A bar in Baltimore- Wednesday

[notconflicted]

Sia didn't typically cop to things like needing a break, but privately at least she had to admit that the last few days here had been really helpful. Turns out that being surrounded by war and politics all the time might be detrimental, especially when you didn't actually want to be doing it. Who knew.

Well, okay, Atton knew, and had been telling her that for a while, but that was not the point.

She was out with him tonight, hitting up some bar off island, and that felt really needed, too. For a lot of reasons. So once they got there and found a table, Sia asked, "So what drink are you having me try tonight?"

[For Atton!]

Comments

[suitably_heroic]

Atton ran his fingers through his hair. "He pulled the old healing trick, didn't he," he said.

[notconflicted]

Sia frowned. "Yes. You know about that?"

[suitably_heroic]

"Let me put it this way, I still have him in my head. Faintly," Atton said, pulling a face. "I don't like people in my head."

[notconflicted]

The frown deepened. "Wait, when was this?"

[suitably_heroic]

"When everyone found out I used to be Sith because a bunch of them showed up and gutted me," Atton said brightly. "It was a great day, I can tell you that much."

[notconflicted]

"I'm sorry," she said. And after a beat added, "About all of it."

[suitably_heroic]

Atton shrugged. "It's ten years ago for me," he said. "Now I'm not about to claim I get over anything that easily, but there's been a lot-- a lot," he finished. "Besides, your brush with Cade's ugly healing hands is a lot more recent."

[notconflicted]

"I don't seem to have the added side effect of having him in my head, though," she said.

[suitably_heroic]

"Okay, I take it back: I hate you," Atton said. "Force bonds are a pain in the ass."

[notconflicted]

"I don't doubt that. It's exhausting enough being inside your own head without adding other people to it," Sia said.

[suitably_heroic]

"And I've worked really hard to keep people out of my head," Atton agreed. "It feels unfair, though people have done worse."

Not to speak ill of the dead.

[notconflicted]

"Do I want to know?" Sia asked.

[suitably_heroic]

"She's dead and buried now."

And it was probably best not to get into the impossible shadow of Meetra Surik.

[notconflicted]

"I'm going to take that as a no," she said slowly. She knew who he meant, but no details, so as far as she was concerned it was up to him.

[suitably_heroic]

"It's complicated," Atton said, after a long pause. "Turns out the Force can do a lot of funny things, not just juggle lightsabers and heal people."

[notconflicted]

"Funny things that are worse than a bond?" she said.

[suitably_heroic]

"Funny things with bonds," Atton said slowly. "She made them very easily. Clicked with people, just like that. And after what happened to her at Malachor... she started to be able to tap into other people's Force connections that way."

[notconflicted]

"Such as yours?" Sia said, watching him carefully.

[suitably_heroic]

"Yeah," Atton said, after a moment. "It helped her kickstart her own connection to the Force again, I think."

[notconflicted]

"So what's the bad part?" she asked.

[suitably_heroic]

"'Cause it's a fucked up, weird thing to do," Atton said slowly. "And because it made me throw up when I felt her die."

Oh.

He hadn't been planning to say that.

[notconflicted]

Sia wasn't surprised he had said it, really.

"I'm sorry," she said, unthinkingly reaching for his hand.

[suitably_heroic]

"Sometimes I think nobody should have something like the Force," Atton said. "We can't handle it."

But he let her take his hand without comment.

[notconflicted]

"And the ones who can handle it tend to be prone to getting screwed over or killed by those who can't." She'd thought a lot about that the last couple days. "Unfortunately we don't get a choice."

[suitably_heroic]

"Kreia thought we did," Atton said. A pause. "Though it was Kreia, so she might have been lying about it."