Au: Kid Ibani-Tatooine Era Obi-Wan Kenobi

[last_kallig]

(OOC: Content warning for mention of torture, harm done by and to children, suicidal ideation and quite possibly suicide attempt.)

Ibani is a fourteen year old Sith Acolyte and her life of pain is written in her body for those who can read it. The scars of a slave collar on her neck, the letters and numbers carved under one eye like a bantha brand, those were only the beginning. She's been shocked regularly with force lightning for years as well as being subjected to more primitive methods of torture, and all have left their mark. Scars from teeth, claws and blades mark her skin, the echoes of broken bones still visible if you look the right way in the Force.

She should be dead, and she might be shortly, despite her struggles. She doesn't know how she got HERE, wherever this hot desert is, instead of the cold desert of Korriban. The gravity is wrong, the temperature is wrong, and while the Force shouted just before she landed here it is strangely silent now. (She might be insane, in which case she should put herself down before she harms anyone, but she's waiting for more evidence on that one way or the other.) She's dying by inches of heat and thirst and she can't push her body any further, even with all the Force tricks she knows.

She crawls on her belly under an overhang of rock, collapses. She can enter a trance, reduce her need for water, but that means that without help she will simply fail to ever wake, will slip away into the Force in death. It's a long shot, but she's worth more alive than dead even to the most nefarious of persons. (She knows better than to expect mercy or kindness from strangers.)

Ibani sinks into the Force, awaiting aid or death.

Comments

[acertainpov]

His eyes follow hers, and he gives the smallest sigh. This means he's going to have to keep an even closer eye on her, doesn't it? A shame, he was hoping he'd be able to get some sleep.

"Oh don't worry about me," he says cheerfully, his eyes twinkling. "Your coming here is the most interesting thing that's happened to me in years."

[last_kallig]

She catches his sigh and misinterprets the reason for it. "I wouldn't hurt you," she promises. "I'm not THAT much of a monster."

Ibani snorts. "I expect that's not a high bar to jump, considering where we are," she replies, tone dry.

[acertainpov]

He just said not to worry about himself, he isn't going to repeat it.

Instead he shrugs helplessly. "You're right, it really isn't."

[last_kallig]

"See what you miss, being out in the middle of nowhere? You could have interesting things happening all the time, Ben."

And she shouldn't be getting attached, shouldn't be enjoying just talking to another person. Having another person care about her well being feels..good.

And he wouldn't, if he knew what she was, what she'd DONE. She's a monster, and this isn't something she deserves. Guilt and shame and self-hatred in the Force, and why are her karking hands shaking?

[acertainpov]

He stands then, leaning over to take the now empty plate from her, and in doing so covers her hands with his - desert-worn and well used, but soft between the callouses - for a second.

"Better get some more sleep," he advises. "We want to leave before the suns get too high."

He still has no presence in the Force, so it must just be his tone that is so calming.

[last_kallig]

Ibani has calluses of her own, from sword-work, though they're not nearly as worn as Ben's.

"I, yes, that's probably a good idea," she admits. His voice is strangely calming, and her hands stop shaking.

Her dreams are full of blood, of suffering, of torment, and some of that may leak out where Ben can sense it. If he's especially unfortunate, he might even catch glimpses of what she sees behind closed eyes.

[acertainpov]

Not daring to sleep himself, in case she wake up and do harm to herself he can't prevent, Ben sits back in his chair and meditates In doing so he does pick up glimpses of her dreams, but only in terms of the fear and pain it provokes in her.

He meditates on it, letting it flow through him and hopefully out into the Force a little less dark than it was, and any rest eventhe meditation would have brought if is significantly lessened.

Eventually he just gives up.

By the time Ibani awaks again, as blue dawn is creeping through the windows, Ben has a pot on his heater and the place is filled with the rich hot smell of Bantha stew.

[last_kallig]

Poor Ben, she's causing him difficulties she doesn't even know about yet!

Ibani wakes up, confused for a moment about where she is. "Morning, Ben," she says quietly.

She moves to stand, to test her legs.

[acertainpov]

"Good morning."

She shouldn't worry about it, he's been pushing himself farther than he should for years. A night's sleep is hardly going to tip the scales any further.

He watches as she moves, to check the steadiness of her legs: there's going to be a lot to ask of her today but he expects she'll be able to handle it.

"I hope you don't mind it salty. I've had this meat in storage for some time."

The Bantha in question has been feeding Ben on his own for months.

[last_kallig]

Possibly he needs someone in his life to bully/guilt him into better self-care, then?

Her legs are steady as she moves to the table and retrieves her sword, strapping it to her belt with the ease of someone who has carried a sword all the time for years.

"I'm not picky with regard to food," Ibani replies, smile wry. "Spent too much time nearly starving before Korriban."

[acertainpov]

Sword, Ben notices - has already noticed in fact - not a lightsaber. While she was asleep he had a long thought himself and has elected to keep his own locked away. If he needs to protect her from herself... he'll improvise.

He ladles out a bowl of stew for her and one for himself before taking a seat at the table with her.

