For fadedfool

[ezra_of_lothal]

Ezra hadn't known what to expect, when he's stepped through the portal, but landing face first in a desert would not have been even close to his first guess. On the other hand, this is a desert he knows - or at least as much as one could, having stumbled around nearly blindly and nearly died. But he'd bet his helmet collection that this is Tatooine.

He had even thought he'd heard Master Kenobi's voice, as he'd fallen through whatever that in between place had been. Many other voices, familiar and not, had reverberated, but Master Kenobi is the voice he'd placed first.

Now he's plodding through the desert, possibly even less equipped for it than he'd been the first time around, sweltering in storm trooper armor; he's pretty sure he remembers from his brief undercover stints Imps talking up how versatile stormtrooper equipment is supposed to be, but that is clearly exaggerated propaganda.

And a lone stormtrooper, on this planet, is much more likely to be a target than not, come to think of it. He loathes leaving anything behind, now that he's on his own without many resources, but not overheating takes higher priority. Keep the boots, and under layer, leave the rest, he decides.

Then see how far he can get. Surely the Force didn't bring him this far, just to die.

Comments

[fadedfool]

The nostalgic smile is unbidden and unexpected. The war itself had, of course, been awful -- and all the things that went with it, and all the machinations behind it. But then there had been the people he'd met, the wonderful and courageous souls who had reminded him over and over again that there was still some things that were very good in the galaxy. An image of Boil and Waxer, a tiny Twi'lek girl clinging to plastoid armor calling them "brother" sprang to mind.

He certainly did live in the past sometimes, didn't he?

And, of course, the clones themselves are a complicated subject. Ezra had come here for some reason, which likely means that Rex he mentioned is the Rex that Obi-Want knew once upon a time. "All of our lives changed. He will understand, and I thank you for it."

[ezra_of_lothal]

"...of course. I didn't even tell Kanan," he tries to reassure Obi-Wan. "I don't know why you're here. But. I could - do - feel that this where you're supposed to be and it's important. So...I didn't need to."

[fadedfool]

"Peace, Ezra," Obi-Wan says, raising a hand and laughing a little. "I believe you... and honestly, if you had chosen to tell someone, I think it would have been all right. I trust in your judgement."

[ezra_of_lothal]

Ezra goes very still again, as Obi-Wan bids him to be calm. But it's the part about trust that makes his expression - composure in the Force - crack.

Part of him wants to demand why anyone should trust his judgement - he couldn't save his master. Or Ahsoka, for that matter. He swallows those words back. They'd be rude and ungrateful and he knows his teachers wouldn't want him to cling to guilt.

Beyond those fleeting thoughts, the realization slams into him that he's safe. Oh Tatooine is a generally terrible place. But here, in this alcove, a little sheltered from the elements, he's farther from the reach of the Empire than he's been in a long time.

He promptly bursts into hiccuping sobs. He has enough presence of mind to squeeze his eyes shut; he should at least try not to waste water. But he's never been ashamed to cry, when there's not a pressing reason to hold it together, so he doesn't really try to force himself to stop immediately, either.

[fadedfool]

Oh, Ezra. There's a moment of indecision, where Obi-Wan is still in the face of Ezra's sudden outburst. He's not necessarily caught off-guard -- Ezra's grief had been plain, both in the Force and in his general demeanor -- and Obi-Wan knew that some outpouring of emotion would likely be coming. It's a moment of uncertainty, not entirely sure of what to do.

But then the moment is over and Obi-Wan kneels in front of Ezra and puts his hands on the boy's shoulders. "You're safe here."

Not it's all right because it clearly wasn't. Not don't cry, not when Ezra's entire life had changed in an instant.

[ezra_of_lothal]

He slumps a little forward towards Obi-Wan, in relief at that little bit of touch, without putting his full weight into the hands on his shoulder. Takes another shuddering breath, and then another.

"I know," he whispers. It may take a while for that to truly sink in, but intellectually, he's aware.

[fadedfool]

Obi-Wan squeezes his shoulders, then rocks back on his heels, offering Ezra an understanding... not quite smile but a softening of his countenance. "You are here for a reason, Ezra Bridger, but it is not so important that you cannot rest first."

[ezra_of_lothal]

He nods a little bit. "That-that would be nice." He glances over at the still half full bowl.

"So, um. I should probably eat. Not sure I can quite manage proper meditation after that, but just sitting and breathing sounds...good."

[fadedfool]

Obi-Wan follows his gaze to the bowl. "Perhaps you should." He reaches for the bowl, and presses it into Ezra's hands.

"If simply sitting and breathing sounds good," he says, "then that is good enough."

[ezra_of_lothal]

Ezra offers a tiny, sheepish smile, as he takes the bowl back. "I just don't want you to think I'm putting it off!"

He's mostly joking. Mostly.

For the moment, he turns his attention back to checking off physical needs, finishing off the stew.

[fadedfool]

"You're not putting it off," he says. He takes a moment to seat himself right on the floor, wrapping his robe around himself as he does. "You're prioritizing."

[ezra_of_lothal]

Ezra - who has perhaps internalized some criticisms from his elders about discipline in ways that maybe weren't intended - blinks at affirmation. "Yeah. That's true. Kanan was always big on - when you feel most spread thin is when you probably need it most, and I get what he meant-"

Another swallow of stew and he adds, "But then, there was at one period when he absolutely used meditation to hide and shut people out, so. Balance, I guess."