Duality - Lifting the Veil

[Navaria Tarkin]

It was after the noon rush and the flicker of lives were few now. Less noise was in the air as most returned inside for a continuation of their studies. Navaria was away from those that stayed, leaning against the raised cement stone that serve as fancy pot for the bushes. A lot of structures like these could be found on the grounds. Each were ten foot in diameter and contained several bushes trimmed in various patterns.

The beauty was lost upon Navaria. She should be sitting and relaxing, thinking about important lesson plans and Council matters, but Kyle's suggestion was nagging at her. Who would be willing to listen and give advice to her about the nightmares she was having?

Marcus was never really around, unless he wanted you to see him, and probably could help. His thoughts about Navaria and Dalethria had increased the potency of her nightmares after all. Rie was sweet, but didn't know her. Talking to Anbira would be just ... weird. Figrin was a reservoir of knowledge and wisdom ... Perhaps him? But he was more of a scholar ...

Navaria sighed, slumping her shoulders and hanging her head between them in defeat. She was good at making excuses, or maybe it was the tiredness taking over her logical thought. Either way, it didn't matter much. The Knight was no closer to a solution then when she came out here two hours ago to meditate on the situation. First it was trying to relax on the ground, then she moved to the benches until her antsy mind found herself in her current position. She was close to giving up today and heading inside, start fresh tomorrow.

[Pierce Tondry]

A boot heel scraped against stone. "Someone's looking pensive."

Pierce stood, one foot on the plant pot, the other buried in the grass. The Jedi robe he wore draped back across his shoulders and stretched the length of his body to the grass. The hood on his Jedi robe was down but, with the sun behind him and his back fully upright, he had an ominous cast instead of a pleasant one.

[Navaria Tarkin]

Navaria actually was startled and stepped back, placing a hand on her chest. She could feel her heart pounding feverishly from that fright.

"Pierce... I did not see you there."

[Pierce Tondry]

Pierce stepped off the the pot and stepped forward, out of the direct path of the sun's rays, instantly losing whatever dangerous cast he had. "Of course you didn't," Pierce said with a smile. He tapped his head. "You were up here."

His face settled into a look of concern. "Are you okay?" he asked. "I know I kinda snuck up on you just now with practicing hiding my thoughts, but people aren't usually this frightened by my appearance."

[Navaria Tarkin]

"I ..."

She sighed and turned around to lean her back on the stone outcropping.

"... I am glad that you are getting use out of my lesson."

Navaria licked her lips as Pierce waited for the real answer to his question. After what he shared with her, maybe this was a blessing in disguise that he showed up.

"No. I am not."

She looked up at him directly and he instantly noticed the dark circles around her eyes.

"I have not been sleeping well."

[Pierce Tondry]

Understanding seeped through the concern. "Nightmares?" he asked. "I always thought Jedi didn't dream."

[Navaria Tarkin]

She shook her head yes and then actually laughed a little at the irony.

"I am not a normal Jedi though. It is an impressive list of weird traits that I have collected over the years."

Her eyes lost their humor and her face became long and pensive again.

"Some of which are haunting me now."

[Pierce Tondry]

Pierce nodded. "You know, I've been noticing that a lot of this kind of thing seems to be going around. Hints- bits and pieces of something bigger than just nightmares or uneasy moods. I pick them up when no one thinks I'm around."

Intense concentration began burning in Pierce's features. "I think something's happening, Navaria. This might be part of it. If you're up to talking about what you've been through, it could be important."

[Navaria Tarkin]

She chuckled and spoke uncharacteristically sarcastic.

"Do you mean my nightmares or everything that has happened to me since I was a child?"

Closing her eyes, a river of rapid memories crash through in perfect clarity. There was just so much to remember and say if that was what Pierce meant. Perhaps he only wanted to know about the nightmares. It would be the easier way out after all ...

[Pierce Tondry]

Pierce's face might as well have been carved from stone for all the reaction he gave. "Whichever you feel like," he said seriously. "One may have bearing on the other."

[Navaria Tarkin]

Easier way out was denied but she was used to this little speech. Navaria explained it more times then she could remember.

"I was a happy child until my grandfather died. When I learned the cause of his death, I never thought that I could be capable of such anger towards anything. I was scared of myself and hid it .. causing more permanent mental damage I would have ever thought. It only continued to grow in power and in denial when my father died and then I lost my brother during the Imperial Center riots.

I do not think I have to go into much more detail about Dalethria then ..."

