A Narrow Shading

[Min Sarran]

What life really came down to, in the end, was a good pair of shorts. It all depended on the material really; cotton was too heavy and liked to cling to ones skin at the faintest hint of rain. The fine weave of silk was nice and cool to the touch, but far too refined and delicate for everyday wear (besides being spectacularly feminine). Now nylon--ah, nylon--was a veritable prince among fibers. It neither clutched nor hung lifelessly on the draw of a body's form. It was pleasantly slick against sun-kissed epidermis, and it dried so quickly when wetted that one could be fooled in a minute to believe they'd been traipsing through a desert.

He had lovely nylon shorts. With a small, delighted grunt, Patani Sarran heaved his dripping self out of the starling-blue pool. Standing on the rocky edge, the boy crossed his arms over his chest to ward off the goosebumps which suddenly plauged his vulnerable flesh. The gardens were always a welcome reprieve after a long day, and they were never better than when spent with his good friend and fellow student.

With a chattering sigh of pleasure, Patani dropped to loll beside the girl, his pale face grinning under a head of jet black hair which, despite the neatly cropped cut, managed to look scandalously untoward. "I'm feeling very nautical, t'day." the boy stated with an air of sobriety that was lost in the mirth of the hour. "In fact, I don't think I shall ever leave again. I'll stay here forever." He picked at a scabbing scrape on his ankle before standing again to mount a stone overhang, which served as a makeshift diving board. Turning very blue eyes at his companion, he bent his knees in a stretch. "Watch this!" he crowed, before diving headlong into the clear water and flailing fiercly until he touched the bottom. He lingered there, on the sandy plant-embellished floor, his body seemingly distorted from above. A small hand reached out for something, and then he was kicking hard against the yielding sand, hurtling upwards to suck in a huge breath.

Patani laughed, squinting his eyes against the water which streamed down his forehead. He waggled his eyebrows at his friend, and then in a gesture which bespoke their closeness, chucked a slimy length of reed at her. "Present for you." Then, with a maniacle chuckle, the boy swam as fast as he could in the opposite direction. She'd always had a mind for justice, his companion; in another life, another form, perhaps it would have been called a passion for revenge.

[Trilby Benedetta]

Her childish face formed a scowl as she threw the reed at her friend who was quickly retreating. She pulled off her outer robe and jumped in, clothes and all, after him.

Patani soon felt two small hands grab his shoulders and promptly push him under. Trilby Benedetta laughed as she let go, treading water beside him. Her own hair was cut in a short bob, a single braid tucked delicately behind one ear. Her brown eyes blinked water off long lashes.

The pair had met here after classes nearly everyday, sometimes for swimming, other times just to sit and tell stories. In the gardens, they got to play without having to worry about appearing "proper" or using, what had her Master called it? She couldn't remember, but it usually involved them having to sit still and quietly for days and days. She grinned at him as he came up for air.

"You're it! Lick it, stick it, stamp it!"

The younger girl brought her hand down hard on the water, sending a splash at her friend before diving back under the water to make her escape.

[Min Sarran]

Sputtering for breath, Patani swiped at his eyes with the back of one hand and craned his neck to see where Trilby had gone. He spotted the silver flash of skin beneath water and sucked in a breath before delving in after her. Even in the depths of the pool he coudn't keep a wide grin off his face and it only grew larger when he grabbed onto Trilby's ankle and tugged playfully. He used the pull to propel himself forward until they were head to head, and then reached out and yanked on her braid.

Before she could punch him in the nose Patani was swiftly swimming upwards, the relative safety of land high on his priority list. The boy broke the calm surface of the water and made like sixty for the rocks. He was nearly there when something brushed against his foot. Patani instinctively kicked out; his feet were notoriously ticklish. "That's cheap, Trill!" He yelled over his shoulder in a vague direction. His only reply was a sudden attack on his right arch. Patani doubled up, nearly drowned himself, and then burst into hysterics, wriggling as hard as he could to get away from the relentless torture. "Ahhh! Not fair!" His arms were splashing heartily and helplessly beside him. "Ahhhh!"

**

--eeeeeeeeeep!

