[semi-open] I will be your shining light

[provenforce]

WHO: Rey, Obi-Wan, open
WHAT: a reunion, and open
WHEN: after the rifters get to Kirkwall, and throughout Cloudreach.
WHERE: the docks, the Gallows
NOTES: will add if they become relevant

The Docks - Obi-Wan

Rey is tired after the trip to Orlais and looking forward to taking a bath and sleeping in her own bed for a change. But she can't help opening her senses as she disembarks, feeling out the Force, looking for Ben. What she doesn't expect is to sense someone else, someone she had grimly accepted she would never feel again.

She stops where she stands, Padawan looking at her quizzically as she freezes, trying to zero in on where he is. Obi-Wan.

When she determines the direction she takes off running down the docks, the Force guiding her. She catches sight of him and pushes herself faster, even as her vision blurs from tears welling in her eyes. She doesn't slow down until she crashes into him, throwing her arms around him with a sob. She's been so unsure of so much lately, but she can't help the profound relief washing over her as she feels the presence of her master once again.

Open - Training yard

She's back to one lightsaber, not that she minds. It's easier to control one than two, and she's more comfortable this way. The lightsaber that she had come to think of as hers in her hand, her first line of defense against demons and whatever else stands in her way.

For the moment she's running through her forms, things she learned under Obi-Wan, and a few she'd improvised, modified from Kylo Ren's fighting style. She holds the ignited saber in front of her, sweeping it in a slow arc, pacing her breathing, before speeding up, taking herself through motions she's practiced what feels like a thousand times, now.

Her chosen training spot is a little out of the way, but the low hum of the saber usually attracts some attention.

Open - Rey's Workshop

Often in the evenings, unless Rey is working on something or wanting private time, she'll leave the door to her room open so that Padawan can come and go, and so that others who might need her services can pop in. Or just so friends can pop in. The usual organized chaos of her room stands regardless of the day, and she is usually sitting at her desk, bent over something or another.

Her current project is another series of mini trebuchets that can be used in the obstacle course, and they sit around her desk in a varied state of disarray, some fully constructed, others waiting to be finished. She will look up when someone walks in, and if it's someone she doesn't recognize her tools will go down and she'll stand, asking who they are. If it's a friend they'll just get a smile and a wave as Rey finishes whatever she's in the middle of doing. She can talk and tinker, she's good at multitasking.

Comments

[hello_there]

Obi-Wan is just coming down the gangplank when the edges of her presence brush up against his. It's a striking moment, an impression that brings his head up, as if at some crucial sound.

"Rey," he whispers, recognition finally dawning. And then he's moving, begging pardon of the person in front of him, edging around an overburdened porter, and--

And then he sees her and opens his arms just fast enough that he's able to catch her up in them. He pivots, propelled by her momentum and his own, whirling her around joyfully.

"You're alive!" He had feared the worst, accepted with a private despair that whatever rumors had, that the world as it was could only take and take, but here she was, "Rey. It's so good-- so good to see you."

[provenforce]

Rey holds onto him tightly, like she's afraid that he'll slip away if she lets go of him, though the smile on her face is broad as she pulls back to look at him. He looks older than the last time she'd seen him, and like he'd been through some hard times. But then, she imagines she looks the same.

"It's-- It's good to see you again. I was afraid I wouldn't ever get to, that you were gone for good." She knows it's selfish, that he has a role to fulfill home, that he still has not guided Luke Skywalker to his destiny. He's not old enough for that to have come to pass. But it's hard to care, when she'd come to care so much for Obi-Wan and her feelings for Luke were still those of frustration.

[hello_there]

"I'm not that easy to kill," He tells her, hands on her shoulders, and can't quite hide the regret. That's selfishness, right there, the desire not to face-- Not to face what he had done, ultimately. Or failed to do. It wasn't the Jedi way, and unworthy besides. He took a deep breath.

"You changed your hair," He says, as if that hesitation had never happened, "Come, tell me what I've missed. Start with this; why here, what's wrong with Skyhold?"

Obi-Wan had liked Skyhold.

[provenforce]

She doesn't comment on how easy he is to kill, because she knows, as she'd unwittingly mentioned the first time they'd met, that he would eventually be killed. Maybe not for a long time yet for him, but it's something she just doesn't want to dwell on. Instead she focuses on the more positive, nodding at his observation of her hair. She's been wearing it down more often since remembering all the things that had happened on Ahch-To and beyond, but sometimes she does still gather it up in her old three buns.

"Nothing's wrong with Skyhold, it's still there. The Inquisition just wanted more of a naval presence. Corypheus is building warships or something. So, all the Rifters and several others... We've moved here."

[hello_there]

They wanted us out of the Advisor's way, more like, Obi-Wan thinks, abruptly remembering the times Cassandra had pulled him into her office and given him a pressing-down. Particularly after that disaster with the rift...

