IC Inbox - [Empatheias]

[lothrat]

[Contact Ezra directly, or leave him a message via messenger bird!]

Comments

audio;

[oratorical]

You know, it's funny. You don't look like a Hutt to me.

[Which is to say, hey Ezra, she's seen your note, and there's a few things she needs to clean up here.]

audio;

[lothrat]

[Oh, hey, Leia. Even before he starts speaking, there's a warmth on Ezra's end when he responds.]

Yeah, that's what makes me crack up, too.

Huh, he showed you my note?

[oratorical]

[There's no Christmas in space, but that doesn't mean Leia hasn't heard enough of the idea here to send gifts to people important to her. Granted, there's not many people on that list here, but Ezra counts.

It's not very inspired, perhaps, and when she finds something else more appropriate, she'll be sure to send it his way, but considering Ezra had just arrived this month and she only expects things to get colder, something more practical is what he gets. Ezra gets a pair of gloves, a hat, and a scarf, all well-made, to carry him through the winter season.]

audio

[lothrat]

[???

Not that Ezra doesn't appreciate the gift - far from it! He could definitely use all three things.

But...]

Leia? What's the occasion?

Delivery

[oratorical]

[Valentine's may not be a thing in space, either, but Leia doesn't mind doing something small for it to show she appreciates the people she's closest to here. So around Valentine's, Ezra will find a box filled with wrapped chocolates waiting for him. Unfortunately, it contains more than just chocolate.

When Ezra pops the box open, he'll be met with a flurry of glitter escaping the box, since every spare crack in the box was stuffed with tiny red, pink, and silver glitter. It's only proper payback, you see. And at least he gets chocolate out of it. Because Leia is hardly ashamed of this lovely gift, there's even a card with her name attached to it.]

Voice

[lothrat]

[Leia's going to get a call on her amulet shortly after Ezra discovers her gift. His mental voice contains a mixture of irritation and bewilderment.]

I am so confused. Glitter and chocolate? What kind of gift is that? And why are you giving me anything at all?

Action, let's go with 8/10ish. also lmao this inbox is all mine

[oratorical]

[Ezra, being one of Leia's closest friends here, is someone Leia is always pleased to spend time with. So his offer to hang out for the day--walk around the city and get something to eat before stopping by his place--is one she doesn't hesitate to accept. Especially now that Ezra's accepted (or at least seems to have accepted) that she doesn't want to be a Jedi and doesn't seem to be pushing that point anymore.

She's comfortable enough around Ezra that she doesn't feel any pressure to try and fill up time with smalltalk, instead just sitting in silence with him for now, her attention on whatever food they've picked up.]

Gosh, Leia, quit hogging

[lothrat]

[He's mostly accepted it. Mostly. He's still disappointed whenever he lets himself think about it. But whether or not Leia wants to be a Jedi, she's still his friend, and still one of the few people here from home, and he's not going to let go of that. If that means pushing that disappointment to the back of his mind and pretending it doesn't exist, then that's what he'll do to keep spending time with her.]

So, what do you want to drink with that? Water? Juice? I know how to make tea, now, too.

[Thanks to one Qui-Gon Jinn.]

[ACTION IN THE MIDDLE OF THE FANTASTIC AUGUST DUMPSTER FIRE]

[sithkabobed]

[The past few days remain nothing but a blur of muffled noises and glimpses of color and light, and as Qui-Gon's eyes flutter open for the umpteenth time, he finds himself reviewing what he knows before unconsciousness claims him again.]

[He remembers Anakin carrying him to the medical center, with an anxious Ezra never leaving his side. He remembers panicked voices and skeptical healers as they wheeled him away. From there, he can recall moments of pain, subsequent relief, and finally... nothing. At that moment, he thought he'd died, that his fate had finally arrived and although he'd been taught his entire life to embrace that instant and his newfound place as one with the Force, he couldn't bring himself to accept it. The very idea of leaving Ezra behind like this... it hurt. It hurt to know that making the ultimate sacrifice for his son would only cause more pain and suffering. He'd known the consequences of his decision at the time of Obi-Wan's final blow, but that didn't change the pangs striking at his heart.]

