The very next morning, the Wanderer opened her eye, the sun's rays delicately tickling her face as it trickled in from the window beside her. She glanced over at Mari, whose long silver hair was covering her face as she slept, holding an extra pillow tightly as if it were another person.
With silent steps, the Wanderer made her way to the small bathroom, grabbing her clothes, along with Mari's, out of the clothing dryer. Neatly, she folded her clothes and placed them on the bathroom counter before taking Mari's over to the bed and placing them beside her.
The Wanderer then walked back into the bathroom before stripping down completely, removing the bindings around her chest as well, before stepping into the shower. Immediately upon feeling the intensely hot water on her skin, the Wanderer could feel herself enter a state of solace, similar to that of being in a meditative state.
Looking down at her abdomen, she could see a scar where she was cut. However, N'ara ensured that the wound was treated with Bacta, a healing substance used all over the galaxy.
As she wiped her body down with soap and water, the Wanderer pondered about the night before, remembering what she told Mari. It being the next morning, she felt embarrassed having opened up to her like that. However, that embarrassment subsided as her mind once again began pulling out memories of her past lover.
As her hand gently rubbed her own skin, the Wanderer found herself imagining his touch, remembering how his hands once rubbed her body in the same way.
Lost in the water, the Wanderer allowed herself to be lost in thoughts of intimacy, a sensation she hadn't found herself feeling in many, many years. As her hands continued to wash her body, she found herself somewhat craving intimate touch once again, though upon realizing she was having such thoughts, she stopped herself.
With her single eye, the Wanderer stared down at her feet, letting the water drip from her hair. Perhaps it was due to her mediation being interrupted by her conversation with Mari, but she found herself wanting things she'd sworn off ever since she became a wanderer. "Why..." she whispered to herself before pushing aside those thoughts and washing her body in its entirety.
After a few minutes, the Wanderer felt fully sanitized and exited the shower. As she always did, the Wanderer started by thoroughly drying her body before wrapping her chest with her black binding tape.
She then slipped on her undergarments before putting on her black pants and kimono, which were finally dry from all the rain and still warm from being inside the dryer. Taking her lightsaber and scabbard from the counter, she placed it at her hip before walking out of the bathroom to find Mari sitting up in the bed, her silver hair being a mess.
"Good mwornin'." Mari spoke with a sleepy voice as she yawned and stretched, nearly toppling back over onto the bed. "Did you just shower?" she asked the obvious question, getting a head nod from the Wanderer who started walking across the room and toward the front door.
"Without me?" Mari whispered, watching the Wanderer as she walked across the room. The Wanderer stopped and looked at Mari, almost finding herself flustered. "Huh?" the Wanderer uttered, unsure if she was just hearing things.
"You're leaving without me? You're supposed to be protecting me, remember? You can't let me out of your sight, right?" Mari asked, wanting an excuse to be around her. The Wanderer sighed before leaning against the wall with her foot up against it. "You got fifteen minutes."
With a smile, Mari ran to the bathroom with her stuff before taking a shower. Within twelve minutes, Mari walked out of the bathroom, wearing her pink kimono with her hair down, showing the Wanderer her natural curls.
The Wanderer took notice of the change in hairstyles, which was likely due to Mari being on a strict timer to get ready. "Cute right?" Mari asked, posing at the bathroom door as if she were a model. The Wanderer said nothing and started for the door. "C'mon." she told her, and the two left their room together.
Mari, holding an umbrella over her head to protect herself from the delicate rain, stood slightly behind the Wanderer who was walking at a quicker pace to get out of the rain. "Hey." Mari whispered as she placed the umbrella over both her and the Wanderer. "I know they only gave us one umbrella, but we can share. What's the rush? Aren't Force users all about peacefulness or something."
The Wanderer rolled her eye and slowed down, smiling ever so slightly as she stood next to Mari under the umbrella before correcting her. "The decent ones, sure. And thanks."
The two of them continued walking together in the rain, being shielded by the floral-patterned umbrella above them. As they strolled, Mari admired the architecture of the city, finding it particularly interesting.
Most towns on Inskako used water to generate power, but the way Shiboka implemented power generation of water through their architecture was almost so seamless, it took a keen eye to notice. "It's so fascinating how their homes are their power generators." Mari spoke, still looking around in admiration.
The Wanderer took a moment to look around, noticing how nearly every building had pipes that collected the water, which then likely led down into a sort of water turbine. "I didn't even notice until you said somethin'. I guess it is sorta interesting." the Wanderer told her.