"Or something, hm?" He replies, raising an eyebrow. C'mon, Rey, you can do better than that, "Speaking of naval presence, I met a friend of yours on the way in. He made terrible impression."

This is, technically, not a lie. Obi-Wan takes a moment to unsling the little duty-bag that had been pressed upon him by a thoughtful Inquisition soldier and produces from it... a lightsaber. A very particular lightsaber. Kylo Ren's lightsaber.

"But, he happened to be carrying this. You recognize it?"

[provenforce]

Rey wrinkles her nose, about to clarify on the or something when the sight of the cross guard lightsaber wipes her response from her mind. Her expression, cheery and relaxed a moment before tenses, and her eyes go wide. If she said nothing, he might even think that she was afraid because she hadn't known Kylo Ren was here. Of course, Rey often speaks before letting her mind catch up.

"Ben." She looks between Obi-Wan and the lightsaber, her brows knitting together. "He didn't. He's--" Breathe, Rey. She takes a moment, letting what he'd said run through her mind again. She feels certain that if Ben were dead she'd feel it, and even just stretching her senses out she can feel him on the edge of them. He's not far. She doesn't look for him, though, keeping her eyes on Obi-Wan.

"What did he do?"

[hello_there]

"He saw a Jedi in Republic robes and reacted as if I'd been put in his way as a personal challenge," Obi-Wan says, carefully. This is new; an angry Rey, and reacting in the Force through that anger, "Don't worry. The day I can't handle a half-trained Sith weilding this, I deserve what happens."

He'd be lying if he said he wasn't concerned, so he doesn't say anything of the sort. Instead, Obi-Wan offers her the lightsaber.

"The only thing I hurt was his pride."

training yard

[gotyourselfapilot]

Poe wanted to at least scope out the area once he was freed to do so. Not like he would be going too far to begin with. He could follow a few simple rules for now. As much as he would want to wander out he couldn't without at least knowing how to wield a weapon. He would take the time to stop by each weapon rack looking at them while watching others train. The more he walked out though, he started to hear a faint hum. Something familiar that he had heard once before. It made him freeze since the last time he heard that it came from a man in a mask striking an innocent man down. Poe couldn't help but be curious to follow the sound though.

As he would come across the humming and who had been using it, the lightsaber wasn't what he had seen before but only had heard in stories. Poe feels the pull of his lips into a smile as he realizes that it's Rey. For him, they had been on the Millennium Falcon not long ago introducing themselves. They both knew who each other were before then, hearing stories of one another. Poe would probably hear from BB-8 and Finn. She could have heard about him from many. Probably good and bad things, he's sure. He slowly makes his way over while watching. She seemed to really know what form she wanted to use. The fluid motion of the lightsaber seemed natural.

Perhaps when he always said they needed a Jedi on their side, it was meant for Rey and not Luke Skywalker. Poe stayed his distance until she seemed to pause for a long while after doing a few rounds of her forms. "I should be asking you for weapon lessons."

[provenforce]

Rey knows that there's someone watching her, but she doesn't sense danger so she continues with her forms until they speak. She turns in surprise, recognizing the voice immediately, even though they'd only spoken a little.

"Poe?" She raises her eyebrows, before smiling, deactivating her lightsaber and walking towards him. "You came in with the new Rifters? Is anyone else from home here? Is Finn--?" It's almost too much to hope that maybe her dear friend were here too, but if Poe is here...

[gotyourselfapilot]

Poe knows better than to walk up behind Rey or anyone using a lightsaber. The weapon in general were dangerous and if someone interrupts them using it it could be really painful. Not to mention the user could hurt themselves or the person being recklessly close.

"Yeah, it wasn't exactly fun. I landed pretty hard plus something else landed on top of me too." He didn't have much luck that day and fighting the demons was hard too. "I didn't see Finn." But he had encountered Ren, his lips press tightly though while keeping that to himself for now. "How long have you been here for?"

[provenforce]

"Yeah the first rift is usually a little rough," Rey responds with a smile, masking her disappointment that Finn didn't come with Poe. She knows she shouldn't expect much, especially after getting Obi-Wan back. She also knows she shouldn't be hoping for people she knows to end up here, the galaxy back home needed them.

"I've been here a little over a year and a half," she responds to his question, her nose scrunching briefly at the amount of time she's spent in Thedas.

[gotyourselfapilot]

"What happened during yours?" Poe knows he already asked the question of how long. It'll answer how many first rifts were possible for her to have encountered. The break would be appreciated. It may not be a full moment of peace since the rift and monsters surely were not peaceful. Yet, coming here didn't seem all that bad. He'd would want to find a way back but if there truly wasn't, he would need to find things to do.