[But the fact that they struck in the first place, and that they would continue over the next couple of days, meant he was still alive. That meant he could rest and get better.]

[Healers visited him on and off during that time, cleaning his wound and changing its dressing while checking on the breathing mask covering his face. Qui-Gon remembers that, too. He also remembers how they whispered about a boy who wouldn't leave no matter what they said or did. He has no doubts as to the identity of said boy, and as his gaze shifts to scan the room, sure enough, Ezra is sitting there. He's clearly seen better days, but he's there.]

[Qui-Gon smiles, any threats of slipping back to sleep fading away and replaced by willpower. He doesn't trust himself to speak just yet--not with his throat so dry--so he settles for the next best thing: lifting a hand to gently brush against Ezra's. Meanwhile, his right arm lays uselessly across his chest, held in a sling for obvious reasons.]

[lothrat]

[He'd been nodding off, still sitting mostly upright in his chair, when Qui-Gon's fingers brushed against his hand. Exhausted from staying up and trying to keep vigil, as well as from just the emotional toll, the touch almost doesn't register. There's still some part of him hyper alert for any change, though, and it's that part that makes him sluggishly stir. It takes a moment, but he finally manages to open his eyes and...

...and instead of seeing Qui-Gon's too-still form, his heart leaps into his throat when he realizes he's meeting his father's open eyes. Instantly awake, Ezra jolts upright.]

Dad! You're awake! [Duh, of course he is.] How are you feeling? Are you-? [No, that's another dumb thing to say. Of course he's not alright.

Still, Ezra can't help but seek some kind of reassurance, even if it's just be reaching up to grip Qui-Gon's hand.]

They didn't know when you'd wake up. I've been so worried.

[The walls of the room stand testament to that, the white walls now bearing a tracery of gray patterns like vines spreading out and up.]

[ACTION][THE DAY AFTER EZRA'S LATEST ANON PRANK]

[sithkabobed]

[When Qui-Gon assigns lessons, no matter the circumstance, he expects them to be seen through. So when Ezra doesn't show up for today's training (for very obvious reasons), he takes it upon himself to lumber on over to the teenager's humble abode.]

[He checks for the boy's presence before knocking on the door, folding his arms neatly into the sleeves of his cloak as he calls out.]

Ezra, it's Qui-Gon. I know you're there.

[His tone, all things considered, is mild. So Ezra has that going for him, at least.]

[lothrat]

[Oh yes, Ezra is there - and he had been asleep up until the moment that Qui-Gon knocked on his door. He'd been up late last night, and even after he'd taken his crystal off to sleep, sleep hadn't come immediately. His mind hadn't wanted to let go of all the conversations he'd had - the amusement of the prank, the mystery of Leia's kid, the dread of the morning assignments that Qui-Gon had promised him.

And behind it all, the growing worry at Ahsoka's continued absence. He hasn't been able to sense her recently, and she hasn't been home in a few days.

Didn't come home last night, either.

But fortunately (or unfortunately) Qui-Gon's presence at his door gives him a good distraction from the worry that niggles in his gut when his groggy mind registers on his way past her room that her bed hasn't been slept in again.

Morning, Qui-Gon. Have a sleepy teenager still in his pajamas rubbing his eyes with a yawn as he greets you at the door.]

...Master Jinn? Wha'r you doing here?

[Memory hasn't quite caught up with his waking brain.]

Beginning of November, after the flood

[sithkabobed]

Qui-Gon would never describe himself as a flirt. Charismatic, maybe, but most definitely not a flirt. So it isn’t his fault that there’s a particular shopkeeper who seems to have taken a fancy to him. Or that this certain shopkeeper likes to keep him updated on all the local gossip.

