Dominik's mind wavered as his eyes fell on his Padawan. He forced himself to focus as he listened to her words so that he could properly comprehend them. His chest rose and fell in a somewhat quickened pace as even the little movements took a lot of his energy. The man could feel a pit in his stomach as he laid there, he hadn't eaten for a week. Lack of nutrients and fuel was partly to blame for how weak he felt.
"You have every right to feel that way, Lo. No one your age should have to take on the responsibility you have… but you took it anyway-" the man paused for a moment as he tried to collect his thoughts.
He took a deep breath into his lungs and held it for a few moments before exhaling, giving himself a few extra moments to think.
"I'm proud of you. No doubt I owe you my life. You've done so much where I could not." He said, allowing a faint smile to light up his features as he looked at Lo.
"You look older…" he began, observing the change she had made with her fur pulled back into a bun. "It suits you."
Lo patiently waited until her master finished. Her dark eyes lingered on his fragile form, a faint reminder of his state. She smiled at his compliment on her hair causing her hand to rise and check how well it held up. All seemed in order as she let her hand drift back down. So many words clawed to the surface, but not of them fitting for the reunion. She took a deep breath then began.
"First off, thank you master. I grew a lot during your healing. Some of the Twi`lek elders didn't expect you to recover and it was considered to transfer you to H`Ratth at one point. Especially if you didn't improve."
Lo glanced to the ground for a moment. Guilt washed over her, surrounding and tainting her with the undeniable facts. The only reason it hadn't happened was because she selfishly refused to let it. Again, she inhaled.
"Let's get you something to eat and drink. Then I can catch you up on what you missed." She lifted from her seat as she moved toward the door, unsure if anyone stood nearby.
Dominik could sense there was something about Lo that wasn't of the norm. He didn't fully trust his senses however, and also didn't want to push the subject right away. As she talked about H'Ratth, and a possible transfer before, Dominik was glad it hadn't happened. The move could've been difficult, and most definitely dangerous.
"You trusted in your abilities. And it is because you trusted in yourself and the Force that I'm here right now." Dominik said, trying to reassure his Padawan that all was well.
Seeing her move to retrieve something for Dominik to eat, the older Jedi sighed and let his eyes rest, feeling his body was slightly more awake now that he had seen his Padawan.
Outside the hut, Aren stood near the door. Sar and many of the other Twi'leks had moved on and continued their duties to the village to give Lo some space and time with Dominik.
As the young Bothan emerged from the hut, Aren looked over to her. "How is he, Lo? Would you like help with anything?" She asked gently, turning to face her and letting a small, reassuring smile light up her face.
"He is still pretty weak and he needs a proper meal. Can you can bring back some meat, vegetables, and water? I still need to check him over and determine what herbs to give him." Lo stated as she stopped just within the doorway, her attention on the older Knight.
Her voice remained calm as she paused. Promptly, her head ducked back over her shoulder. Satisfied by the image of her master resting, she turned back to Aren.
"I think he will be fine, but he is to stay in bed unless supervised. No stress or extreme activity. Else I will not just deal with him, but whoever let it happen." While said in a sweet voice, it hid an undeniable threat as Lo smiled back and ducked back inside.
Aren made a mental note of the food items Lo requested. She had heard one of the Twi'leks was cooking up a bone broth with added meat, and Aren was sure she could get some vegetables thrown in. A light meal would be best for Dominik's healing but fragile body.
The Jedi Knight wasted no time heading to grab a meal for Master Rothul, Lo's words hanging at the back of her mind for a moment as she walked. Aren had a feeling it would be Dominik's own actions they'd have to look out for first.
As Lo walked back inside the hut, Dominik's eyes opened again, his ears picking up her quiet footsteps.
His eyes closed again as he took a deep, content breath. "I believe you told me you found my holocron… didn't you?"
"I wasn't sure if you could hear me or not. I worried it was my desperation that clouded my judgement and connection with you. It's good to know your gestures weren't just a reaction to mine."
Lo exhaled. Lightly her feet stepped across the hut's floor and made her way to the stool, pausing to adjust her robes. She lowered back into the seat before looking at him.
"I believe you know I'm still struggling with the password. I'm not very good with puzzles or guessing things. The protections you set up were effective, but I couldn’t leave it on the ship. It felt wrong to."
“I’m glad you took it with you…” Dominik said quietly, his eyes closed still. His chest rose and fell lightly as his mind wandered; thinking about those last moments he thought were his last, all that he had yet to tell Lo, all that he wished to tell her. But now wasn’t the time, he wanted more strength before answering some of her questions.
“What’s the one thing I always tell you to do, Lo.” He began, his eyes finally opening again as he glanced to the young Bothan next to him. “That is your answer.” He teased, smiling slightly at the young Jedi as he watched and waited for her to start figuring it out.
Lo's mouth pressed tightly together. Her head cocked to the side as she absorbed his password, finding it simple and easier than she expected. For several moments, she found it hard to believe.
"Why that word?" Her question tumbled out, urged by her curiosity.
“It’s what I live by.” Dominik answered simply. His eyes moved from his padawan to glance at his form before they closed. “All my life Lo I’ve had trust challenged, constantly. If I trust in the Force I know it will lead to me where I should be; then I trust in my friends, my fellow Jedi. It’s because of that trust that I’m still here today. If I didn’t trust and hope that they would come I might’ve died at the hands of Sith, hands that tortured me for nearly a year.” The man explained, revealing part of his past to his padawan that had yet to be mentioned.
“It’s something the Sith don’t have, Lo. They don’t trust anyone but themselves. They don’t trust in the Force, they manipulate it. That is where the Jedi and Sith differ the most… In being able to trust.”
Lo remained still. Her eyes watched and studied her master while thought rumbled around in her head. More questions wanted to surface, but she bit them back. Now wasn't the time to burden him with more. Instead, she exhaled the desire away.
"It explains why trust is important to you." She let a smile slip onto her lips as her head righted itself once more. Her vision glanced to the door, hoping to see Aren arrive with food.
Not but a few moments later, Aren walked through the doorway with a crude wooden bowl in one hand and a small wooden plate in the other. In the bowl was a Rycrit bone broth with small chunks of meat, and on the plate was a few different varieties of vegetables all cut up into smaller pieces. Ro'sara walked in behind Aren with an extra blanket in one hand and a drinking bowl of water in the other.
Both smiled to Lo as they walked inside, their eyes moving to Dominik momentarily before they approached Lo.
"If there's anything else you need Padawan, don't hesitate to ask." Aren said gently as she handed the bowl and plate to Lo.
The padawan took the bowls and plate, setting the plate and water bowl on the side table. Her hand stirred the primal spoon about the broth to cool it to a lower temperature. It wouldn't take long. Her head turned to the Jedi and Twi'lek, giving them both a smile. She paused in her stirring to point at the foot of the bed to set the blanket on.
“Thank you both. I think this is enough for now and I appreciate it." Checking the broth once more, she looked to Dominik.
"Would you like to start with the water, broth, or the vegetables first?"
It wasn't until Lo's question that the older Jedi came fully to terms with his situation and condition. He paused for a moment at her question, his gaze moving to Aren and Ro'Sara briefly. Aren smirked, she knew that look. No doubt he felt embarrassed at the fact that he needed his Padawan's help in order to feed himself. In a few days he would be stronger, but for now his waking body needed to feel itself out and fully wake once more.
He closed his eyes and sighed before finally answering. "The broth." He mumbled, causing Ro'Sara to giggle at his stubbornness. She placed the blanket at the end of the bed and left quickly with Aren, leaving the master and Padawan to themselves.
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