04. mental link

[exhuxperation]

COMMAND over oneself and others	AMBITION nothing will stand in my way
ORDER chaos will not be tolerated	MANY over the individual

( CODE BY WHAMBAM )

Comments

[snaphiss]

[Something about that vulnerability catches Mara's sympathy as well as her attention. He's telling her story, though he can't know it. This man is an ally; there's truly no reason to ponce on his weaknesses.]

It won't get easier, [she says, calm and collected, but in her mind, the memories of hiding, running, explosions and screaming, all flare into a fever pitch.] You'll have to... rebuild yourself.

this sure is 100 years late

[exhuxperation]

[ Her words sound too much like pity at first and he wants nothing to do with it. But, after the rush of shame and failure, he collects his thoughts– she's merely understanding. Only a few moments before, she mentioned that she had seen the Death Star destroyed. Old enough to remember it. Young enough to feel as though her entire foundation crumbled underfoot.

They have a similarity. Maybe even moreso than he and Ren did. ]

Where does one even start. [ Being thrust into the Nest hadn't been an ideal way to start all over. He's still too defensive, too closed off. ]

fffff

[snaphiss]

[Mara considers how to answer. Being too truthful would show her hand, reveal more of herself than she cares to. Instead, Mara makes a deliberately misleading statement.]

[Dryly,] I started at a bar, myself.

[exhuxperation]

[ He turns his gaze to her, eyebrows raising slowly and in fractions. ]

Didn't get enough of poor souls pouring their miserable stories at your feet while you served? [ Is that a hint of a smile??? ]

[snaphiss]

[Mara snorts.] I never said I served. [She grins, bitter.] How observant of you.

[A lifetime of training in combat, espionage, slicing, mechanics, engineering, the Force, all to become a waitress.]

[exhuxperation]

You'll have to forgive me, having a Commandant for a father has made it easier to know what to look for.

[ Both of them– a lifetime dedicated to an Empire that has crumbled into dust twice over. Years of his life climbing the ladder with only his mind as a weapon. It means nothing here. ]

Either way, I do hope I was able to give you the information needed regarding your original query.

[ They don't have to talk about the past. ]