Poe couldn't believe what he was hearing. It's hard for him to mask his facial expressions. He's shocked a bit in disbelief, he leans forward while giving a quick shake of his head. "That almost doesn't seem right. I believe you since you don't seem all that happy about it. But... it's a bit odd. What have you been doing for that long?"

[provenforce]

"We came out on a mountainside, I thought I was back on the Starkiller base for a moment," Rey frowns at the memory, it doesn't seem to line up with how things in her mind have aligned themselves now, but she knows that's right. She'd felt panicked that Kylo Ren could be right around the corner. A silly fear to her, now. She shakes it off, focusing on his other question.

"Time moves strangely, here. It doesn't entirely make sense but... it's possible for people to be from the same world and arrive years apart from the same moment, or arrive at the same moment years apart. I've been training and working with the Inquisition to try and seal the rifts that have opened up over Thedas. They seem like the best chance of getting home, so." She'd sort of stopped thinking about it, after a while. Getting home had taken a back seat to helping Thedas, which is almost strange to her. But with how things are now, she's not even sure if she wants to go home. It's a strange thought.

For Ben, Late evening after thread with Obi-Wan

[provenforce]

After Rey parted ways with Obi-Wan she went directly to her room. She took her time putting her things away that she'd brought with her to Orlais and putting aside gifts she'd picked up in Val Royeaux. Then she got water and drew a bath, scrubbing off all the grime accumulated from the ship and the road, and mulling things over in her head. She's careful to keep her thoughts to herself, just wanting things to be her own for the moment.

Eventually the water has cooled and she climbs from the tub and dries herself off, taking her time with that too, and dressing in loose pants and a tunic she often slept in. Her hair she left down, and after a little debating she picked up her satchel, now only containing Ben's lightsaber and the gift she'd picked up for him, and left her room, locking the door behind her.

She goes next door to his room, and exhaling raises a hand to rap her knuckles against the door.

"Ben? Are you awake?"

[letoldthingsdie]

He'd been lucky to get back to Kirkwall without being arrested, he thinks. Obi Wan could have turned him in, or worse - killed him. He hadn't even been able to touch him. Not only did it wound his pride but the entire exchange had left him in a state of anxiety for much of the trip back. When he saw Rey coming up to greet her Master he made himself scarce, not sticking around to listen to their conversation or even reach out to her to explain himself. He'd already decided how she would think of him. It was how everyone in his life had come to think of him.

You're a monster...

The last thing he expected was Rey showing up in the middle of the night. He'd tried easing some of the anxiety with reading some random book he'd picked up from the library, had even tried using his calligraphy pens, but nothing could keep his mind at ease. His thoughts were like a thundercloud blackening the sky, filled with regret and turmoil. The last thing he wants is to hear her say what he expects her to say. The thought was tearing him apart. When she knocks on the door and calls for him, he stares at the door, not sure of what he should do. He could turn her away, despite every instinct telling him that being around her always helped him.

Tugging on a shirt, having long since discarded his day clothes for just a simple pair of pants to sleep in, he moves to the door to open it and stare down at her. If he looked like he was expecting a pleasant conversation that would be a lie. Everything in his demeanor screamed that he was punishing himself, that he was expecting punishment for his misdeeds.

"Rey." His brown eyes look wretched and red rimmed, as if he'd been rubbing at them, either from tiredness or something else. The rest of him was as tense as ever, as if he saw shadows around every corner waiting to strike him.

[provenforce]

She'd picked some things up from him, knew that he was hurting, but she'd needed a little time to gather herself before she sought him out. When she sees the state he's in, her heart aches, and she has to stop herself from reaching out to pull him into her arms.

It's strange, but she isn't angry with him for attacking Obi-Wan. Maybe it's because of how Obi-Wan had reacted, the way their conversation had gone, she feels a little more hopeful about how things could be. Maybe once she can help him with his desire to attack Jedi, they could all work together.

"Can I come in?" She raises her eyebrows at him, a little hesitant. She's afraid he's going to envelop himself in the dark again, pull away from her rather than staying open.

[letoldthingsdie]

He gives a bit of a nod, stepping to the side to let her in. His mind was swimming in darkness and self loathing, even as all he could feel from her was affection. There wasn't hate, but he doubted she was terribly happy with him.

When Rey enters his room, she'll find it just as neat in person as she's seen from within the Force and her brief visit in the night once before. He kept his things so orderly and tidy that it was hard to tell anyone lived here, save for the small touches of his personality that showed themselves. Books neatly laid in a pile, borrowed from the library, his calligraphy pens laid neatly beside them on the desk with a blank sheet of parchment laid out waiting to be marked. Her tools were still here too, neatly organized in their own little corner on the desk. Everything else he owned was given to him by the Inquisition - his clothes, save for the one she'd worn from home, were also neatly tucked away. After years of such obsessive cleanliness it was hard to break old habits.

