Control The Uncontrollable // The Acolyte

45. Knowing

"It was Vernestra," You spoke softly, taking a spoon of your soup as you studied Qimir across the room.

He changed, the second you said the name out loud. You smiled weakly. Guess you were still in tune with your senses. You looked down at your spoon. After yesterday's conversation, you thought it was time for you to ask the questions. Your mind had been quiet for so long, been thinking too many thoughts. Now, they needed to go out. You looked up at Qimir.

Only saying her name, confirmed every thought you had. Qimir's former Master was Vernestra. It made sense, his reaction when you mentioned her name while touching his scars, his curiosity for your lightsaber that matched hers, but what truly sealed the deal for you was seeing him days ago on Naboo with his mask.

"I thought it for a while, but I figured it out, when you wore the mask again, on Naboo... You didn't care on Tatooine," You put down the bowl of soup, and looked over at him.

"But you feared she would sense you," you pointed out.

Like a robot, he moved uncomfortably so he sat down facing you. It was a healthy amount of distance between the two of you. It was not difficult to see that he struggled to sort his mind out. Him, unlike you, always displayed his emotions. It was usually the ethos for dark side users of the past. Maybe it helped them in battle, but it did not help him on a day-to-day basis.

You stood up and walked over to him. You sat down beside him. His eyes were at the ground, like a scared child. A part of you knew, that you were going to regret your next move. You lifted your hand up to the height of his forehead. No skin touching, but he could still feel your warmth. His eyes were filled with worry, but yours were calm.

"It's okay, no one else knows," You whispered, calming his mind with the help of the force.

Slowly, Qimir began to look like himself. His pale skin, got his color back. You took back your hand, prepared for him to want to fight you over what you had just done. You knew Qimir had a hatred for Jedi interfering with his mind, but it was also limits to how long you were going to just sit there and watch him in pain. Especially when you knew you could ease the pain. What left you rather surprised, was his lack in fighting, even arguing.

"Thank you," He whispered.

His eyes went up from the soup, to your face. It helped to see your warm smile.

"We'll talk about it when you're ready, I just wanted you to know that I...knew," You nodded.

His mind seemed to wander elsewhere, before his gaze came back to you.

"Can I ask you a question?" He asked.

"Yeah, sure," You held your legs around your knees, almost curling up in a ball.

"You don't like her either, do you?" Qimir asked.

You began to loudly laugh, as you let go off your hands, slapping it gently on your thigh. It was no question, how your relationship towards Vernestra was. Of course, hatred was not on the table, but it was safe to say, it was a strong dislike for each other. You lifted yourself up, and brushed your hands. You looked down at Qimir.

"When we were in the academy, she used to say I fought like a Sith, so no, we're not each other's biggest fans," You hummered, on your way back to your seat.

Suddenly he grabbed your hand, holding it softly, but firm. You turned around, your eyes glued at your hands. It was the first time you had felt his skin against your skin in months. It lingered. You took a deep breath. Was it bad to admit you had missed his touch? You shut your eyes, and tried to shake the thought away. You opened your eyes.

"I would like to train with you, tomorrow," He stood up, but his hand didn't let go of yours.

You frowned. Workout, together?

"First time we fought inside the Sith temple, you got me down first, I can't live with that," A smirk grew on his lips.

You laughed low and let go of his hand. What a jerk.