Costumbres

[Abrakhal Grisgoh]

JEDHA
08:41​

Bags puffing up his cheeks, Abe's tired eyes achingly veered right. Feet kicking slow, wobbly steps that fell cross-wise over each other, he felt a spasm in his chest draw in the deepest breath he could remember accidentally doing, all but burning his nostrils and waking him from a daze.

He looked at the empty orange juice container in his right hand, remembering why he had come here: Jedi cheer practice. What was it today? he tried recalling. Trust exercises? More levitating rocks? Maybe they'll just give us some watercolors and we'll paint with our fingers; your assignment today, class, is to show us what the Force means to you, have fun.

Abe tripped up his own two feet as a little boy suddenly darted across him, almost catching the kid's carelessly crisscrossing legs. Sobered surprise quickly melted away to a smile of admiration, watching the child run off unharmed in the throes of youth; Abe's jealousy only slightly sapped at his nostalgia. But that something familiar only turned sour when the baggage of his own youth came back into full view. He had to look away.

Abe turned shoulder right into a man's saggy chest, "Oops." The man was yelling after the boy, waving his arms like a madman. Abe tried to calm him down, dropping the orange juice to hold both hands to the man's chest, catching him and keeping him there for a moment and compelling him, "Easy. Easy, man. What did he take?" When the man finally made some sense, Abe gathered that the boy had been hungry and stole a bushel of grapes and some cheese wedges. Abe found it surprisingly easy to search his own pockets to find some credits to give the man to sway him to let it go, but soon realized he had none and the man was rediscovering his anger all over again, babbling something about how many times it would take for someone to do something about it and that he'd have to do it himself.


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[Levi Solus]

Levi was loving his time on Jedha, despite the trouble he had run into fighting local gangs. The locals had more or less settled down after he'd prematurely drawn his lightsaber—a mistake he would definitely not make again—though they still referred to him as "the Sith" whenever he passed by. He'd grown used to it when he first joined the Alliance, and would likely have to tolerate the nickname until he did something to get rid of it. For now, all he could do was bow his head and keep his eyes to the ground so that the citizens around him didn't start throwing rotten tomatoes at him or something.

He was on his way to a meeting with two Jedi for training, though he only had a beginner's knowledge of landmarks in the Holy City. He was slowly beginning to worry about the fact that he had no exact idea of where the trio would meet up, but his attention was quickly turned to a small altercation by a merchant's stand. A boy dashed past him and into the crowd, but Levi was more busy making his way toward the two men that were chatting—one who looked very similar to one of the Padawans he was looking for.

As the man began yelling at Abe for credits, Levi reached into his own pockets and pulled out a chit, giving it to the merchant so he may leave them alone. The Acolyte paycheck was still coming in—the Empire likely hadn't caught on to the fact that he wasn't MIA—so he had no problem with giving over some credits when necessary.

"Wait, we don't get paid to be Jedi?" he asked in mock surprise. "I was promised a regular paycheck and paternal leave."

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[Rohana Feyre]

As always, Rohana was in a foul mood. News had reached on woeful tides and, despite her frosty demeanour, the lady took it to heart. So, she had returned to Jedha. She'd do as she had always done. Mourning in silence and train with reverence. Justice would come to the fallen; the dead would be avenged.

But a commotion was heard; a dispute of some sorts? The start of a fight perhaps? Compelled by duty, Rohana advanced, taking a moment to survey the scene. The usual; street urchins stealing whilst vendors ranted and raved. Nothing special. Yet the third party's actions were marginally noteworthy; a stranger, a most dishevelled looking man, sought to compensate for the boy's crime. When he couldn't summon even a single credit, another male stepped forward, offering to pay instead. It was, to her surprise, they had then identified themselves as Jedi.



With that, Rohana frowned.



"Unacceptable." She glanced between the two of them, and to the boy who now had fled for cover.


"Since when did Jedi become the bleeding hearts of the galaxy? We aren't a charity. You would do well to remember that," This biting statement was directed more at Abe, seeing as he was the first to try and intervene. Unfortunately, Rohana possessed less than admirable empathy; her passions lay in righteous combat, not pious endeavours.