And it is, without a doubt, not his fault that this week’s gossip includes a story about a middle-aged man whose animals had been spooked by a young teenager with blue-black hair. What Qui-Gon will take responsibility for is how he pressed sweet Maribel for some extra information, and what he plans to do with it. He doesn’t make it apparent—Maribel doesn’t need to know she may have gotten that boy into trouble—but the news doesn’t make him happy.

Far from it.

As Qui-Gon makes his way home, the ground along his path muddies with a drizzle and the grass bends from the force of the wind trailing behind him. He takes a deep and calming breath before he opens the door and steps inside, immediately calling the resident teenage boy’s name.

“Ezra, meet me in the kitchen.”

That’s where he’ll find all six and a half feet (give or take a couple of inches) of Qui-Gon Jinn standing and waiting, arms crossed.

[lothrat]

It's taken some time getting used to living in a house where he doesn't make his own rules again, not to mention just recovering from the blow of losing his home. So maybe Ezra could be forgiven for forgetting what had happened before the flood, when he'd rashly confronted Obi-Wan. So when Qui-Gon calls him, he doesn't know what to expect.

But boy, when he steps foot into that kitchen, those six and a half feet of towering Jedi grandpa have suddenly never felt quite so intimidating. Ezra hesitates at the entrance, unsure where that feeling is coming from.

"Yeah?" he asks tentatively. There's no visible clue why Qui-Gon wanted him here.

Mystery Gift - November.

[empc]

[ When Ezra wakes, he will find that his crystal is glowing! His emotion drops for the month of Octha have resonated with Empatheias' giant crystal, and a reaction has been formed.

By his feet, he will find a wooden toy plane - his name carved on one of the wings. Upon touching it, he will feel that he should pull a prank on somebody else soon, but the idea quickly fades away.

(Thank you for submitting to the Emotion Tracker!) ]

Mystery Gift - December.

[empc]

[ When Ezra wakes, he will find that his crystal is glowing! His emotion drops for the month of Ennea have resonated with Empatheias' giant crystal, and a reaction has been formed.

He may not be able to move his feet right away and he might even find himself constricted. It's because he wakes up within a blanket bundle. It's a mermaid blanket!

(Thank you for submitting to the Emotion Tracker!) ]

12/25 (forgot the date)

[misplacesfriends]

[Ezra will receive a handwritten note ("This entitles you to one sandwich from a restaurant on me. - Finn") and a small box containing this bracelet.]

[lothrat]

[Aww, Finn. One free sandwich jumps you up so many points, just like that. Food is definitely the way to win a street rat over.

The bracelet is nice, too. <3]

12/25

[oratorical]

[Inside a neatly-wrapped box (with a note showing it's from Leia), Ezra will find a neat pot with a cluster of starflowers planted inside. Ezra will probably recognize them as the flowers he and Usagi helped to grow to give to Leia at her wedding, and it's that exact reason that Leia thought it appropriate to share them with Ezra now as a gift.]

[lothrat]

[He definitely recognizes those flowers, with as much time as he and Usagi spent trying to grow them. The pot gets an honored place on his window sill next to the potted Lothal daisy he grew in his first weeks here.]

On his birthday!

[oratorical]

[Leia isn't one to forget a friend's birthday, or whatever date it is they choose to celebrate their birthday on, in the case of their time in Verens. Calendars are a strange thing.

Either way, at some point in the day, Ezra will have a box of a few cupcakes, each with "happy birthday" on them delivered to Jedi House. Whether he catches Leia in the act, or finds them later, they're all for Ezra to decide what to do with.]

[lothrat]

[He doesn't catch her in the act, though he does find the cupcakes fairly early on. Still, it doesn't take a genius to figure out who must have left them. She's the only one who knows when his birthday is. So, sometime later in the day, he's going to show up on her doorstep. Instead of knocking (because he doesn't want to chance having to deal with Han), he "taps" lightly through the amulets to let her know he's here.