Pierce was one of the first individuals that contacted her after gaining control over her body, little did she know it was just a trap set up by Dalethria and Kat to kill Navaria's mind..

[Pierce Tondry]

Pierce's eyes closed, and he placed two fingers to his temple. Although it might seem to a casual observer that he was trying to focus in the Force, he was not. He was focusing in his own brain.

"No, no more explanation necessary on that score. Tell me about the nightmares."

[Navaria Tarkin]

"That is part of the problem."

She sighed in a defeated manner.

"I cannot really remember them in great detail. I do know it has to with Dalethria, us ... engaging each other that ends up in our deaths, her death, my death .... It always changes."

Navaria rubbed at her eyes.

"It is like the Force is confused now and does not know the outcome or even a glimpse of a possible outcome. Before the nightmares, I would often have crystal clear visions of what Dalethria was doing. Things I should not know like when she became pregnant with child. I even know the child's name and I should not."

[Pierce Tondry]

Pierce nodded and went silent for several minutes, thinking. When he finally spoke, it was slowly and deliberately, as though his thoughts were only fully formed once they'd been given voice.

"It sounds like a possible futures problem. A bit of a duality, if you will, because there's two of you."

"You and Dalethria connected on some level even more polar and primal than anyone else in the galaxy. And the Force itself is involved. The nightmares, the memories, the visions, they all come from this bond. They're suggesting that the two of you are so opposite from one another you can't help but clash in the future- and that each of you is strong enough that the outcome is uncertain."

Pierce tilted his head. "Maybe. The future itself is pretty damn uncertain anyway. I've got a lot more studying of it to do before I could really get a good idea about interpreting this. But that's what I think."

[Navaria Tarkin]

Everything that Pierce had said made sense. Some of which Navaria herself had though of when her mind was calm enough to think about her nightmares rationally, which wasn't often enough. They were quite draining and even while awake, if she tried to think about them or remember them, a wall erected strong wall erected around them.

"We are cut from the same mold ... She is part of my personality that was fractured when I was a child."

Another sigh.

"Marcus seems to think that the problem would be solved if we were returned to our proper bodies... I am not sure about that... I mean, technically speaking, we both belong in the body Dalethria has..."

Her head began to hurt as if on cue and rubbed her temples.

"I wonder if she has this problem..."

[Pierce Tondry]

"I don't know, but I do think making you both into one person again would allow you to deal with the problems that you locked away," Pierce pointed out. "But then again, maybe not. Maybe it would just turn you into a mental mess with one of you always fighting for dominance."

Pierce reached out gently inserted two fingers between Navaria's temple and one of her hands. "Let it come," he said, already beginning to focus his feelings on Navaria's mind. "Maybe I can feel it too and it'll tell me something."

[Navaria Tarkin]

Since becoming stable with Daleethria's help, there weren't too many times that a flash of fear would enter Navaria's mind. Her mind had been quite jumbled as of late, dealing with this problem, so it was hard to discern if her fear was for wanting to share her nightmare or her chance at knowing what was happening.

"I ..."

She turned her head and stepped to the side, feeling his fingers slide off her forehead.

"... I am not sure that is such a wise idea."

[Pierce Tondry]

(ooc) Sorry, I totally forgot about this! :(

Pierce let the hand fall to his side. "You've put a lot of trust in me already," he said. "Just by telling me what you have. Do you really want to hold back now, when there might be an answer?"

[Navaria Tarkin]

"I do trust you Pierce!"

She turned around, almost defensively.

"It is just .. I ... I am..."

Navaria's faced tightened with grief and she tried to hide it quickly.

"... afraid."

Silence for a moment before the Knight moved away from Pierce and clutched the stones for support.

"A Jedi is not suppose to know fear. Yet I do ... I should not be feeling this way after everything I did to gain control over my mind and my abilities. But there it is because I am afraid if I let you in, I will loose all my control and regress back into what I was."

[Pierce Tondry]

There was a drawn out pause during which neither of them said anything, a pause accentuated by the sheer lack of noise that had suddenly come over the surroundings. The absolute and subtle stillness lent an eerie cast to things that should have been bright and beautiful reminders of the promise of life.

Behind her, Navaria could hear Pierce shifting. A slight breeze blew through her hair, feeling oddly like an unexpected show of support. "I've offered to help and that offer stands," he said quietly. "But before anyone can help you, you need to learn to trust yourself."