Min Sarran jerked upright with a sharp breath, hand pressed against the thin white cotton of her shirt. The woman's dark hair tumbled aimlessly across her face, tangled and snarly from a night of tossing and turning. Blinking rapidly she turned to look for the source of the noise; ah, her chrono. With a sigh she flicked the alarm off and flopped back down against the billowing gray comforter which lay in a twisted heap upon the mattress.

The room smelled faintly of chemicals, proof of it's existance in the dozens of photographs which were strung up on pieces of string to dry. Black and white images of women, children, plants, crumbling buildings, an old man with no shirt fixing a speeder. The photos ruffled slightly at a breeze from her fan, whirring quietly in the corner.

Why had the alarm gone off? She never set it. Years of assignments for various galactic publications had made Min appreciate sleep when she could get it (which, generally speaking, was only when she was back on Coruscant and not on assignment; rarely). Rubbing her forehead wearily she tried to clear the groggy ache in her temples. Why had she...

Cripes. Of course. The bounty hunter.

She was supposed to meet the woman in... Min glanced at the clock. An hour. Heavily tugging herself from the bed she hastened to the 'fresher to wash her face and pull her hair back. It only took her a few minutes with the decision not to bother with makeup, and without bothering to look she pulled on her favorite heavy cable sweater and a pair of black leggings she'd heard were finally back in style; when one spent most of ones time away on alien planets, it was hard to keep up with the times.

It was the work of a few seconds to load her most loyal and battered camera and stuff it into a large canvas bag, along with a creased envelope--which was really the whole reason for all of this charade--and an extra pair of socks (she'd learned long ago that nothing was quite as bad if you had dry socks).

Checking her time--forty minutes to make it to the cafe--Min grabbed her keycard and swiftly left her apartment, locking the door on her way out.

[Trilby Benedetta]

Well-manicured nails tapped out a cheery melody on the table, a cup of french-vanilla caf resting beside it. The woman attached to these nails wore her dark hair loose around her face, and was fashionably dressed in a pair of jeans and a tank-top. Just because she hunted people for a living didn't mean she couldn't still be a girl...

Coming this far into the Core wasn't something she did often. And Coruscant would be tops on her list of "least favorite places in the galaxy". Something about this client made her come all this way. She wasn't exactly sure what the job would entail, but in 10..make that 9 minutes, she would find out.

[Min Sarran]

Her leather thongs flip-flacking on the duracrete pedwalk were a poor choice, Min realized, as her small foot was nearly trod upon by a vicious looking stilleto heel. It was fortunate that the cafe was only a few blocks more, for there was only a certain number of times one could avoid toe mutilation in one morning; Min was certain she was fast approaching her limit.

"'Scuse me." She said before shoving by a Rodian who had stopped to squack at his comm, much to the annoyance of everyone behind him. The bright red sign of the caf shop caught Min's eye and the woman found herself taking a few calming breaths before gently pushing the door open and heading to the counter.

A few whispered words with the waitress behind the counter, and a table was pointed out. Min could see the back of a head, brown hair, nearly bare shoulders. She nodded her thanks and then ordered a cup of decaf before she found the courage to stride over and sit in the seat opposite.

"Hello." Her voice was soft but firm, the one she used when preparing to persuade suspicious villagers to let her take their picture. "Thank you for agreeing to meet with me under such vague circumstances."

[Trilby Benedetta]

"Mmmm."

Min had caught Trilby mid-sip. She let a slight, happy sigh escape her lips as she set the mug back onto the table. She greeted Min with a business-like tone - friendly, but with an assertive air.

"I've had stranger requests then simply meeting in a caf to discuss business. I don't normally stray this close to the Imperial mecca, but..." Her glossed lips formed a grin. "You have piqued my curiosity. Most people who hire me don't want to have, personal consultations."

[Min Sarran]

"Really?" Min's eyebrow cocked curiously, a habit picked up from her father. "That surprises me. You must be very good indeed if people are willing to go on reputation alone." A waitress--this was one of those quaint places, not a serving droid in sight--brought over her decaf in a thin white cup. Min let her fingers settle comfortably against the warmth of the ceramic dish.