"How old were you when you went there?"

He's genuinely curious now - he's never researched the old Sith Empire at all and has no idea how they recruited acolytes.

[last_kallig]

Ibani thanks Ben for the stew.

"I was eleven, well, probably eleven, I don't know exactly how old I am. It was training on Korriban or execution on the spot, the Sith Empire doesn't just let Force sensitives it discovers go."

[acertainpov]

Ben nods. It tracks, after all, with what the Sith are like now. He also gives her a quick look up and down to estimate how old she looks - it turns out he's not good with judging age. Older than Luke, is all he's got.

"They discovered you late, then?"

[last_kallig]

"Not especially late, I think. I was about the same age as the others who were first year acolytes."

Ibani starts to eat the stew. "Those born into Sith families receive training nearly from birth, but those who aren't come to it much later. Little ones wouldn't survive the training on Korriban."

[acertainpov]

He pauses in his eating to glance up at her thoughtfully, then resumes. Again, it makes sense. All the Sith he's known were trained as Jedi first.

But he has no questions, he's just happy to let her talk.

[last_kallig]

"Even as old as we are, a lot of us die," she continues, voice quiet. "Korriban makes monsters, or corpses, of us."

She puts her spoon down just before her hand starts to shake. "And now it's all for nothing," her voice turns bitter and angry, at herself and the universe.

[acertainpov]

Oh, he knows that despair, even in someone so young, he's seen it.

"Not for nothing," he says quietly. "For now, at least you're free of that place."

[last_kallig]

"To what end?" Ibani asks him, looking up to meet his eyes, her gaze shadowed.

She laughs bitterly. "You don't know what I am, what I've DONE, Ben."

[acertainpov]

"No I don't," Ben admits.

He can guess, but he doesn't know.

"But I do know that what you've done doesn't dictate who you are now."

He finishes his stew and stands, glancing at hers. "Finish that off, I'm going to get our transport ready."

[last_kallig]

Ibani looks as though she's about to argue with him for a moment, then she forces her posture to relax.

No point in arguing now, after all. (What could he do to stop her, anyway, one force-blind old man?)

Ibani nods and works on finishing the stew. She's curious about what kind of transport Ben has, despite herself.

[acertainpov]

He keeps an eye on her until she visibly reacts, and then turns and walks out of the hut into the rising dawn.

(She's not fooling him, but he continues to act as if she is.)

From inside the hut she can probably hear him talking softly, familiarly to someone in the same gentle tones he usually uses. She'd be forgiven in thinking he was discussing the loan of a sandspeeder. When she does come outside she'll discover a small herd of banthas working through the sparse vegetation around his hut.

One of them, an aged female with massive double curled horns, is standing patiently while Ben slings a few supplies over her back. She has her head turned towards him, but when Ibani emerges she turns her head in that direction and gives a low bellow.

Ben glances over.

"Yes, this is the one. Her name is Ibani and she's visiting for now." It's a statement that offers no argument. "Ibani, come and meet Dolo, she'll be taking us to Mos Eisley."

[last_kallig]

It's his interaction with the animals that prompts Ibani to wonder, for the first time, if Ben is actually Force-blind. His communication with them seems too complete to be merely verbal. (And she has training as an assassin, she knows you can hide yourself completely with the Force, it's not THAT much of a stretch.) There's a feeling of suspicion as she meets his gaze, then she pushes it away.

"Hello, Dolo," Ibani says, reaching one hand out carefully toward the Bantha. She reaches out with the Force and projects 'not threat' and 'safe'.

[acertainpov]

Ben's beard twitches when the gaze is met. It could mean nothing, but it could also mean he was wondering when she would start getting suspicious.

Dolo moves her giant head toward the hand, nudges it once and makes a low rumbling noise. Ben finishes loading her up with his small load of black melons and empty goards, and turns a warmer smile to Ibani.

"She likes you," he tells her, and pats Dolo's side affectionately. The bantha slowly lowers so she's kneeling on her front legs and Ben offers a hand. "Can you climb up?"

[last_kallig]

Ibani pats the Bantha when her hand is nudged. That's what you do with animals, isn't it?

"I can," Ibani replies, judging the height. She takes Ben's offered hand, but it will be very easy for him to help her up onto Dolo, as if she weighs almost nothing. The Force can be useful like that.

[acertainpov]

Very easy, yes. He helps her up, and then climbs up behind her - though being the old Force-blind man he isn't, this takes a bit more effort.

He has it down to an art, just enough Force to make things possible, not enough to actually be distinguishable from the normal ebb and flow of the Force, and not enough to prevent a grunt of effort as he settles down directly behind her.

Dolo wears no muzzle, Ben rides her as a Tusken rider does, by sitting astride her and giving directions through the movement of his legs against her thick hide. Once he's settled, she lumbers up and starts to head away towards the Dune Sea. Behind them, the rest of the bantha herd begin to move way looking for food.

Ben leans behind him after a moment and produces a woven cloak for Ibani, which he drapes around her shoulders. "Best to keep the sun off while we ride."