"Handouts don't win wars, gentlemen-"


She stopped, her icy eyes landing on Levi. If her instincts were correct (and they usually were), this was the rumoured defector; the Sith. Admittedly, Rohana made no effort to hide her contempt. She had little tolerance at the best of times and right now, she was far from accepting. She regarded Levi the same she did with all aligned with the dark - with suspicious and distaste.

​

​

 

[Abrakhal Grisgoh]

Levi's credit chit caught Abe mid scramble, his hands firmly cupping his butt pockets as he watched the chit pass hands, and he squinted a warm look to Levi with a gravelly, "Thanks."

"We're not some fancy Republica," Abe answered Levi's jest, or possibly legitimate concern (Abe couldn't tell?), with a questioning smile. The smile, a brief reprieve, was quickly shot down from both sides, the vendor having calmed somewhat but still going on about it not stopping the little rats from crawling back and this woman accusing them of giving handouts. Abe's senses weren't always completely focused through the fog, so his mind had to struggle to understand who this woman was and why she had a problem with what they were doing. His face said it all, brutish confusion turning at her.

It didn't take long for his dehydrated brain to squeeze it out: she was a Jedi. He was a Jedi. All of them, they were Jedi, merrily going about their Jedi business like the saints they were; Jedi, the shining light of the ancient city.

"I was just," he couldn't figure out why he was already losing this argument, "helping." He struggled to find his ground, this woman coming at him sideways, and added, "That boy's just hungry. He's only doing all he knows how to survive. He just," Abe thought somehow that all he needed doing was to explain the situation with his rough and heroic voice as though she'd missed it, "found this man's cheese and nicked a scrap for himself."

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[Levi Solus]

"Since...forever, I guess? Isn't that sort of the point of being Jedi? To help those who can't defend themselves?" he replied to the woman who had just arrived with a snarky remark about Jedi not being the bleeding hearts of the Galaxy. Levi hoped this wasn't the third addition to their group—he was getting along perfectly fine with Abe, but this woman seemed to be the biggest killjoy in all of the Galaxy and Unknown Regions.

"We're not always at war," he added, but found himself feeling conflicted. As a Mandalorian, he knew that lack of war lead to stagnation, which lead to regression. Yet, as a Jedi, he knew that peace should be the ultimate end-goal. Levi had come here to train, not have an existential crisis, but it seemed today would not be a fun day nevertheless.

"But never mind that," he finished. "Let's find a spot to train in." The marketplace was far too crowded. They'd need to find somewhere more secluded, like a courtyard or something similar.

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[Rohana Feyre]

It was like listening to a pair of children; naïve, dim-witted children. The fact they clung to such archaic ideas of chivalry was positively laughable. Typical men, talking too much about something so little.

It was because of this she regarded Abe so abruptly, scolding him in tone similar to that of a disapproving mother. "Your efforts are irrelevant, as are your motivations. If I were you, I'd focus my energy on more...meaningful endeavours."



Small problems were hardly worth the effort, at least, in Rohana's opinion. Long term solutions needed the appropriate amount of force. Rather when dealing with the rotten fruits of society, the Jedi ought to challenge the root of the problem; the Empire and its Sith. With them displaced, problems like poverty and slavery could finally be put to rest. Why couldn't anyone else see that?



Thinking of Sith, Rohana rounded on Levi. "And you... Well, your opinions are hardly worth the air they waste."



With that, the lady stalked off, intent on returning to the nearby temple; indeed she sought to train, but Hoth be damned if it was with those two disappointments. They'd only get in the way...

​

 

[Abrakhal Grisgoh]

Abe squinted so hard it hurt. His aunt's voice matched tenor with Rohana's, bearing down on his sinking head. Both her tone and likeness to Deirdre stuck a red hot poker into a wound that opened him up. Small problems were the only things that mattered to Abe. The bigger they got, the more out of reach and out of touch with reality they felt. He could do something for the boy, hungry and unjustly alone. He'd gotten hung up on fairness and injustice on a personal level, wrongs he could wrap his head around that felt like something he'd went through; if only he could right those wrongs then maybe, maybe he could right himself. But whoever wanted to fix an entire galaxy or rid the people of Sith altogether seemed the crazy sort whose heads blew up, too big for their own shoulders, floating in the clouds.