"I'm not--" Her voice faltered, stopped, and seemed to wait for an eternity before it started again. "I'm not one who usually does something like this but," Min smiled (because it was either that or bite her lip like some silly child) as she reached into the depths of her bag for the creased paper. "This is different."

She passed the envelope to Benedetta.

[Trilby Benedetta]

"Well, most of the people I do business with have lackeys who handle the dirty work for them," A slight smirk, then it was her own turn to loft a brow.

She took it gingerly, opening it carefully. Her eyes scanned it's contents, her face growing pale. Once she had finished reading, she placed it back into the envelope and slid it across the table to Min. Her expression was a mix of shock and fear - why was this woman here, bringing up this after 20 odd years.

"Where did you get this? This is a joke, right?"

[Min Sarran]

"Afraid I don't have much of a sense of humour." The joke sailed half-heartedly from her lips and died somewhere in between, settling heavily between them like some horrible noxious gas. Min settled a hand on the letter, fingers stroking a familiar crease, and tried to think of what to say next. No one ever wrote helpful little datapads about these kinds of situations, these intimate personal warzones that seemed endless and unreal and stupid all in the same breath.

How did she explain that she needed to know about the person who had meant the most to her? How did she explain that she hadn't known him at all? More importantly, how did she stop this woman from shooting her here and now, instead of dredging up the past?

Another breath was drawn. "Let me start," she said, "From the beginning.

"I am his sister. And you were his best friend."

***

"Sent it off t'day." Patani muttered as they trudged to the bench, tired and sore from sparring. Sweat glistened on the boy's brow but he didn't bother to wipe it, instead choosing to invest his remaining energy in trying to twirl his practice saber from hand to hand. The handle nearly fell, caught just in the nick of time by nimble fingers. Patani frowned. "Didn't know what to write in it, so I just said 'Hello' and stuff. I drew a picture of the Temple, too, but I couldn't get it to look 'zactly right so I drew some speeders an' cabs too, so they'd know it was Coruscant."

He'd probably have drawn speeders and cabs anyway, they both knew. It just made him feel better about the little sketch he'd sent along with the note to Naboo. He almost had the twirling down now, the saber was going from left to right less jerkily than it had been previously. Patani shrugged at Trilby. "I told them about you, too. Just so they don't think it's lonely here. Y'don't mind, do you?"

[Trilby Benedetta]

"Yeah, I guess so." Her trainer saber was tucked under her belt, something she had seen older Jedi do, sort of. She shrugged back. "At least you have people to write to."

Trilby had arrived at the Temple at age two, and could only vaguely remember anything before that. She had a single photo of her parents she kept hidden away (Patani had snuck a glance at it once, but was quickly caught and shoo'd away); she was slightly jealous of her friend. He had a mum, a dad and maybe even siblings.

***

Part of her wanted to drop this woman here and now. A single blaster shot, however, would likely bring half a dozen troopers down on her. She kept a careful gaze on Min; the letter could be a fake, but why would she fake something like this? And who would know about her time at the Temple except someone who had some connection to it? There was a long pause. The bounty hunter looked down at the table.

"That was a long time ago. I'm not that little girl anymore. "

[Min Sarran]

"You were. You knew him. You were there when..." Min reigned herself in, recognizing the line which could not be crossed yet. She sipped her cooling caf and set it down, picked it up again and drained it. She was glad she hadn't worn makeup; she had come as she needed to, naked and honest. It was a naive hope, trying to show her intentions with the shadows under her eyes and the pale wash of her skin.

Her eyes--his eyes, if you'd known him enough to notice--watched Trilby with discernment that came from years behind a lense. Shadows, lines, twitches; nothing went unnoticed and everything meant something. Min had learned to read stories in the folds of a frown, the brightness of an iris. She wasn't sure she liked the almost desperate flash which raced across Benedetta's mouth, a tight line now.

"Please, you must understand, I'm not here to get you in trouble." Her hair was frizzing slightly, catching the light and framing her face in a fuzzy halo. "I just need to know... I need to know about him."

