Tahiri's Favorite Spot on the Beach, Monday Afternoon

[weetuskenraider]

It was a bigger relief than she'd admit to when Tahiri could sense Jaina's presence on the island again -- partly, she had to admit, because she was kind of trying to avoid Anakin.

She'd been evil again, or close to it, in that other reality; this was starting to become a troublesome trend, and it bothered her. Also bothersome: she couldn't even talk to her best friend about it without explaining far more than she was ready or willing to divulge. So really, it was a good thing Jaina was around.

Tahiri headed out to her old favorite spot on the beach and sent Jaina a quick message: I could use your help figuring out a few things.

That done, she settled onto a rock to watch the waves.

[OOC: For the aforementioned canon girlfriend for real on-island Solo who isn't played by me.]

Comments

[solo_sword]

Jaina was quiet for a moment, then said, "For what it's worth, I don't think you would turn out evil. Not this version of you."

[weetuskenraider]

"That makes one of me." She tried to spin that as a joke, but it came out a little ragged. "I like to think you're right, though."

[solo_sword]

"I told Jacen what happened to Ben's version of him," she said, speaking slowly like she was waiting for the right words to come, "and he made decisions to put him on that path anyway. I think you see too much of the possibilities to knowingly do the same thing. I worry for my Tahiri, I worry for Ben's, but I don't worry about you there."

It'd break her heart if she turned out to be wrong, but again, she didn't worry about that.

[weetuskenraider]

"Because I think I'm the only one who has two of you around," Tahiri suggested. That time she really did make it sound like a joke, except she meant it, too.

[solo_sword]

"Oh, if ever I saw you going that way, there'd be a talk," she assured her. Even if the other Jaina might not necessarily see it.

[weetuskenraider]

"I don't doubt that at all," Tahiri replied. "Just to be fair, I'd return the favor if I had to."

[solo_sword]

"Thanks," she said. "And you will never have to."

Seriously, she could never do that to her family after Jacen.

[weetuskenraider]

"I'd better not." Tahiri didn't actually think she had to worry about that, and she wasn't about to mention that Jaina had already gone through that phase.

She tucked her knees up against her chest and dug her toes into the sand. "How are things at home, anyway?" she asked carefully.

[solo_sword]

She took a breath, suddenly finding the water really interesting, mostly because she still couldn't look people in the eye when she talked about it. "Jacen's dead."

She figured that would explain just about everything there.

[weetuskenraider]

Tahiri winced and pushed a wave of sympathy toward her in the Force. "Ah. That part." She had a pretty good idea what that version of her might have been up to recently, and now she felt bad about worrying about some alternate-reality version of herself in light of that.

"In that case, I'm extra glad you're here."

[solo_sword]

"I am too," she said, managing a small smile. "That you made it back fine, by the way."

She didn't know more than that, but it was something.

[weetuskenraider]

"That's something, I guess," Tahiri agreed. "How are you doing?"

[solo_sword]

"Better than I was a few weeks ago?" she said with a shrug. "I'm dealing. I'm not actively working right now so I'm trying to get back to normal without that."

Which wasn't so easy to do when your normal reaction to bad stuff was to bury yourself in work.

[weetuskenraider]

Tahiri whistled softly. "Wow. Good luck with that."

She knew Jaina's coping methods.

[solo_sword]

"Thanks. This is why there's a lot of travel happening in a short amount of time," she said.

[weetuskenraider]

"Makes sense." Tahiri half smiled. "If I'd taken my X-Wing in, I'd ask you if you wanted to help me give it a checkup before I go."

[solo_sword]

"Now I wish you had," Jaina said with a smile. "How are things there?"

[weetuskenraider]

"Very, very educational," Tahiri told her. "For everyone involved, I think, but for me especially. There's some fascinating differences between the way we're accustomed to seeing the galaxy and the way the Yuuzhan Vong do, but trying to find the common ground is actually fun. There's some odd . . . not similarities, exactly, but . . ."

She bit her lip, trying to find the right word in Basic, and held both hands up a few inches apart from each other. "Parallels. The same ideals, just assigned to different values."

[solo_sword]

Jaina frowned, considering this. "I never thought we'd have anything like similarities to them," she admitted.

But then, Jaina'd probably have a Han-level grudge against them forever.

[weetuskenraider]

"I'm not sure many other beings would think so," Tahiri said, shrugging. "To be fair, that goes both ways. It's sometimes just as hard to convince them of it."

[solo_sword]

"And they're behaving?" she checked. "Not running you ragged or anything?"

What, like she was going to tell them off if they were?

[weetuskenraider]

Tahiri couldn't quite smother a laugh at the mental image of Jaina scolding the Zonama Sekot colonists like recalcitrant children.

"Nothing I can't handle. I promise."

[solo_sword]

"If you've lasted this long, I believe you," she assured her.

[weetuskenraider]

"You have an awful lot of faith in me," Tahiri mused. "Even after some of the things I -- sort of -- did. That hasn't gone unnoticed."

[solo_sword]

"Well, you've never given me reason not to," Jaina said.