remembrance

an old friend

Spoiler Warning for Episode Three of Obi-Wan Kenobi!!

They surround Alora... the whispers of the old and the new. The Force signature that was riddled through the space was tangible. It was as if she could see the people who had been there.

Her fingers trace the carvings on the wall that had been left by past visitors, smiling softly at an engraving of a symbol in the wood. So familiar and yet so haunting.

A winged crest that connected to a weapon of light. Light. The one thing that she was supposed to be in this galaxy - a light for the galaxy shrouded in darkness - and it was all that she was trying to be. Alora strived for it in hopes that it would drown out the pain that nags at her soul. To push away the things she'd seen.

It was selfish, she knew that. But she didn't know how else to keep from drowning in it all. The balance of light and dark.

Sometimes it was all too much. Too much to think about, to enact. Shoving away the darkness took strength - strength that Alora wasn't sure that she had anymore. But it didn't matter if she had that strength. This was bigger than her now. She needed to fight for them - the men, women, and children that had hidden in this room. That had run and hid from the Empire. All with Alora guarding them as they ran to the rendezvous point.

Another child was going to be here soon. Tala had told her that. Her voice is what snapped Alora out of her daze and redirected her attention to the comlink.

"Lor, we'll be there soon." Her voice was hushed and the bustling of the street can be heard in the background.

"Copy that," Alora mutters back, tracing the symbol one last time before standing with a pause.

There was a familiar presence nearby; whether it was Tala or someone else, she didn't know. But she brushed off the sensation and prepared herself for their arrival. A child, especially a scared one, cannot see her like this. Alora is supposed to soothe the children, not make them more nervous, and being conflicted about the past won't exactly bring them comfort.

Removing her cloak and folding it over her arm, Alora waits patiently as the presence draws closer. It's friendly, as far as she can tell. Confused, angry, sad, and scared. A dangerous mixture of emotions but not one unknown to the young Jedi. If anything, it only saddened her more. No one should experience such torment of emotion. She had experienced it before, but she wouldn't wish that on anyone... not even her worst enemy.

Alora could only hope to subdue those emotions for a short while, as she was deemed the emotional crutch in this part of the extraction by her colleagues. Ari often called her a superhero, even though she felt he was wrong. She often felt like she was going to others for support rather than providing it. She didn't feel like a hero. She felt like a weapon. It was all that she knew how to be. She was a weapon, that was a fact. Whether it was for the Empire or for the survivors - that was the choice she had to make. Either that or be the scared child that she'd been years ago. The child that had been locked away and abused. The child that had wanted to die.

Alora tenses at the sound of the door to the building open and she sat quietly in the hidden room. Hushed voices filter through the walls as Tala walks over to the secret door, opening it to usher her companions inside.

A young girl, maybe nine or ten years old steps into the room, looking around in awe. Guilt lances through Alora when the girl startles at the sight of her, not realizing that there was someone already waiting in the room.

"Oh, hi. Sorry!" Alora chuckles, raising a hand in greeting. "Sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you. I promise I won't bring you harm."

The girl squints at Alora, trying to figure out if she's being truthful or not. It doesn't take her long to make a decision. "Okay!" The girl smiles, walking over to the Jedi confidently and extending her hand to her. "Hi! I'm Leia!"