[Trilby Benedetta]

"You sure picked one helluva place to do this..."

The thought quickly left her mind as she folded her hands on the table, partly to put the girl at ease about her shooting her, partly to stop herself from fidgeting. Memories of the past, of that time of her life, were clear as bell. As much as she tried to push passed it, there was always something to remind her of it. Now, here sat this girl, wanting to know about the one thing she'd kept hidden for so long...

Trilby studied the earnest young woman sitting across from her. She was the spitting image of Patani Sarran, her best friend during her brief life at the Temple - her eyes, especially, reminded Trilby of the little boy she had grown up with. The girl was sincere enough; and the usual feelings of a double-cross just weren't there. If worse came to worse, and this was some sort of trap, she was fairly confident she could get out of it.

A sad smile crossed her lips as she seemed to resign herself to Mins' questioning. If she could help her learn more about Patani, then she would...

"Alright. What do you want to know?"

[Min Sarran]

Everything. Everything.

Hope bloomed in her belly, arched upwards to catch hold of her throat so that Min couldn't say anything at all. She licked her lips hungrily, her mind a frantic blur as she tried to organize years of wondering into something like order.

As far back as Min Sarran could remember, she had been told of her big brother. At night, when her mother and father came to tuck her in, they would sometimes tell her about how little he had been when he was born, and how dark his hair. They spoke of how he had been a healthy baby who laughed early but walked late. They told her about the Jedi and how sad they were to let them take Patani, but that they knew it was for the best. And deep down where everything important was stored, little Min had known that her big brother was the greatest thing ever.

Then one day they got the letter. She'd been five and hadn't understood why Mommy gasped at the strangely marked paper. She'd had to wait too, until Daddy got home, before she found out that it was from her big Jedi brother, all the way on Coruscant. From then on the letter had been given a place of prominence, up on the mantle... until one day, when Mother, dressed all in black, locked it in the secret drawer of her writing desk and told Min that there had been a terrible accident, and there was no such thing as Jedi anymore. No such thing as big brothers.

How long had she waited to understand that? Min felt her heart thump rapidly against her chest, felt the gentle skin of her neck pulsing. She looked at Trilby with an expression of jealous awe; this woman had known Patani. Had been friends with him. This woman had touched him, felt him, heard him, seen him. She'd known his whole world. Min let out the breath she hadn't known was being held and then, "What was he like? Was he very serious? Or was he playful? Or..." Oh God, anything, everything, she wanted it all.

[Trilby Benedetta]

***

The sleepy eyed little girl followed shyly behind the Jedi who had brought her to the Order. She had just woken up after the long journey to Coruscant, holding the older womans' hand tightly as she was lead down a long, long hallway.

After what seemed like forever to two-year old Trilby, they finally arrived at their destination. She was told to wait in the hallway while the lady went into a room full of other grown-ups in brown robes. The door closed with a hiss, and she was left alone.

The patter of tiny feet made her raise her head, just in time to see a little boy running down the hall. he had dark hair, like her, and clothes like all the grown-ups. She waved "hello", before lowering her gaze and fidgeting with her dress.

[Min Sarran]

He was very clever, everyone said so. Whenever he managed to escape from the creche and one of the Big Ones found him they always scooped him up and said, "Very clever, little one." Patani liked it when they said that because he wasn't the fastest runner and he could never stack the blocks without them tumbling to the floor. Being clever was something and so he endeavered to prove it whenever possible.

Most times he had glorious adventures; last week he'd been exploring the gardens and had found a fat blue beetle that tickled his arm when he stuck it there to keep as a pet. That had been very fun. What he had discovered today, however, was far more exciting: a stranger. Patani knew all the little ones in the Temple because they'd all been together forever. This girl wasn't from the creche, he knew, but she was in the Temple so she must be all right. He stopped in the middle of his pell mell scrambling and looked at her curiously.

She was very shy. Right after she waved she ducked her head down like a tiny bird. Patani giggled; how silly, to be afraid in the Temple of all places. "'Lo." He cried shrilly, racing over to Trilby and waving both hands wildly. His mouth split into a wild grin that went all the way up to his ears, and he squinted his eyes until they nearly shut. The tot eyed her strange clothes for a moment and then pushed her roughly, laughing like a madman. "You're it!" Bellowed the boy and he was off again, racing down the corridor and shreaking with laughter at the brilliance of the game.