"Hey!" That last snap at Levi stung even Abe a twinge, though he was already stung and off into a stride towards her. He felt no love for the Sith, though he hadn't quite gathered that Levi was a Sith yet either. In fact he held some real knots about some things he'd seen done by the Sith and their soldiers, but he was more raw about Rohana's jabs right now. So he grabbed her arm before she could escape and growled, "Wait."

Abe felt a sudden warning shoot up his insides, the spirit of his strong stance breaking with a wince to something that hadn't come yet.

"I've got something I want to show you," he'd continue, regardless of what happened. To Levi: "The both of you." To Rohana: "You want to see something meaningful? Something real? I'll give you something to train for. Let me show you." Trying to bite down the sarcastic tone at the end, he somehow kept his cool.

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[Levi Solus]

Levi gazed at the woman as she hurled insults this way and that, the venom from her words rivaling that of Sith that he'd met before. For a Jedi, she was an awfully angry person. Memories and feelings resurfaced—of his time within the Empire, of constantly watching his back among his peers—but he ignored them, his facial expression being casual indifference. He refused to let her get to him.

"I'm in," he replied to Abe as he offered to show them something—a bit surprised that the man was clinging on to the woman so desperately. They technically didn't need her to be there while they trained, and the session would likely be much more positive without her, but Levi held his tongue and simply looked at each of them as they spoke, observing until she would throw her next retort.

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[Rohana Feyre]

How dare he lay his filthy, little hands on her. Had it been anyone else, they would soon found themselves in a -completely justified- world of pain; however, Rohana had previously been warned about that sort of behaviour. The breaking of comrades bones was hardly tolerable, no matter how rational it seemed. So, the cold woman simply glared, seeming unconcerned with Abe's furthering acts. Why was this man still attempting to engage with her? Surely he'd be wasting his breath.

His promise of something 'real and meaningful' certainly did little to excite her interest. Whenever promised something grand, Rohana usually found herself disappointed - the unfortunate price of high expectations.

So, with barely a glance, she chuffed out an empty chuckle. "Oh? Well, now I'm shivering with anticipation. Truthfully, however will I contain myself?" Sarcasm practically dripped off every word.

"Lead on, hero. And while we're at it, lets keep our hands to ourselves, shall we? For your sake..."

​

 

[Abrakhal Grisgoh]

Abe released her, his hand lingering upturned in awe and self doubt before lowering slowly.

He might've normally been angered by all this, overprotective of the children or defensive about his pride, but for some reason it almost made him chuckle. It didn't, but it almost did. It perfectly canceled out, perhaps because he was too tired or still coping with just how flipped this was. But somewhere deep inside, there was something meaningful there, there really was, guiding him and giving him purpose. It was small, but it was there. And it flickered in his eye.

"Alright, Princess Snowberries." He jovially looked back to Levi in shared jest of the grumpy girl, then to the boy who was hiding behind a pair of legs in the crowd with a curious smile on his face. "There's a place, full of treasure. It holds great value to the Jedi. But I can't take you there. That little one," pointed to the boy, "can. Let's see who can catch him first."

The boy took off, fleeing back into the dusty alley, blocked off by onlookers. Abe lightly shoved Rohana's shoulder as he pushed off his feet into a run after the boy. He didn't have time to focus the Force into his stride yet, as plenty of pedestrians barred his path. So he skipped sideways and threaded through them as fast as he could, trying to catch the little boy.

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[Levi Solus]

Though Levi couldn't feel like they were pre-schoolers playing a game, he followed along, breaking into a sprint right after Abe. The boy saw them and dashed as well, ducking into a dark alley without hesitation. Levi ran through the crowd, brushing against more people than he could count, doing his best not to knock anyone over or jolt them too hard. Soon enough, the crowd began parting as they noticed the trio of rebels running through, making space for them.

Levi was in the alley only seconds after the boy, and he saw him as he turned right into another main street. The Jedi hopeful followed along closely, closing the distance more and more by the second. His legs, far longer than the boy's, slammed into the ground, kicking up dust behind him and Levi could already feel the allergies setting in. Fighting back a sneeze, he turned right into the sunny main street, eyes scanning the crowd for the boy.

