f2020 | hey there MoM it's me ya boy

["What did you expect to find out here, stranger?" she asks, her eyes faintly aglow. "And, tell me, why should I allow you to remain?"

The stranger's face is hidden by the hood of a dark brown cloak, making him look every bit like a mysterious Jedi Master. Or, just some random guy with a cloak.]

Nothing, if I'm being honest. And I am. As for the rest... because I won't stay long?

[Some forest critter scrambles up onto his shoulder, snuggling into the crook of his neck.]

And because they like me, if that counts for anything.

[Around the time new imPorts begin arriving, Luke will receive a private message on the network from a user named jabba.]

in town.
should i talk to the first person i see and assume you'll hear it?

sorry.
i just want to speak with you. that's all.

[ Ezra; he doesn't need to see the sarcastic message, just the ill-used name of a dead hutt, and it's still enough to bring a tired smile to his face. ]

Of course.

I can never say no to your presence.

[Obviously the best way to catch up with someone is to stumble into their faraway faction and then purposefully get captured. Right? Other people send emails, but that seems like way too much work.

Some time before the influx of new arrivals, Ezra's brought before Kylo as a suspected spy. His Jedi robes make his silhouette appear similar to that of Kylo's uncle, though his presence in the Force is noticeably different. The darkness that's always accompanied his light is creeping up more and more every day.

Meanwhile, it seems like someone forgot to tell Ezra this is supposed to be an interrogation. His voice is calm and easy going as he speaks,]

Hey. So do you wanna do this with all Force mind stuff or...?

i mean you can
where would be best to meet? i'd prefer somewhere more quiet, but it's up to you.

There is a pond by what used to be a zoo one the grounds.
The area is off limits to citizens, so no one should be there.

[ Well, it was off limits because the animals that broke out of the zoo when everything fell apart spread out that far. He was pretty sure they were mostly harmless though. ]

[It isn't every day the Sanctum receives uninvited guests. As his disciples bring Ezra before his throne, Kylo leans forward smoothly. Curiously. He lifts his hand to dismiss the guard: they obey without question.

They're alone in the cavernous chamber, now.]

Do this?

you know, i wasn't asking you to recommend a date spot.
i'll see you there.

[And so he does. Ezra's wearing a long brown cloak that certainly fits the image of a Jedi hermit, though the clothes underneath are more like a pirate who happens to really like the Earth-equivalent of Lothalite fashion. When he spots Luke, he lifts up a hand to give him a small, awkward wave. His trademark, really.]

Hey.

You know.

[He gestures to everything around them. Maybe he does know he's supposed to be interrogated right now.]

Not that I have too many secrets to be spilled...

[ Luke rolled his eyes at the response. He... was privately glad Ezra never changed. Unlike him. ]

[ For someone that bore the title of Emperor, Luke wasn't much differently dressed. His clothes were cleaner, of course; cleaned, pressed, and well cared for, but the style definitely was Jedi-like. He came to a stop some distance from Ezra, his tired and lined face taking in the sight of him, the old familiar ache appearing in his chest. He had never wanted Ezra to leave, just as he knew he would leave again after they were done talking. The hurt of seeing his back moving away from him would never really go away. ]

It's been awhile, Jabba.

[ He really couldn't help but tease him sometimes. ]

And I still haven't learned any Huttese. [he responds with a slight smile.] Not that there's anyone around who could teach me.

[Okay, there's Anakin and Luke maybe, but clearly that's as likely as learning from the actual Jabba at this point.]

How have things been? The other factions giving you any trouble?

No?

[It's a surprisingly mild question— probably because Kylo knows everyone has secrets, valuable or otherwise. Some secrets aren't even known by their keepers.

It's also rhetorical. Kylo continues:]

Then you're here for mine.

Sadly, impressing the local fauna isn't the deciding factor here. [though it may count for something; is this man a druid, perhaps? she could ask, but...better to let him say.

Cecelia's arms remain folded as she regards this fashion mistake of a shape, scanning him up and down before fixing on the darkness under the hood. such a sight would've unnerved her more as a girl, but she's seen more than her share of hooded sorts, and in a world like this? some of the worst kinds don't even bother obscuring their face.

even so, she can't rule out such an obvious display of suspicious attire; those tropes exist for a reason!]

And I'm afraid this place isn't intrinsically the sort you come and go from with any amount of frequency. That's not what it's designed for.

Not really.

[Ezra shrugs and then stretches his arms out in front of him.]

Just thought it'd be nice to talk.

Then maybe you should recheck its schematics? Since that's what I'm gonna do.

[Ezra lets out a breath, and then lets down his hood as well, a hand staying to pet the animal at his side. He's a man of almost 30, though something about him makes him seem younger and older than that at the same time.]