[Navaria Tarkin]

A shaky sigh come out and she realized just how dry her throat was... If it wasn't Pierce this time, it would have to be someone else later. That would me procrastinating the inevitable and perhaps Navaria would never find the courage inside her to let someone understand ... What kind of Jedi was that?

"All right."

She turned around quickly and stepped up nose to nose with him.

"Do it now before I change my mind."

[Pierce Tondry]

"You'll have to make sure to let down your guards," Pierce said. "I've practiced, but there's no way I could get into your head if you don't want me there."

Two fingers found their way to Navaria's left temple. Beneath Pierce's blindfold, it was almost possible for her to make out his eyes wide open. "Just relax and don't block me." ...don't block me Navaria, let me see...

[Navaria Tarkin]

A shaky breath blew between her lips as she began to relax. Easier said then done for her, which was so odd since a peaceful mind came naturally to her. This shouldn't be different then any other time...

She began by letting the Force flow into her, a gentle stream of life that warmed her soul. It concentrated within her chest and then it spread slowly to every muscle fiber of her being... Calming the nervouness down to her bones. The ground seemed to drop from beneath her and then came the usual sensation of falling... Her mind sharpened and focused upon her surroundings. Flickers of life danced around her, Jedi and Non walking around the gardens... The one she latched onto was Pierce's signature.

A touch of fear was trying to win its way to the surface but for now, Navaria controlled that fear as slowly her walls began to come down ...

[Pierce Tondry]

It was yet another backdrop of black, like the one Navaria had seen when she'd taught him about thought concealment. This time, Pierce felt like he was on unfriendly soil, or at least, unfamiliar soil.

But then, last time it had been Navaria entering his mind. This time it was the other way around.

Pierce brushed off the thought that he could enter other people's minds and the slight gratification he felt at knowing his practice had paid off. He was in here for a reason and it was best not to forget.

The Jedi Padawan relaxed. Right now, Navaria needed to be able to trust him and so it was best that he not poke or prod.

But it did feel odd to be here. It felt very odd- no, vibrant was a better word. In Pierce's training session with Navaria, the black backdrop had been muted, like the evening sky on a peaceful day. Here, it was as though the blackness had a life of its own.

Pierce could not help but feel uneasy, but he too steeled himself and sat still.

[Navaria Tarkin]

Pierce wasn't the only one feeling uneasy. Being this .. open was foreign to her. True, she had shared feelings and personaly history with her Padawans, but this was entirely different. Not even Sanis had been this close to her ...

Deep inside her mind was where Navaria and Daleethria had merged accidentially. Daleethria had told her it was for her own good to regain control, a last ditch effort since Leia had gone missing. She had thought it was going to be a Life Bond of sorts but the Force had done something else.

Pierce was walking on the outskirts of that area now. Navaria hadn't let him inside yet. She was still worried and hadn't allowed him passage yet .. The reason was actually rather simple as to why ... She was still trying to get Daleethria to agree upon letting him entrance while Pierce sat alone in the darkness.

[Pierce Tondry]

Some small time passed before Pierce had worked up the nerve to say something. ~I want to be able to help,~ he spoke into the blackness. ~But I'm not sure how. And, I gotta say, I'm a little nervous- not that you're head's giving me the creeps, Navvy, but this is kinda like a real Jedi thing for me to be doing and I don't want to screw it up. So, whatever you need, I guess you gotta let me know.~

[Navaria Tarkin]

This caused Navaria to pause and look upon her friend within the vastness of her mind. What Pierce said was true. Although still a Padawan, he was determined to go through with this and help her as much as he could, but the Knight could feel his hesitation.

It was at that time a feeling of dread come upon her quickly, almost out of no where. There was danger directed at Pierce and Navaria couldn't put the man in jeopardy .. especially when that danger was coming from her very own mind. Unfriendly soil indeed...

Quickly and as painlessly as she could, Navaria severed the link and inhaled deeply to try and steady herself, turning away from Pierce. Her face was etched in a stern expression as she pondered out loud to herself.

"No... it will not do. I cannot allow it..."

[Pierce Tondry]

Pierce bypassed confusion and went straight to an expressionless stare.

[Navaria Tarkin]

Without turning around, she spoke.

"I am sorry Pierce. It was selfish of me to let you get this far ... I am ... sorry."

Navaria didn't wait for his answer and began to walk towards the Temple's entrance.

[Pierce Tondry]

Pierce's eyes closed tiredly. No matter how many times his help had been criticized or rejected outright, it never got easier.

The Padawan turned away and left the gardens in the opposite direction. He did not look back.

The sun was left to shine on nothing.