Not Milliways Continuity :Aftermath, here be spoilers.

[last_kallig]

Ibani feels....well, she's not sure how to describe what she feels. She comes through the door to Milliways looking shaken and pale, vulnerable. She hates being vulnerable.

Darth Zash tried to steal her body, her identity, her power, her legacy, and was within a hair's breadth of success. Ibani is trying not to think about it, because she's afraid that if she starts to fall apart in here there will be no getting herself back together.

She has her hands wrapped around a mug of something intensely alcoholic, but she hasn't drunk any of it yet. Her hands are shaking, you see, and they never shake.

Comments

[iprotectyou]

Baze offers her a grim smile in return. "Good," he says, nodding exactly once. "Hopefully he'll never relinquish control to her--though either way, you win. What will you do now?"

[last_kallig]

"Survive the investigation into the...accident that killed Darth Zash," Ibani replies. "We're not allowed to blatantly murder one another, after all."

"And figure out how to train the two apprentices of hers that I've inherited, who are both older than me."

[iprotectyou]

"Ah," Baze says, still massaging her shoulders, and moving on to a particularly stubborn knot in the middle. "Do you think they'll pin it on you, given that she attacked first? Or will you be able to conceal the facts in your favor?"

[last_kallig]

Ibani sighs as he hits that knot. "Well, from a certain point of view, it WAS an accident. She left her body to take mine, which resulted in that body's death. And she certainly didn't PLAN on winding up in Khem Val."

"And Darth Thanaton hates her, which may make him less inclined to dig into things too far. Although I have a nasty feeling all the artifacts I gathered will wind up in his custody as 'evidence' interminably."

[iprotectyou]

"Hopefully he won't become too powerful with them," Baze says, shaking his head. He's meticulous about the shoulder rub, as he always is about these things, starting on her left side and working his way across to her right. "I'm glad you might be able to escape this unscathed--well, at least politically. I can tell you're upset otherwise, and don't mean to discount that."

[last_kallig]

"Hopefully," Ibani agrees. "And I need to find a way to get Zash out of Khem Val. Permanently. She's cunning, and she's got nothing but time. She's certainly the kind to try and get around the bond to find a way to hurt me."

"Yes. I'm, I feel...torn? Like something's ripped a hole in me."

[iprotectyou]

"Oh, Ibani," Baze says with a soft sigh. He abandons the kneading and wraps his arms around her again, holding her close. "I'm so sorry. Do you think that will fade in time? It had better."

[last_kallig]

"I hope it will, it has to," she says, leaning into Baze. "Right now it hurts to use the Force to actively DO anything."

And that would be a death sentence, in her position.

[iprotectyou]

"It hurts to use the Force?" Baze says, shuddering. He buries his nose in her hair, squeezing her tight. "I can't even imagine what that must be like. You can stay here until it fades, right? Until you recover?"

[last_kallig]

Ibani nods, hugging him tight. "I plan to. I'm not going back until I'm at 100%."

"It's like my soul is bruised," she explains. "I don't know how else to describe the sensation."

[iprotectyou]

"Good," Baze says, caging her in his massive, meaty arms. He cuddles her close, tucking her into that one comfortable spot in his armor between his arm and his chest. Chirrut's spot. "A bruised soul sounds awful. And bruises are tender for a long, long time. I hope you recover quickly. Is there anything we can do to help?"

[last_kallig]

This feels nice, no wonder Chirrut is so fond of cuddling up to Baze like this!

"So do I. I don't think there's anything you can do, other than what you already are. I wouldn't even know where to start with fixing bruises to the soul."

[iprotectyou]

"Well, you can get blisteringly drunk," Baze says, his voice vibrating through his armored chest. "I'm teasing, of course. But it is an option."

[last_kallig]

Ibani chuckles at that. "Not sure that's a good idea, with my nerves like this. Not taking that option off the table for the entirety of my stay though."

[iprotectyou]

"You can stay with us, if you want to," Baze says, snuggling closely. "We'll protect you."

[last_kallig]

"Thank you," Ibani replies. "I'm more worried about being a threat to myself than outside threats, so long as I have my lightsabers. My ability to sense things through the Force doesn't hurt, which means I should know if there are threats about."

"I haven't really lost control since I was a child, but I've never had anything like this happen either. Hopefully, I won't accidentally break or electrocute anything."

[iprotectyou]

Baze isn't sure how she'd be a threat to herself--or him and Chirrut--until she continues speaking. Then he nods. "I can't even picture you losing control, honestly."

As if Baze is ever not honest.

"I hope you won't, though I can't imagine how a bruise to the soul would cause you to. I don't want you to test your lightning if using your Force powers hurts you, but it would be good to know," Baze says, carding his fingers through her hair. "I am not afraid."

[last_kallig]

"Perhaps you're right and I'm being overly anxious," Ibani admits. "I'm glad you're not afraid." Even if she's not sure how wise it is for him to be unafraid of her.

[iprotectyou]

"Well, even if you zapped me, I would know that you didn't mean to," Baze says, embracing her tightly and swaying a little. "So, there's no reason for me to be afraid. I don't blame you at all for being anxious. If you were completely calm, I'd be really worried."

[last_kallig]

"If I were completely calm, it wouldn't be me, but her wearing my body," Ibani replies wryly. She shudders. "Force, it might have given her access to Milliways!" THERE'S a terrifying thought.

[iprotectyou]

"I hadn't thought of that," Baze says, shuddering again. He frowns, as if the corners of his mouth are tugged down by tiny hooks. "We'd be able to tell that it wasn't you. I'm not sure what we'd be able to do about it, but we'd be able to tell."

[last_kallig]

"I know Chirrut would have been able to tell," Ibani replies. "But are you sure you would have known? She's...cunning, and good at deception."

[iprotectyou]

Baze wilts. "Oh, Ibani, have a little faith," he says, his brow creased. "Maybe I wouldn't have been able to tell at first, but I could eventually. I know you."

[last_kallig]

"It's the eventually that would worry me," Ibani replies, hugging him tightly. "If she thought you were catching on...she'd remove you as a possible threat."

"But it didn't happen," Ibani reassures herself. "Won't happen. You're all safe from her."

[iprotectyou]

"Yes, we are, and you're never going to be in that position again," Baze says, squeezing her close. "Now all you need to do is recover, and we can help with that."