[Trilby Benedetta]

She backed away from the crazy little boy, hands moving up almost defensively as he came closer. Then he HIT her. Tears welled up in her little eyes...

"You're it!"

She snuffed into her sleeve, and took off after him. The adults in the room were forgotten as she ran as fast as her little legs could go. She wasn't going to let some boy push her around, especially some strange boy (As if boys weren't strange enough already!) from this scarey place. Her fancy shoes made loud clacking noises as she chased him down the hallway.

Trilby finally caught up with Patani, grabbing the back of his robes and promptly bopping him on the head. "No! You're it!"

[Min Sarran]

Not only could she run just as fast as him, she could hit. Hard. Patani immediatly respected her. As he stood watching her dart away from him something in his little chest warmed up. It was the same nice feeling he got when Master Ecin made them sit in a circle and 'madtate'.

They were going to hit each other a lot. He just knew it. It was going to be wonderful.

***

"I hadn't realized you'd known him from such a young age. He couldn''t have been gone from Naboo for more than a year at that time ." Min shook her head from side to side. She would have just been born, or just about, then. It was strange to sit and look at Trilby sitting across from her and imagine a tiny toddler in her place, mayheming about with Patani while across the stars her infant self lay. A twinge of jealousy pulled in her belly, and Min cleared her throat awkwardly.

"So you were friends from the beginning?" Eagerly Min pulled a small notepad from her bag, and a pen. She glanced at Trilby, motioning to the pad with a nod of her head, "D'you mind? I'd like to make sure I remember it correctly..."
"

[Trilby Benedetta]

She shrugged. "I suppose. As long as those notes remain private..."

"We were both taken into the Order young, so all of the Younglings grew up together. Like all kids, some were more drawn to each other then others," she continued, brushing a stray strand of hair back behind her ear. It was hard to imagine what life had been like, what she had been like - shy, timid and scared - when she entered the Order. A smile cracked the serious look she'd had on her face since she began her story. "I don't remember liking him from the start - I had no real idea of why I had been brought there; I think he kind of grew on me. We tried to spend as much time as we could in the gardens. I guess it was our little "oasis'."

[Min Sarran]

"Okay, so, I'll run from that end and you go from this end and whoever flinches first loses."

"This is stupid."

"No really, it'll be cool."

"You're stupid."

"C'mon. On the count of three."

"I'm not doing this."

"One..."

"Did you wake up deaf? Not. Playing."

"Two..."

"You're on your own."

"Three!"

Patani raced forward, stick in hand, running straight for Trilby who stood looking at him with that patiently exasperated expression he saw a lot of. He'd devised this game after watching a holoclip in the archives of an old ritual on some planet. Two opponents astride funny-looking beasts faced each other with sharp sticks, charged, and whoever didn't get stabbed won. Naturally, the first opportunity he'd gotten Patani had told Trilby and insisted they try it.

Or rather, he insisted they try it and she insisted that if he did she would punch him in the nose.

He was only a few feet away from the girl now and showed no sign of slowing. A crazy glint sparkled across his eyes, a roar hurtled out of his lips, he raised his stick--

And promptly tripped on a stone and went flying. Patani crashed into the bushes, landing rather painfully on his lance. The boy yelped and clutched at his stomach, where the blunt end of the stick had dug in. "Ouch."

"I told you it was a dumb idea." Patani somehow managed to scowl and wince at the same time as Trilby watched him, very obviously making no move to help as it was now clear he was going to live. The boy gingerly sat up, still clutching his abdomen. "Can we go swimming now?"

"I almost killed myself!" Patani yelped indignantly.

"Yes, but you're obviously still alive so hurry up and stop being such a baby."

"Well, you're a great friend in a time of need, aren't you?"

"The best. C'mon."

He managed to hide his smile as he grasped the extended hand, but only just.