"Welcome back." It was the only thing he could think of saying as he stands in front of her in his room, arms crossed over his chest as if he can protect himself from the inevitable displeasure that's sure to be directed towards him.

[provenforce]

She gives the room a cursory once-over before turning back to look at him, taking in the defensive posture. She realizes he expects her to yell at him. Maybe she should. Instead she just lets out a breath.

"Thanks. I heard you went on a little trip, too. Do you want to tell me your side of things before I start assuming things?" It's a little uncommon for Rey to be this calm, but her connection to Ben has changed the way she looks at things. She knows there's more than one side to a story, and while Obi-Wan had seemed fairly dismissive of Ben attacking him, she's trying to understand why.

[letoldthingsdie]

"I lost my temper. I attacked him. I lost." He can't help being defensive, still feeling like this is going to be a losing conversation no matter what he has to say in defense of himself. It was both that simple and more complex than he's making it.

His reason initially had been a loss of temper, but part of it had been that age old rage he'd felt for so long after Luke Skywalker had tried to kill him. He hated everything and anyone to do with the Jedi Order. Rey was the only divergence in that belief, given that she was hardly a Jedi at all. She was Rey.

Sighing, he runs his fingers through his hair, pushing it out of his face. Now that she was here, he could already feel her presence seeping into him through their connection like a healing balm. The rage and the sadness he'd been wallowing in was melting away into a calmer tempo.

"He dismantled my lightsaber right in front of me. That he let me live at all when he disarmed me is a miracle in itself." He'd never felt so devastated and ashamed, not for many years. He could already imagine Snoke's taunts about his failings, were the old Sith Master still alive.

workshop ♪

[nadasharillen]

It's a blessing to be working with so many diligent people; when Nari peeks around the doorframe, she isn't surprised at all to see that Rey takes her work home with her as well. The elf announces herself with a soft knock and the rustle of parchment.

"Oh, good, I was just thinking about those," she says, pointing her chin at the desk full of little siege machines, "I thought you might want to go over the plans together and figure out where they'd be best placed so you could fine-tune the weights?" The paper noises intensify as she holds up a handful of rough sketches while still trying to keep a wider roll tucked beneath her arm.

[provenforce]

Rey looks up at the knock and smiles when she sees who is at the door, waving her in as she finishes up the gear she's screwing into place.

"I've made a few sketches too but they definitely need refining," she nods her head, indicating papers laid out on the part of the desk not covered in pieces parts, before pushing back in her chair. "I'm still working on that mechanism to connect more than one so they can fire in succession. I'm not quite sure how to do that yet." If she were doing this back home it would simply be a reprogramming matter, but doing things the low tech way can be very time consuming. Not that she entirely minds, she enjoys the challenge.

[nadasharillen]

The possibility of successively firing trebuchets that didn't need to be set off one by one was exciting on about five different levels and Nari's eyes immediately light up with enthusiasm. She's moved briskly half way across the room on her way to look at the papers Rey had indicated before she realizes she didn't ask if she could see them, so she pauses guiltily and gestures at the pile that was her target.

"Oh, I--uh, do you mind?"

[provenforce]

"By all means, go ahead." It's strange, that Rey is comfortable sharing ideas openly with Nari. But the elf had proven reliable, and unlike on Jakku, Rey has learned that people in Thedas aren't all trying to screw you out of something.

"I could use another set of eyes, anyway." She'd thought about asking Ben, but he might come up against the same road blocks she is. Nari may have a perspective someone from a technologically advanced place wouldn't.

[nadasharillen]

Flashing a quick grin, Nari finishes covering the distance and leans over Rey's plans, whistling thoughtfully between her teeth. There's not much new that can be done with the general form of the trebuchet, but the trigger mechanism she's got marked here is a more elegant one. And one that, if they lay some connecting rope right--

"If we place them all in a row so they're part of the run-up to the wall... hnn. It would be a more delicate thing, setting them, but... what if you connected the lever arm of the first to the trigger of the next so that the first shot firing would set the next off?" She chews at her lip a bit. "That might slow it down and then you'd have to recalculate the counterweight, but, it might be worth a try in any case?"

And then, after a second look and a delighted chuckle, "And if it works, you might want to pass that design up to Commander Coupe."

[provenforce]

Rey stretches as Nari looks over her plans, standing and moving over to the fireplace to get the kettle warming there and pour herself a cup of coffee and one for Nari as well. She wanders back and places both mugs down on the desk and leans over the plans too, her bottom lip between her teeth as she considers Nari's suggestions, her mind going even as the other woman talks.

"That's good. I actually think that if I maybe added an interlocking trigger with pieces of metal rather than rope they could all be reset from the first one, rather than having to do it manually each time." Rey grabs her pencil, jotting down the modifications. "I doubt that anything exists like that already but the mechanism shouldn't be hard to produce in the forge."