He spotted him climbing a set of scaffolding a few meters away, aiming to get up on the rooftops. Levi followed, reaching the bottom just as the kid reached the top. "He's over here!" he shouted, lifting one arm so that Abe could see him as soon as he turned the corner.

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[Rohana Feyre]

"You can't be serious-" The two took off before Rohana could even finish. For a moment, she just stood there, staring in utter disbelief. "You realise this demeans us all!"

Whether they heard her or not wasn't really the issue but chasing after the street urchin was. Rohana wouldn't dare stoop to such frivolity; she was a Jedi, not some hunting dog sent to fetch. But Abe and Levi, being the man-children that they were, were already racing off down the street. And truthfully, the lady Jedi was half tempted just to let them get on with it. They could roast in the Jedha heat. She, on the other hand, would approach this matter strategically.

Whilst the other two Jedi played kiss chase in the streets, Rohana began making subtle inquiries. She started with the market vendors, ones familiar with the boy's face before then moving further afield. The little thief was apparently well known. Soon, Roahan was following his trail quite leisurely and every so often, she'd catch the sound of ruckus in the streets; Abe and Levi no doubt, still hot on the boy's heel. They had gained impressive ground, but the alleys were a warren of twists and turns. Clearly the child was well versed them in, ducking and diving without a second thought. Rohana wondered if Levi and Abe even realised they were going in circle, crossing the same path several times over. It made her pause however. The boy was obviously leading them on a wild chase; was this intentional? Maybe to tire them out. Maybe she'd ask him, when this whole fiasco was over.

Levi's shouting confirmed the final location. Whilst the others had a noticeable sweat, Rohana remained brisk and smug. Rushing into things was foolish, even at the best of times. Cool headed inquiry trumped every time.

Stepping noticeable away from Levi, Rohana peered upwards, surveying the scene in thought. She contemplated the easiest methods of capture before finally deciding on something rather extreme. "We should collapse the scaffolding; one of you would need to catch him though."

Jedha wasn't exactly a modern city; the structure infront of them was visibly unsound and the pipes surrounding it were rusty at best.

Having felt they'd wasted more than enough time, Rohana made her move, unwilling to wait for the opinions of her two acquaintances. She felt her actions were justifiable. "Those platforms won't support either of your weight; its now or never gentleman."

With a flick of the wrist supporting pipes came loose; they crashed to the ground with a hail of dust and sand. Roahan was using the force to quite literally tear the supports down. The boy's footing would come unsteady, especially as the poorly made platforms came loose from the building. Unceremoniously, Rohana ensured the boy came clear of the falling debris.

It was up to Levi and Abe to act. "Catch."

​

 

[Abrakhal Grisgoh]

Though Abe led the charge for the chase, he quickly spotted Levi slipping past him through the crowd into the alley and through to the other side. Abe was cumbersome and too concerned with the pedestrians. And though the crowd eventually parted, Abe found himself already on a path parallel to Levi's with some barrels and bins between them and made the split decision to hike his heavy boots up along them, putting Abe on a run across an obstacle course. The longer he played 'the floor os lava' the harder it became to quit, finding himself splitting vendor's stalls and leaping over peoples' heads. He tried following Levi, now having lost sightline of the boy, leaping from rickety planks to building-side banisters to wobbly canopy spires until the boy emerged just ahead of Levi, Levi's voice calling out the boy, head popping up along some scaffolding.

Abe heard Rohana's voice (had they been circling her?), realizing he was heading straight for the scaffolding that she threatened to upend when he saw something through the draped linens hung diversely about the roof's edge; it was already too late. Abe's momentum carried him straight at the boy, feeling the desire to reach him send a surge of Force energy through his legs that shot his body into a dive. Unexpected and powerful as it was, the energy sent Abe flying just over the boy and he missed the catch, arms hugging air as he rotated over head and called out, "No!"

The linens caught Abe as he crashed through the structure into its depths.

When the smoke and dust cleared, the structure would reveal more than just a simple home. The outer barriers were hollow, thinly veiled to copy nearby architecture, camouflaging an inner room that acted as a secret entryway. Now the secret had been revealed, a cushiony drop spot that smaller bodies could fall through from the roofing and climb down even further below ground. And under all the lean wreckage, once removed, the portal to the undercroft would expose a mostly unharmed and confused Abe on his back amidst a pillowed mess of feathers and hay and cloth at the center of a dozen kids the same age as the boy. Each of them were starved and scared, covered in dust with straw in their hair, looking around with fear. Scraps littered the floor and the smell wafted into the air. There were no jewels or stolen possessions here, just kids who were hungry and alone, surviving together.