***

Her pen flew across the page and only after she had finished writing did Min stop to absorb the memory. It was a small comfort that journalistic instincts kept at bay the impending emotional storm that was brewing in her gut. Later that evening, when she was alone again, she would re-read the notes and let whatever feelings come.

Suddenly uncomfortable in the busy cafe, Min put her pen down and pushed her cup to the side. "Listen, shall we go somewhere less crowded? It suddenly seems very full and my apartment isn't far--" Would Trilby even come to her suite? Min hastened to add, "Or a park. There's one a few blocks down, I think."

[Trilby Benedetta]

The hunter nodded. They had been speaking in hushed tones, and the sudden rush of people coming into the cafe for lunch had caused the conversation to dwindle.

"A park is fine. You'll have to lead the way, " she slipped out of her seat with a sheepish smile. "I don't know my way around the city like I used to."

It was true - for someone who had lived most of her life on Coruscant, she didn't know her way around the upper levels of the city at all. The lower levels were the only exception; those she knew like the back of her hand. She tried to stay away from the city planet as much as possible as an adult - luckily for her, one did not have to be on-world to take jobs from the more shady characters who lived here.

Soon the pair were on the streets, making their way through the bustling crowds of the city.

[Min Sarran]

Trying to walk in a straight line was difficult, Min discovered. It seemed almost as if the pedwalks had been angled, the air thickened, so that the final effect was one of tumbling very slowly downwards through a lot of water. With her mind buzzing and her breath not seeming to catch, even the short walk to the little fountain garden seemed a great accomplishment.

It was all a little unreal, that's what it was. Over two decades of wondering and snatching up bits of old memory to piece together in secret, and all of a sudden the entire feast was being unveiled dish by glorious dish. She was sitting--lounging even--in a park with a woman who had once been a Jedi and her brothers best friend.

Min had the sudden urge to use some choice words she'd picked up on her last assignment. Instead she smiled in what she hoped was a reassuring manner and cleared her throat. "So. Would you tell me what it was like, in the, um," Min glanced about discreetly. They were in a fairly secluded section, between two of the older and less fancy fountains, but caution was imperative. "Academy?"

[Trilby Benedetta]

***
Classes. And more classes.

Sit still. Close your eyes and focus on peeble in front of you. Reach out with the Force, slowly, carefully, and move the peeble.

Sit even more still, stay quiet. Mediate. No fidgetting now.

You may need to know these star-charts someday! No doodling in your datapads, Trilby, please pay attention. Patani, stop making faces.

After what always seemed like an eternity, they were finally...

"Free! Free at last, free at last!"

Trilby was practically doing cartwheels out of the classroom. She had the hardest time sitting still during the most boring of boring classes, and now they were free for the rest of the day!

A rush of tiny Jedi streamed out of the classroom, pushing passed their Elders with many "Excuse us!" and "Pardon Me!"s. She steamed full-speed ahead, Patani in tow.

WHAM! Trilby was knocked backwards a step as she walked into someone much much taller than she was. A flush colored her cheeks as she bowed in apology. "Oh, I'm sorry, sir."

The older boy gave her a bit of a scowl as she knocked into him. A half-smile crossed his lips; he stepped aside and allowed the youngsters to pass. They did, quickly and quietly.

Trilby poked her friend in the ribs and giggled. All of the younger girls had their favorite Knight or Master - they were still girls after all!

"Wasn't that Anakin? He's so dreamy." She glanced back, giving an over-acted sigh of love.

[Min Sarran]

Patani rolled his eyes with all the exaggeration a twelve year old boy could muster. "Yeah, I can hardly contain myself. My heart's beatin' something fierce." He gave his friend a pointed look of disgust and shook his head sadly. "Force, Tril, you're actin' like a class one girl. Do you still wanna spar or are you gonna go paint your toes?"

He sped up a little after that remark, shooting a devilish grin over his shoulder as they hurried around the corner and down towards the gardens that had housed so many of their misadventures. As soon as they arrived Patani dropped his datapads to the grassy ground and shed his robe. "Ahhh." The boy flopped down beside his discarded belongings and stretched gloriously. "This is more like it. I thought I was gonna blow up in History."