"Where are we going anyway?" Mari asked, noticing that the two of them were seemingly heading away from the city.
"A place to meditate." the Wanderer told her. "A flower bed, beneath a tree."
With a blank expression, Mari looked over at the Wanderer's serious face. "Uh... Again?" Mari asked.
"Three times a day." The Wanderer told her, continuing to lead the two of them out of the city.
"Isn't it boring?" Mari asked her.
"What, would you rather watch dramas on the Holonet all day?" the Wanderer retorted.
"Yes..." Mari's tone was as if the answer was obvious. The Wanderer side-eyed her before the supposed tree started to appear in the distance.
As they grew closer, the two of them were able to hear what sounded like chimes, however, there were no chimes in sight. The source of the beautiful sound was the flowerbed of blue, bell-shaped flowers surrounding the tree, generating a chiming sound with each raindrop that fell.
"Woah... What are these?" Mari asked as the two stepped through the flower bed and under the tree, which they were then protected from the rain. "They're called blue canary roses. When the rain hits them, they make a beautiful sound like chimes."
Mari stood beside the Wanderer with her mouth and eyes wide open. She was in disbelief at both the physical beauty of the flowerbed, and the beautiful sounds resonating from it. "It's like... music from angels."
The Wanderer smiled slightly before educating her further. "Some call them the blue angel rose. Depends on where you are on the planet. C'mere, I wanna show you somethin'." the Wanderer then sat down, crossing her legs as she pointed right in front of her. "Sit down. I'll show you somethin' way better than a Holonet."
Doing as she was instructed, Mari sat down and crossed her legs in front of the Wanderer. "Do you wanna see if you have it?" the Wanderer asked, referring to a connection with the Force. Mari's eyes widened and she nodded rather quickly. "Yes!" she told her, compelling the Wanderer to once again smile softly.
"Do you believe you got it?" the Wanderer asked her.
"I don't-" Mari attempted to give an answer, but this answer was not the one that the Wanderer was looking for.
"Do you believe you got it? Yes or No, Mari." the Wanderer repeated herself, this time with a more stern tone, one she picked up from her master.
"Yes." Mari told her bravely, nodding with a face full of determination.
The Wanderer nodded back and placed her own hand on her thigh before closing her and giving Mari instructions. "Now close your eyes and calm your body.
Take a deep breath.
In through your nostrils...
And out through your mouth, softly."
The two of them inhaled and exhaled softly, maintaining their posture while keeping their eyes closed. Gently, the Wanderer placed her hand on Mari's before giving her more instructions.
"Now reach out, not with your hands, but with your heart.
Now tell me, Mari, what do you see?"
As Mari attempted to reach out, her eyebrows were furrowed and she was wincing. Though her eye was closed, the Wanderer could sense her unease. "Calm your body. Relax.
Once again, take a deep breath.
In through your nose.
Our through your mouth, gently."
The two of them took yet another deep breath before the Wanderer repeated her previous instructions.
"Reach out with your heart, Mari.
Then tell me what you see."
Mari, this time without straining herself, started to reach outward as she was instructed. In her mind, she could see a single blue canary rose, one being filled with water as it chimed. "I see a flower." Mari whispered, compelling the Wanderer's eyebrows to lift upward. However, the Wanderer needed to leave her mind clear so she could continue assisting Mari. "What else do you see, Mari?"
"I can see the soft clouds above our heads...
And the violent lightning above them.
I can see the light coming from the sun...
And the darkness from the clouds that block it from our view.
I can sense life...
Life being born..." Mari smiled as she could sense a child being born somewhere on Inskako, but her smile faded upon feeling the complete opposite. "And life ending..." Mari could sense someone taking their last breath somewhere on the planet, which the Wanderer could sense as well since they were in tune with each other.
"Good, Mari." the Wanderer praised her. "Now, what do you sense in between it all?"
"I sense... something. An energy, perhaps?" Mari was unsure of herself, so the Wanderer asked yet again. "What do you sense, Mari."
"I sense an energy." Mari answered with confidence this time.
"Good, Mari. What about inside yourself?"
"I can feel it."
"And what about around your body?"
"I can feel it... It's like a warmth... Like a warm blanket covering my cold body."
"Good. Now, do you see anyone?"
"Yes... Yes! I see us!" as if a movie were playing in her own mind, Mari could see both her and the Wanderer sitting under the tree, surrounded by blue canary roses as the Wanderer's hand rested on Mari's.