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[Levi Solus]

"No!" he shouted in response. Collapsing the scaffolding would be dangerous not only to them, but to those around them. Hell, the boy was already 2 stories up; there was a very high chance of him—or Levi—breaking something. The Jedi hopeful continued climbing, reaching the first floor when he felt the scaffolding wobble.

"You b—" Levi exclaimed, getting cut off as he lost his grip on the shaking wooden poles and began falling in a fountain of dust and rubble. A loud whoosh warned nearby pedestrians of the malfunction, though fortunately most of them were well out of the range of the rocks and other building materials.

He fell for what felt like a few seconds but was likely an instant, slamming into cold hard stone. His back made contact first, and Levi let out an "Oof! as the air was knocked out of his lungs, dust falling down in his eyes and blinding him. His head came next, banging down on the rock. He struggled to rise, his arms barely moving, and had begun succeeding when another weight dropped down on him like a sack of potatoes. Realizing—in his concussed state—that the weight was the boy, he quickly wrapped his arms around the figure to keep him from running off. He writhed around like a snake, trying to break free from Levi's grasp, but the Jedi hopeful held on tight.

"I—" he choked, coughing out all the dust in his mouth. "I—got—him!" he finished hoarsely.

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[Rohana Feyre]

Not exactly how she expected things to work out, but all and all, the same result. The boy was apprehended and now within this custody. Mission accomplished. Single mindedness was an unfortunate facet of Rohana's personality; once on task, she was hard to deter and even harder to oppose. Never was this more evident than in the passiveness of her features. She cared little for the ensuring destruction, nevermind the fact she was the one who caused it. In her opinion, the damage was all minor. Merely external. In order to win the day, somethings had to be sacrificed. Regrettable, yes, but necessary.

Barely sparing Levi a second glance, Rohana instead only offered a vague dismissal. "Were you hoping for a medal?" She would not praise him, not for doing what was expected on him. All he had to do now was keep his grip on the boy; a simple task (or so she hoped).

Whilst Levi dealt with the boy, Rohana's eyes scanned the surrounding area and waited for the dust to settle. Meagre figures could be seen within the confines of the structure and Rohana's gaze hardly lingered. They were feeble creatures; why bother feigning interest? They were searching for a greater prize, not urchins and orphans.

"I see no treasure..." An annoying revelation. Rounded on Abe, Rohana was intent on confronting him. "You lied to us."

 

[Abrakhal Grisgoh]

Abe raised his hands, trying to calm the children. They looked so scared. One of them stared at him a little differently than the rest, no doubt because Abe looked the fool with feathers and cloth draped around him like some sort of dusty rag tag bird costume. He heard Levi claim victory and began to feel a smile spread across his face, a foreign feeling but a welcomed one. He was about to call out with congratulations when he heard Rohana's chastisement cut through his moral so quick he felt her words cut down through his gut when she hadn't even aimed them at him to begin with.

"Hey," he started at her, somewhere vaguely off in the distance, shifting his weight and hefting his elbows back to push himself up to his seat in this impossible cushiony trap. But then she came into view, already on him.

"This is the treasure! They are the great value to the Jedi! Them!" He held his hands up, out to each of them. "Look at them. What is our reason if not them? Look at their faces! They are the faces of everything we aim to protect. She is the Rodian who's been wandering the deserts of Tatooine for a scrap to sell so she can feed her starving children, children who want to see the stars. He is the Ithorian who has to choose between giving his family water or using it to terraform a barren field. Each one represents someone we can help change the galaxy, one insignificant wretch at a time. We can help them, when we're there, when we see them. Well right here, we can see them! We can help them. And not because one day one of them may become the Rebel commander that saves the galaxy, but because it's right."

