out of him before Rey even answers. Artoo is a feisty one, isn't he? (Yes, yes he is.) ]

Hello, everyone. This is BD-1.

[ That second part is directed towards Rey, since Beedee has already introduced himself to the other droids. Now, Beedee approaches her, trilling a friendly greeting from his position at her feet. It's okay, you can pet him. He loves pets. ]

Yeah, a little. He was here for a while. And I met him, once, when I was a Padawan. During the war.

[ Back then, he was just a little ginger kid in awe of the famed Anakin Skywalker—because he was a legend during the Clone War. The Hero Without Fear. Here in Abraxas, their acquaintance was a little more... contentious. ]

[provenforce]

[ It's a good thing Beedee likes being pet because Rey loves petting droids. She crouches down, reaching out to gently run her fingers over his head, careful of his antenna. ]

Hello BD-1, it's a pleasure to meet you.

[ And she absolutely means that. When Cal mentions Anakin had been here she nods her head. ]

I met him while he was here, too. Spent a bit of time with him. He's... a lot.

[ And yet, she was sad he hadn't been here when she'd reached out into the Force to see. She had known Ben wasn't still here, the empty place where their bond had once lain a raw wound, but Anakin would have at least been a part of that. ]

I ended up with R2 because of his daughter. He's changed hands quite a few times in his life.

[thepath]

[ BD-1 is loving the pets, beeping happily and wiggling his little chassis like a dog wagging its tail. Cal, on the other hand, looks surprised—taken aback, really—when she mentions Anakin's daughter. ]

His daughter?

[ Hoo boy, Anakin didn't tell him about that. Looking back, it makes a lot more sense why Anakin had been so critical of the Order—they would have kicked him out for breaking one of their most fundamental rules, having a child.

Not that he hadn't had legitimate criticisms—Cal has to give him that. But still. ]

He didn't tell me about her.

[provenforce]

[ Pressing her lips together, Rey nods her head. ]

I'm not surprised. He only knew about her because I told him.

[ She gives BD another gentle scratch before straightening up and looking at Cal, resting her hands on her hips. ]

She was my master. Her and her brother, they trained me. But Anakin didn't raise them, they didn't meet him until they were both adults.

[thepath]

[ Cal frowns thoughtfully, trying to work out this family dynamic. Children Anakin didn't raise or even know he had, who eventually became Jedi themselves and trained Rey?

...You know what, maybe it's better he doesn't know the details. Besides, it's not really any of his business whatever Anakin was up to, especially since the Order's rules don't even matter anymore. Cal is just glad to hear that there are... some Jedi left, in Rey's time. ]

Sounds... complicated.

[ To say the least. Moving on, he adds curiously: ] What was your training like?