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Joanna King
Apr 23rd, 2003, 12:13:27 PM
OOC: This could be an RP. Of course, you would have had to be alive thirty years ago, and have had a feasible reason for being on Chandrilla, and for meeting Joanna, if that was the case. Really this is to establish the character and get a bit of insight to her past.

IC:

Dearest Faelyn,

I was saddened to hear of your less than spectacular arrival on Tatooine. I know your inclinations toward grand entrances and it must have been disheartening to realize that no one cared. Everything here is going well, but fathers health continues to decline and my knowledge and ability to help him seem to be dwindling. I must admit, dear sister, that I am quite jealous of you. Ever since we were children you have managed to avoid responsibilty and yet seemingly have his favor.

The gardens are coming along nicely and if I may be allowed to indulge myself, I have quite a knack for them. We've just made a deal to buy Dovi Riel's upper north field, which will expand our land quite a bit. Father says it will add to the value of Burnberry, but I haven't the faintest idea why. I haven't got the need to leave, like you, and am quite contented to live out the rest of my days here.

To answer your question, yes, we did have some unusual visitors. Jedi, in fact. And no, nothing uot of the ordinary happened. Besides, if it had I would not have been able to do anything. My duty is here, with father.

Do not worry about coming back to help. I've taken care of everything already. Enjoy yourself, I'm sure it won't be a challenge for you.

Sincerly,

Jo

Joanna King sighed and folded the thick paper in half, and then half again. She left it on her writing table, promising to seal and send it later. The young woman was quite striking, thin and blonde with deep set blue eyes which contrasted sharply with her powdery-pale skin.

It was quite a warm day, and the old house which had been fondly named 'Burnberry' years ago, seeped up the heat. It was why she spent so much time in the kitchen and lower rooms. They had no floor and the walls were constructed with clay, which made it a cool refuge from the magnificent entertaining halls upstairs.

She wore a loose frock, and was barefoot, for there was no one else that lived nearby to see her. It was nearly a week past since the Jedi had left, and Joanna had settled back into her isolated schedule. Hours were spent with the plants and flowers that grew on the estate, learning the secrets for curing headaches and sickness. She felt at home in the gardens, where her thoughts were not allowed to wander into matters such as father oer the wayward sister Faelyn.

With a damp cloth on the back of her neck, Joanna walked into the sunlight, following a barely-there dirt path which would lead to a little stream. It was one of her facorite places to go and often she would sit and write there. Today though, she was going only to think.

"I think it would be a wise choice if you were to return with myself and my apprentice..."

That was what he had said. The Jedi. Joanna had wanted to more than anything in the world, for it had long been a mystery, the feelings and abilities that ever so often made themselves apparent. Since a child, it was thought she would die, that it was some strange disease. Such relief had filled her when the Jedi had dismissed the theories.

Of course, she had denied. She had responsibilities. She honered her promises. And she was the one who should have been off on an adventure, rather than Fae.

Joanna stopped along the path and frowned. It was thoughts like these that would get her nowhere. What was done was done and she didn't regret her decision. Not one bit. Not even a little.

"Joanna! Jo, will you hold on a minute?!"

Joanna turned around and her lips parted into a delighted smile as she saw Will running toward her. He was a handsome boy, a farmer who hadn't long been a resident of Chandrilla.

I rather fancy him, I think...

Jo blushed at her own thoughts, appalled that her mother's training in ladylike behavior was only surface deep.

"Afternoon, William."

The boy stopped, panting for breath, and smiled.

"Hello Jo!"

There was something about his face that Joanna didn't like. He was trying to be friendly but there was an uneasyness about him. She stared with her saphire eyes, waiting.

"Well, what is it Will? Did you run all this way just to say 'Hello Jo'?"

William frowned.

"No! Joanna..."

He sighed.

"I need to talk to you. It's...important"

Joanna King
Apr 23rd, 2003, 02:15:25 PM
******

"So that's it then? You're leaving, just like that?"

Will cleared his throat, as if he were about to speak and then simply nodded. They sat beneath a massive Waza tree, side-by-side, silent. Finally Joanna spoke again.

“I think, William, that you’re being incredibly selfish.”

He looked at her, surprised.

“That’s not fair Jo—”

“But leaving me here alone is? Please William, for the sake of reality let’s leave ‘fair’ out of this.”

She crossed her arms and looked away, angry and scared at the same time. William shifted onto his knees and tried to look at her.

“Jo…Joanna, please…I know it’s hard to understand but there’s nothing here for me anymore. There’s no future.”

She bit her lip, willing herself not to cry and stood up.

“Well then. If there’s nothing here, William, by all means go.”

Realizing his blunder the young man stood up, following the woman as she stormed up the path.

“Joanna King, you know that’s not what I meant! Jo, stop it…would you hold on for one damn minute!”

He grabbed her elbow and spun her around. Open-mouthed Joanna jerked her arm away.

“Don’t you tou—”

“—I’m going to speak Jo, and don’t you try and interrupt! Now dammit, you know that’s not what I meant. I wouldn’t have come here if I thought that.”

He looked at her pleadingly.

“I came because I want to take you with me. I want to…to marry you Joanna.”

She stared at him, utter disbelief on her face. Slowly, tears began to pool in her eyes, until silently they slipped, sliding down her cheeks. Without warning, she reached out and slapped William as hard as she could.

“Y-you know…you know t-that I can’t leave…A-and now you do this to me?”

Her voice cracked, struggling to emit any noise at all through her choked throat. William just stood there, his cheek bright red from her hand. Joanna shook her head and began to cry, reaching out and hitting him on the chest, over and over again.

“Y-you bastard! Y-you se-elfish bastard! Why are you doing th-this, w-why?”

As her tears grew and her strength shrank, Will clutched her arms, pulling her close. Joanna shook her head, but was dependant on his strength to keep herself from falling.

“Jo…Oh, Joanna…Why won’t you just leave him? Hire someone, I’ll pay for it…Please, Jo…Come with me. Come with me…”

She shook her head harder and pulled away, hands over her eyes.

“Leave Will. Leave now, and don’t come back. I couldn’t take it if you came back.”

It was whispered, all she could manage, and upon saying it, Joanna turn and ran back into the house, closing the door with more force than was necessary. She watched through the window as William’s shoulders slumped and he left the grounds, taking forever to simply make it to the top of the garden.

When he was gone Jo sank to the floor and cried, great heaving sobs that racked her whole body. It was getting dark but she made no move to get up and light a lamp. She wanted it to get dark, she wanted to wrap herself in it and hide. No, she would never leave Burnberry. Not even if father died. Not now.

* * *

When finally she woke, having exhausted herself, it was well into the wee early hours of the morning, and Joanna found herself unable to go back to sleep. She felt incredibly worn out as she put light to a lamp and filled a basin with cold water. Splashing her face, it took all her reserve not to let go and cry again. Instead, and later she would wonder why, Joanna went over to the table and lit a candle, to seal her letter. She addressed it to the address Faelyn had given her and suddenly felt so angry that overturned the table, sending quills and ink everywhere. And quite suddenly, she felt very calm, almost surreal, as if she wasn’t Joanna anymore, merely someone reading a book and shaking his or her head in pity at the crazed woman.

“Well then. That’s that.”