Abe's chest was heaving with adrenaline, just now realizing he'd given one of those speeches he never thought he'd give. His emotions were running away from him and now he wished he wasn't sprawled on his back in a feather wrap with a judgmental ice queen staring back down at him. But he'd meant every word. He'd helped some of these kids before, even recognized one of them. If there was even a shred of decency in Rohana, then Abe could get going on the real training he had in mind. But he knew it was a stretch.

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[Levi Solus]

"It—" he choked out more dust, and let the child rise to his feet, clearly having surrendered to the Jedi-to-be. "It wouldn't hurt!" Levi shot back to Rohana, scrambling to get up, kicking up more dust and getting sprayed with it. He would need to take a shower later, fully dressed.

Children—and a few adults—had begun gathering, appearing from behind the cloud of dust like mirages. Some got close, others stayed as far back as they could while also observing. They knew that the trio were Force-sensitive, but that wasn't why they were so shocked. No, they were well acquainted with Force-sensitives on Jedha. There were many temples scattered around the Holy City that consisted of nothing but "magicians." What intrigued these street urchins was the fact that they were in the presence of Jedi. They were still idealized, even as legends, especially with the alleged rise of the Order. Seeing them in person was bound to shock any of the kids. Hell, even the adults were shocked.

"I see what you mean," Levi replied after Abe finished talking. "And I agree."

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[Rohana Feyre]

A thunderous scowl clouded Rohana's expression. She was not impressed. Not in the least. Not with the children and most certainly not with Abrakhal; look at him, ranting and raving like some self-professed messiah. If anything raised her hackles, it would be this. Time grace this wayfarer with some of her own -realistic- wisdom.

"You..." The lady Jedi would not restrain herself, "You are what's wrong with the Jedi. You call yourself a Jedi but you're far from it; bleeding heart philanthropists. Useless preachers that are no better than pests. You align yourself with the greater good yet do nothing to champion for it. Instead, you waste valuable time and effort, distracting others from the real threat at hand - The Empire, their mongrel Sith war dogs! Tell me, will these children be our saving grace? These homeless vagrants our miraculous weapons? You, a destined commander of the light?"

SHe then forced out a harsh bark of laughter and it was a sound quite unpleasant to hear. "I think not. All I see is one blight after another." One by one, Rohana stared at those who now looked on at the trio. She regarded each and every one of them the same way she looked at Levi. Without interest. Without care.

Turning once more to Abrakhal, the pale lady sought to make her opinion crystal clear. This man would know her displeasure. "I see nothing. They are nothing." Her teeth were so clenched, the words were all but hissed. "As are you. " She let the words linger for a moment, hoping that something would get through to that addled brain. She wouldn't hold her breath or stay a second longer.

"You've wasted enough of my time. Never again." With that, Rohana turned and left, wiping her hands of the both of them, and Abrakhal's laughable contemplations.

 

[Abrakhal Grisgoh]

His eyes slowly sank with his soul. Her every word crushing his spine, he bent into his empty gut. Shoulders rounding, his eyes darkened. He frowned at his feet, seated in a puddle of defeat.

If at first he was winded by his fit of passion, now Abrakhal was ground to pieces beneath Rohana's heel. By the time he managed to muster a mumble, she was already gone. He'd gotten the brunt of bitterness before from all different angles, reveled in it even, but never from one of them. The Jedi were supposed to be different. His anger at those who'd tried to beat him down only made his shoulders broader, curled his back in protection over those who couldn't survive it on their own like he had. But those were outsiders looking in. This was a sucker punch he hadn't seen coming.

A boy stirred, rocking the cushiony floor. He crawled towards Abe and his little hand touched his sleeve. Abe's eyes heavily turned toward the hand, hanging there tightly now, blinked, and traced it back to its owner's eyes - those eyes. There in the boy's face, compelled awe.

In that stare, he found faith. Turning into a labored rise, Abe stood and opened his hand to the little boy. He obliged. Abe walked him to the wall, replaced his hands under the boy's arms and began lifting each child out of the pit, "Let's get you out of here and find you a new home." To the boy, "I'm going to show you something. You will have an important job from now on. I'm counting on you."

Abrakhal finally looked directly at Levi now, half checking if he was still there and half to see if he was still on for the very specific challenge ahead. Determination flickered in his saddened eyes, mind already made up. And he said, as though asking for his help, "I want to do something. Something illegal."

@vamp