photophobic | [IC CONTACT]

Yes. I will find you.

[And he will. He's been dressing a little more like a native lately, but not tonight. Tonight calls for something more familiar. His robes, heavy and battle-torn.

Another time, he thinks, this might be a perfect location for a battle. But he isn't interested in fighting Luke. Not now.]

[ Luke got there before Kylo, though it was hard to sense him out. Something else was at the cave, and when Kylo stepped in, he would get to see Luke sitting near the lip of the cave, just past where the water from the falls splashed in. He would also get to see, glowing faintly in the back of the cave, a cluster of what could only be kyber crystals growing out of the far wall. ]

[ Luke looked up, managing a small smile for his nephew, though there was a stretch of pain that came with it. ]

Hey.

[He stepped inside, looking for his uncle-- and there.

There he was. And yes, those were definitely kyber crystals. Interesting- and, he supposed, it displayed a certain amount of trust.

He'd expected to feel the familiar anger on seeing Luke again, but it was conspicuous in its absence, or at least its redirection.

This Luke wasn't the man who had lied to him. If anything, right now, he bore more of a resemblance to the young man his uncle had lied to.]

Luke.

Have a seat.

[ He waved to the wall opposite him, having a feeling Kylo would be more comfortable sitting farther away from him. He glanced back at the crystal cluster, a distant look on his face, and he waited until Kylo had settled before continuing. ]

There had been a Jedi here named Revan; he was the one that found someone that could wish a kyber crystal cluster into this place. I've only told your mother and your grandfather so far.

[ Keeping it in the family, really. ]

He said he felt the same way, about the Jedi Order from his time. That they were so caught in their idea of peace they had become short sighted on what was actually right. I understand that more than ever now.

[ He let out a breath, leaning back against the cave wall. ]

Since I saw that memory, I've been trying to meditate to understand why I wouldn't tell you, but... the Force doesn't seem to like trying to give answers outside of the world we're currently on.

[He didn't really like taking direction, but in this case he did decide eventually to perch on a small ledge opposite Luke, watching him carefully. It seemed important to hear him out, at least- listening didn't mean he had to agree with him or anything else.]

I wouldn't be so confident you would find the answers even in our home galaxy. The man you become-- my uncle. He is devoted to restoring the Jedi Order, blind to its failures and shortcomings.

[ But why? Why would have have so much faith in-- ]

[ He stopped the thought before he could finish, understanding coming to his mind. The answer was obvious: he didn't come here. He didn't learn about how the Jedi used to do things. He didn't see the person his father used to be. He still had the blind faith that the Jedi that Obi-Wan and Yoda were were right and he needed to emulate that in order to bring the Jedi back to the galaxy. ]

[ Luke let out a groan, leaning back against the wall, rubbing his hands over his eyes. ]

...because I kept believing in the people that used me.

[ Future him was an idiot. ]

I don't believe B-- Obi-Wan and Yoda's intentions were malicious. But it doesn't help, considering what happens.

When attachments to individuals are forbidden, any action taken in the name of peace can be justified.

[Bitter? Possibly.]

The Jedi Code is dangerous.

I don't believe the intent is dangerous. I think the way it's been interpreted is.

[ He eased forward a little, looking up at Kylo. ]

Peace and calm are good things, but the more I learn about the old order, the more I feel that the Jedi took it to extremes it should have never been taken to.

I have never claimed that those who follow the Jedi teachings are evil. Only that they are blind to the suffering they cause.

[He doesn't move, simply watching Luke from a comfortable distance. It's strange, how different he is from the man he will become. What happens, between this and then?]

You should ask Obi-Wan. Now that he is here. Ask him what happened to your father's mother. See what lies he tells you.

[ A bitter look came to Luke's face at that. ]

...your grandfather already told me. Something similar happened to me, with your mother and father's lives in danger, and I refused to accept sacrificing them as an answer.

[ Obsessive, compulsive attachment was against the Jedi Code; Obi-Wan had clarified that much. But Yoda telling him to sacrifice his friends for his training still did not set well with him. ]

So something happens, between that and when my parents ask you to train me.
But as you all lied to me, I can't tell you what that was.

I wish I knew; I can't imagine what could have happened that I thought that was okay.

[He laughs bitterly.]

Perhaps I am such a monster even as a child that you decide it's best not to give me those footsteps to follow.

I don't believe that.

[ His response was immediate, a sincerity in his voice that was hard to mistake for anything else. ]

I think... maybe I just didn't understand how to handle your anger. Maybe I just didn't know what I was doing at all.

Nobody did.

[A long pause.]

I should go.

Okay.

[ Luke paused a moment, looking up at him. ]

...you're welcome to call me. When ever you want to.

[There are... so many things he could say to that.]

I know.

[He gets up, sniffs, settles out to his full height. Being around Luke is... he doesn't know what it is. Uncomfortable doesn't quite fit.]

...What is it you want? What are you hoping will happen?

[ Luke smiled a little sadly at that. ]

I just want to know my family.

I'm a murderer.

So's your grandfather.

[ Granted, he didn't know... the full details. Otherwise, he would have realized just how accurate that comparison was. ]

We're outside of our galaxy here, and out of our stream of time. I don't want to miss the opportunities this place presents to us.

They're meaningless. Nothing we do here can alter the sequence of events. You will lie to me, again. And I will become your enemy. Again.

Maybe when we return they mean nothing, but this isn't that time. Even if we don't remember, I don't feel like trying to reach out to each other would be a waste.

You are reaching out to a lie. The things I have done-- I remember them. Even if you can't.

I know.

[ Luke stood up then, a gentle, accepting look on his face, never mind how ridiculous it would seem to him. ]

Kylo... I still want you to be a part of my life. Even if we disagree -- on everything -- you're still family.

What would I have to have done? To make you not want to know me. What crime would I have to have committed?

[It's an odd expression on his face now. There's an intensity in his eyes that doesn't seem to match anything else.]

What do you consider unforgivable?

text > action

action

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject