Ask Naboo Now There Are Two of Them

Quin Leonkri

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Quin knew what the incoming call on his comms was about even before he accepted it.

“Hello?”


“It’s Kam. Your girlfriend’s looking for you, and she sounds kind of desperate. Should we let her in?” Quin’s eyes widened in surprise. She’d come back? Then he realized what Kam had referred to her as, and he frowned.

“She’s not my— whatever. And yes, please do.” Desperate? He was half-confused, half-hopeful as he hung up and went outside, peering outside the door to see that the gate had opened. When she arrived, he would open the door for her like he had the first day, as if nothing had happened.

“So… how are you?” he would ask as he saw her. It was a lame question, but he wanted to break the awkward silence that had fallen between the two. “You wanted to see me?"

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Sola Zappal

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Sola let out a tiny breath of relief as the guards let her through. She pretended not to notice it when one guard called her Quin’s girlfriend. Better to let that kind of sentiment grow.

When she crossed the threshold, she ignored Quin’s first question. “I need to tell you something,” she said, holding on to a little of her cold tone from earlier.

If Quin let her speak, she would glance over her shoulder before facing forward again. She would begin to talk quietly. “I was forced into the Sith and the ways of the dark side by my father after he killed my mother. He forced me to learn his ways, and when he thought I was ready, he gave me these scars. I have been on my own ever since, on the run from the Sith but still I live with the constant reminder that they are a part of me,” she finished. There were huge pieces she had left out but there was enough truth in there for Quin to believe her. She waited for his reaction.



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Quin Leonkri

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Quin nodded, noting the little motion Sola made to look behind her shoulder. That only piqued his curiosity. He closed the door behind her and let her go on, interested to hear what she had to say.

He met her gaze as she spoke, taking in her words as she told her story. It saddened him to think that someone would treat any child that way, and he couldn’t help looking at her scar when she mentioned her father giving it to her. But it wasn’t a look of disgust, fear, or pity— it was a look of soft admiration.

“You’re brave for running from him,” he commented quietly once she finished. “Not just anyone has the guts to run away from the Sith.” He paused. “It’s not too late, you know. The Sith might be a part of you, but you can come with me, to Yavin. The Jedi can teach you how to move on, start a new chapter in your life. There are plenty of great Jedi who were Sith before, so it does work. We could train together.” He smiled a bit at that, offering her his hand. “What do you say?”

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Sola Zappal

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Quin played right into Sola’s hands. Conflict flickered across her features for a split second and she only realized it afterwards. She ducked her head, her mind racing.

Slowly she lifted her head and forced herself to stare Quin dead in the eyes. “I can’t, they’ll come after me,” she said, real fear sparking in her gaze. She was still racked with nightmares on a daily basis and when she woke up it took a while to remember her father wasn’t coming for her. She had taken care of that.



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Quin Leonkri

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When Sola’s gaze met his, Quin could tell that it seemed forced. But he could understand why she was afraid, if she’d been on her own for so long.

“Even if they did, we would be able to stop them. You’ll have the entire Jedi Order at your back,” he said earnestly. “And I’ll be there for you. Just give me a call, and I’ll do everything in my power to help.” He meant it. If there was someone coming after Sola, who he now considered a friend no matter what the circumstances, he would be there to protect her.

“Joining the Jedi was the best decision of my life. I promise you won’t regret it.”

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Sola Zappal

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Sola was quiet. She didn’t know if she trusted her voice not to betray her. She managed a short exhale and kept her gaze locked on Quin’s. “How will you convince the Jedi to trust me?”

Her mind was still racing but she did a surprisingly good job of hiding it. She also did her best to ignore the tone of Quin’s voice. It made her doubt herself and it filled her with a feeling she was not used to.



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Quin Leonkri

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Quin’s tone was gentle now as he responded.

“I won’t lie to you— there will be some distrust in the beginning.” It was only natural. Jedi and Sith had been enemies for millennia, and it wasn’t often that they met peacefully, outside of the battlefield. “But once you show them who you are, that you’re willing to learn, the people who doubt you will concede that they were wrong.”

It was an idealistic view of things, but Quin really did believe that the Jedi would be able to look past where someone came from and focus on the present and the future instead.

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Sola Zappal

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Sola was silent this time. He had such faith and trust in the Jedi. If they were so righteous, where they when Sola’s mother, one of their own treasured knights, was slaughtered? Where were they when Sola was abused and dunked into the dark side? In Sola’s experience, the dark side provided comfort. Maybe not peace or love, but a relief.

She didn’t say any of this to Quin but doubt still played across her features. Even though she was silent, it was not hard to read the question on her face. What do we do now?



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Quin Leonkri

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Quin took note of Sola’s silence and decided to back off a bit. It was a lot to process, he could imagine, not to mention how it wasn’t a split-second decision. Even for himself, it had taken two to three years to work up the courage to fly to Yavin against the will of his parents.

He took a breath. “Like… before, I want this to be entirely your decision. I won’t force you into it if you don’t want to. But if you ever decide to change your mind about the Jedi, you know who to call.” He gave her an encouraging smile. They could take this one step at a time.

“For now, would you like some tea?”

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Sola Zappal

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Sola still kept silent as Quin talked. She definitely would have to pretend to want redemption to get the Jedi to trust her. She didn’t even know if it would work because her soul was way too dark to cure.

When he suggested tea, she nodded slowly, even though she didn’t like tea. She followed him to an elaborately decorated room. She perched on the edge of an arm chair and held her tea cup with both hands. For some reason her eyes were drawn to Quin, who sat across from her. It worried her that he seemed to care about her so much.



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Quin Leonkri

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At Sola’s nod, Quin smiled.

“Great! I’ll make you some Tarine tea. It’s one of my favorites,” he said. He led Sola to the living room, offering her a seat. “Make yourself comfortable. I’ll be right back.” With that, he headed over to the kitchen, wondering if her silence was a good sign or not.

Within a few minutes he was back, and he handed Sola’s cup over to her as he took his own and and sat down on the armchair across from her. He noticed that she was looking at him, and he couldn’t help but wonder what she was thinking about.

“Careful, it’s hot.” He was certain she was aware of it already, but the silence was deafening. “Do you like it?”

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Sola Zappal

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Sola sipped the tea after Quin asked if she liked it. It was indeed hot and also slightly sour, which actually appears to Sola. The bad taste distracted her from the uncomfortable tension in the room.

She dropped her gaze and looked at her feet. Panic followed by anger snaked through her system. She was beginning to wonder what she was getting herself into if everyone who knew Quin thought they were romantic and if Quin wasn’t exactly turning them down. He had to want something. He was recruiting, right? He must think if he cleanses her poor black soul his higher ups will be impressed and give him a rank up.

She finally pulled up her gaze. “It’s good,” she said about the tea, finally answering his question. She was stumped currently.



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Quin Leonkri

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He’d thought that by leaving her alone for a few minutes and making her some food, or in this case tea, would loosen the tension a bit, but it was still there as he noticed her looking at the floor after drinking it. However, she did look up to respond to him, and he cracked her a smile as she did.

“That’s… good,” he said afterwards. With Sola’s gaze still on him, he didn’t know what else to do except to take a sip of his own tea to alleviate some of the lingering awkwardness. The tangy flavor was just how he liked it, and, forgetting about the situation at the moment, he finished his cup rather quickly. The loud clink of the china as it touched the cup plate brought him back to the present situation as he once again looked at Sola.

“Do you need some time alone?” he asked before he could stop himself. That came out a little too blunt, and he winced inwardly. “I mean, it’s a lot to process, I know, and I don’t want to make you feel pressured or anything. I can, uh, take you to your room if you want. And I can stay in mine. Or something. Whatever.”

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Sola Zappal

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Sola opened and closed her mouth. Would it seem desperate if she asked him to stay? Before she had too much time to think about it, it was already out of her mouth. She shut her mouth after speaking. And curled a little into herself. This awkwardness had to go.

“What do you want from me?” She said to fill the suddenly tense silence.

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Quin Leonkri

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Quin was taken aback by the sudden question. It came out of nowhere, but it didn’t sound unpleasant, at least.

“What do I want?” he echoed, and blinked away his surprise. “Nothing. Just for you to feel comfortable.” He answered honestly. Whatever decision Sola made, whether it was to stay here, go to her room, join the Jedi or run from the Sith, he wanted it to be her own choice, a choice that she could feel comfortable with. He didn’t want to force anyone into anything.

“I just… want you to feel happy. Whatever I can do.”

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Sola Zappal

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Sola didn't know what to say to that. No one cared whether she was happy or not. Instead of having an answer to her question, it only made her more confused. "Why," she said in a softer tone. She didn't know what was wrong with her; she couldn't just take someone being genuinely nice to her: it was as if she was asking Quin to abuse her. To say she had trust issues was an understatement.



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Quin Leonkri

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Sola seemed so surprised that Quin wanted her to be happy, he almost wanted to ask why himself.

“Why not?” he said instead, then realized answering a question with another question was probably not a good idea. He tried again. “I would assume that you want to be happy… right?” Was happiness not a Sith thing? He found that hard to believe. No one would actively want to live in a cloud of misery, would they?

He also offered a more practical answer, one that his parents would probably approve of. He tried to sound dignified, like them.

“Well, also, as the, uh, host, it’s my duty to ensure the comfort of my guest. And in this case, that guest is you,” he said with a winning smile before realizing his acting wasn’t cutting it.

“I just… do. It’s the right thing to do, I think.”

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Sola Zappal

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Sola was speechless. She had somehow ended up standing, her mostly unfinished tea sitting on the table.

She kept silent as she slowly walked out of the room, heading towards her room. Her eyes met Quin’s on the way out and she found herself wondering if she should thank Quin or punch him.



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Quin Leonkri

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Once again, Sola just got up without a word and left, leaving Quin wondering what he’d said or done. Maybe it’s a Sith thing. The thought entered his mind for the millionth time today.

He noticed her looking at him before she left, and he smiled back briefly before she disappeared into the hall. Having nothing else to do, Quin decided to clean up the two cups, noticing that Sola’s was relatively untouched. She clearly wasn’t a fan of Tarine tea, but he wasn’t surprised— its distinct flavor wasn’t for everyone.

And so he took the cups back to the sink, poured out the rest of Sola’s as he began to wash. One cup full, one cup empty. Which one am I? And filled with what, but Tarine tea? It was a strange thought that entered his mind as quickly as it left.

One thing was for sure, though. Quin would have a new outlook on the Sith after today. Were they really as bad as the other Jedi said they were? It seemed like an absurd thought— of course they were, he wanted to say— but now he wasn’t so confident.

He just hoped that whatever circumstances were to come, they wouldn’t place him and Sola against each other.

[Exit Quin]

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