"Great, you're doing amazing, Mari. Now, I want you to copy what you see." the Wanderer then extended her hand outward, as did Mari, before using the Force to pluck one of the flowers out of the ground.
Simultaneously, both Mari and the Wanderer started to bring flowers of their own from the ground and toward themselves until the two of the both held a flower in their hand. "Now open your eyes, Mari."
Mari then opened her eyes, first seeing the Wanderer looking over at her with kind eyes and a slight smile, holding a blue canary rose in her hand while sniffing it. Mari looked down at her own hand, seeing that she too had a blue flower, compelling her eyes to widen and her mouth to gape open.
"I- I-" She couldn't come up with the words to speak, though the Wanderer knew what she was trying to say.
"You did it. You used the Force. I guess you got it after all." the Wanderer watched as Mari attempted to use the Force to pick more flowers, extending her hand outward toward them. However, it wasn't working.
"Your connection is not strong enough to do that on your own just yet. Let's say you and I were connected with the Force together, connected as one being." the Wanderer explained.
"So... it was all your power?" Mari asked, sounding disappointed as she did so.
"No, Mari. The Force isn't a power that one can hold. I simply shared my connection with you for a brief moment. Like electricity, my connection entered your body and was released as if it were your own. If you practice, rather than watching Holonet all day, maybe you'll grow strong in the Force."
To put it simply, Mari wasn't anywhere close enough to begin using the Force to lift objects. However, due to the Wanderer's powerful connection, she was able to allow Mari's body to funnel her connection, though only for a few moments.
"How long until I can lift stuff?" Mari asked though the answer to that question wouldn't be a satisfactory one.
"You tell me, Mari. How long will it take?"
Mari didn't quite understand, however, she remembered what the Wanderer was doing earlier. Whenever Mari doubted herself, the Wanderer waited for her to give a confident answer. In order for one to become one with the Force, one must rid themselves of all doubt.
"I understand." Mari told her, bowing her head slightly. "Thank you."
The Wanderer nodded slightly, though she noticed that Mari's face was starting to turn pink as her eyes started wandering around. "What's wrong?" the Wanderer asked her.
"Does this mean I get to call you... Master?" Mari looked up at the Wanderer and giggled, which then caused the Wanderer to stammer. "I- No, I am not-"
For the first time, the Wanderer found herself flustered, which nearly made Mari burst with laughter instantly. "Pffft!" Mari blew air between her lips playfully, unable to hold in the laughter any longer. As she laughed at the Wanderer's expression, she pointed at her with one hand while slapping her leg with the other.
"Your face! Your face!" Mari continued laughing, holding her tummy due to the intensity of her own laughter.
The Wanderer's embarrassed expression shifted into a blank stare as she watched Mari laughing on the ground in front of her. "Alright, that's enough." the Wanderer told her.
"Sorry... MASTER!" Mari laughed again, unable to contain herself still.
Using the Force, the Wanderer grabbed a flower that was filled with water from the flower bed and poured it on Mari's face. As Mari became drenched in rainwater, her laughter ceased and she looked at the Wanderer with her jaw dropped.
A smile grew on the Wanderer's face, which then turned into a humorous exhale. That exhale then turned into a soft chuckle, which then transformed into laughter.
Mari's eyes enlarged as she witnessed the Wanderer's laughter and full smile for the first time. She didn't think such a feat would even be possible, but she managed to make it happen.
Grabbing a nearby flower from the ground with her hand, Mari flung it at the Wanderer, drenching her with water. The Wanderer's laughter stopped, though she still smiled as she looked at Mari with the eyes of a killer.
"Oh... I'm sorry." Mari tried to apologize, however, it was far too late.
"You better start runnin'." The Wanderer told her, though Mari had nowhere to run as beneath the tree was the only place safe from the rain.
Mari started to run away, circling around the tree as the Wanderer started hurling water-filled flowers at her using the Force. "I'm sorry! You started it!" Mari told her, dodging behind the tree to avoid the water.
"Don't care! I'mma get you!" the Wanderer told her as she continued throwing flowers at her.
Though it was sudden, the two of them were seemingly growing close to each other, to the surprise of both of them. For the moment, the two of them forgot about everything burdening them.
For the Wanderer, it was her past that burdened her, a past she found herself running from for the last half-decade.
For Mari, it was her future that was a burden, a future she couldn't run from no matter how hard she tried.