Look, I don't really get involved in any of... you know. I'm just passing through. Promise.

[ Luke chuckled faintly, half tempted to remind him that he remembered enough to teach him a little, but... that would involve Ezra staying, and he knew he wouldn't. ]

They're going well enough; what little disturbances we have, Darin handles well enough.

[ He frowned slightly. ]

...perhaps with more bluster than necessary.

[Cecelia doesn't answer right away, instead taking a moment to scan over the features of his face. hundreds of years of faces and conversations make even a sharp memory something hard to scour, and she doesn't get the immediate stab of familiarity from him the way others have before. she knew so many back then -- when she was just a girl, a fussy fool who blustered around like an errant stormcloud, hardly able to realize what she had and what she frivolously cast aside out of pride.

still, not knowing him immediately doesn't mean he's not worth considering a bit deeper -- especially with the almost-elvish quality to his eyes.

it'd be nice to have a hunch be right that wasn't a hunch about doom; please let him just be some humble druid this time...!

Cecelia shakes her head slightly.]

Not unless you can strip the very sense of this place from your memory yourself, I'm afraid. I don't know you, I don't know how long you've been about, roaming, but you must have gotten some inkling of the stirrings going on about the land.

Any footprints you leave will guide fouler sorts here to do us harm.

Exactly, which is why I stay out of things.

[Which is obviously easier said than done, but it's a little easier done when you're a Jedi.]

While I don't think I can erase my own memory, though I guess I've never tried... [he says as if he's actually considering it as a possibility] I can promise no one's going to get in there. It wouldn't be great for me personally if I was being followed constantly and having my mind read, you know?

[Once your ex-boyfriend starts mentally influencing everyone around him, having a mental shield turns out to be pretty important. Along with all the other Force users doing their things.]

Anyways, all I'm looking for is a quiet place I can rest and meditate for a while and then I'll be gone. If anything, I'm more interested in these furry inhabitants than anything else in this forest.

Uh-huh? I was a little worried I might be considered a disturbance.

[Although he's not trying to disturb anyone, some citizens seem more lucid in his presence. Damn competing Jedi auras.]

Your lightsaber get much use these days?

[there's a flatness to her expression that pretty much explains what she thinks about that promise of being mind-reader free. as if a guarantee like that can really fly in a world like this...! no, not with some of the news fluttering in from empires that have cropped up.]

So you'll have no qualms of simply detouring from your current course, then?

You're never a disturbance.

[ He just... had to be careful who Ezra was around, that's all. It wasn't that hard. ]

Not nearly as much as it used to.

[ Which was to say, never; he didn't have the focus for much outside of maintaining the peace his little community had. If he let it drop, even for a second... he didn't want to think about it. ]

[ What he did want to think about was Ezra. There was an uncomfortable distance between them now, and... he hated it. ]

Ezra, I...

[ He hesitated, words failing him like they always did. ]

[Kylo considers.

Most people, of course, wouldn't simply take a trip up to the frozen wastes of the arctic circle for a friendly chat with the Supreme Leader of the Sanctum Aurorae. But most people aren't self-professed Jedi with the Dark gnawing at their edges. In Ezra's position? Perhaps he too would seek out someone like Kylo Ren... if there was anyone like Kylo Ren.

He rises from his throne in fluid motion and descends from the raised dais. If they are to talk...]

What shall we talk about? The weather? History? Politics? [A pause.] The future?

[Wandering Resistance Jedi or not, Ezra doesn't like spending a lot of time in White Tower. Still, there's things he's curious about. Things he's never going to learn if he keeps spending all his time hiding away in a different faction every week.

Obviously, the White Tower's the closest one to the Porter. He can't get too close, but... maybe this'll be good enough. That thought is what's brought Ezra to the smallest park he could find within the city. He's ditched his tattered robes for something resembling the dress of the people here, hoping he can manage to hide in plain sight.

Literally, because he's just sitting in the middle of this park, meditating and reaching out with the Force. The amount of focus needed for this means he's sorta neglected to mask his presence, not that he's ever been great at that.]

Technically I don't have a course at all?

[His face is like :3c, as always. It's an annoying habit he hasn't broken yet. Not that he's tried to break it either.]

Just need somewhere I can set up camp. [Ezra gives the creature a little scratch under its neck, and it happily chitters.] I'll ask him if you're not gonna be any help.

What?

[One of the many issues with Jedi empathy is that it's incredibly tiring, whether suppressing emotions or embracing them. Ezra might not have be controlling a city, but he's still tired. Getting older has a way of doing that to people, apparently.]

If it's not something you can say, then we have the Force. Right?

[Thoughts, memories, feelings, all of those could be shared. Equally, not... well, forcefully.]

hey there MoM it's me ya boy

olin vale; cece

empire of light; luke

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sanctum aurorae; kylo

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