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

[weetuskenraider]

"It'd be nice if me not liking it kept it from happening," Tahiri muttered. "And I have no idea how I'm going to explain this to Anakin."

She sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "I think you got the better deal, not being there."

[solo_sword]

"You not liking it might keep it from not happening," Jaina pointed out. "Was Anakin there?"

[weetuskenraider]

Tahiri nodded. "I guess it shouldn't surprise either of us which side he ended up being on, huh?"

[solo_sword]

Han and Leia had to have one kid that stayed on the right side the whole time.

"Not really, no," she agreed. There were questions she wanted to ask about it, then realized, "That really is the worst subject to broach, huh?"

[weetuskenraider]

Tahiri grunted something in Tusken that, suffice to say, compared it to being digested by a Sarlacc.

"I'll have to tell him something, if he asks." Speaking of asking questions, she almost wanted to ask what Jaina's version of her was up to. Almost. "It'll be tricky, though."

She hadn't called Jaina to ask for advice on that, though.

"You know the good thing about this happening? I don't have to wonder what I would be like, if I was evil. I know. And that means I know I don't like it."

[solo_sword]

"Did you wonder?" she asked.

Not that she could blame her if she did. If Jaina'd known at 14 what she'd go through years later, she'd probably wonder, too.

[weetuskenraider]

"I grew up with your brother," Tahiri pointed out. "I couldn't help wondering sometimes."

[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."