He's got two of the cupcakes in his hands.]

voice, later on the same day as her last broadcast

[oratorical]

[There's a lot going on in Leia's life lately, to say the least, and most of it is something she can't do anything about. She can't instantly heal her arm, she can't make Ben any less of a trainwreck, and she can't help but worry about what happened with Luke and about the repercussions Ben is sure to experience.

But there is, at least, one thing that's been bothering her that she can deal with now.]

Ezra, can we talk?

Voice

[lothrat]

["Can we talk?" That kind of a question is almost always a precursor to something serious. Ezra frowns, trying to read her tone of voice here.]

Sure? What is it?

action; 2/25; when i said the next couple days i guess i meant like a week

[lostapprentice]

Despite how busy Kylo Ren has made himself over the past month, he hasn't forgotten about a particular important issue he has with a certain young Force-sensitive. Oh, no. He simply waits until a day where his project has come to a standstill, in need of things other than what he can provide.

It's that day that he seeks out Ezra Bridger, searching his senses until he locates the particular signature of the boy who'd so rudely cut him off from the explanation he'd deserved.

It's when Ezra is checking on his daisies in the park that the dark caped figure finally approaches, leaving ashy footsteps in his wake. As if there wasn't enough black on him today, there are dark circles under his eyes that are only accentuated by his cold, clearly displeased stare. Those flowers may be in danger if the inevitable conversation takes place nearby...

[ooc: lmk if this is cool!]

[lothrat]

Ezra hasn't really seen or talked to Kylo Ren since their conversation months ago about the Jedi and the babies they collected into their order, and the matter of using both Dark and Light for balance. That conversation had left him a little unsettled, and it had led to a confrontation that had bordered on ugly between him and Qui-Gon, but for all that, he doesn't have any particular negative feelings about Kylo Ren.

Though little does he know that he's spoken to him twice since then.

Still, when Ezra notices the man approaching him in the park, his first instinct isn't to draw back or run. He looks up, curious, though a little alarmed when he sees the trail of ash. "Kylo?" he greets cautiously, standing up. Frowns at that expression being directed at him, but he can't think of any way he could have earned it. "...something wrong?"

[Voice]

[dreamsandtea]

Ezra? [It feels odd to use his first name, but D thinks he might prefer it over Mister Bridger?]

I have a bit of a problem on my hands and I wonder if you would be willing to help?

Ack, sorry for the delay! Had computer problems

[lothrat]

[Ezra definitely prefers his given name over "Mister Bridger." The only people who call him Mister Bridger are... usually people he doesn't really like.

He is a little surprised to get a call from D, though, and it shows through between his open curiosity.]

Huh? Sure, what's up?

voice;

[oratorical]

So. How's Neera?

[the gentle teasing tone to her voice is impossible to hide, even if she wanted to. She's obligated to tease him a little about this, okay.]

voice;

[lothrat]

[Is it possible for amulets to let people feel blushes? Because that's definitely a flustered blush! How does she know about Neera? No, wait, what does she know about her?]

How- You know Neera?

[ACTION] [EZRA'S BIRTHDAY]

[sithkabobed]

[It took a while (literal years) to coax it out of the local Padawan, but Qui-Gon finally got Ezra's birthday. His real birthday.]

[And it's a big one, too. Eighteen years of a hard, challenging life deserved something special in turn.]

[So when Qui-Gon calls Ezra into their living room, he's holding a small bag in his hand. It's unassuming, much like nearly everything else the Jedi brings to the table, but there are a couple of special things inside.]

[And, of course, there's a cake in the kitchen. Because there's no way they're going to have a birthday without cake.]

[lothrat]

[For so many years, his birthday was something of a sore subject for Ezra, tied into so many negative things. Each year this day was another reminder of the Empire's stranglehold on the galaxy, of the disappearance of his parents, of the fact that his birthday didn't change anything, and that nobody really cared.

Until one day there were people who did care. And another birthday where there was no Empire. And another, and maybe each one made it a little easier to feel like this day could matter to him.

And now this one.

This one is the first time he's advertised to anyone that his birthday was coming up. This one is a milestone that's important. This one makes a difference in how people will see and treat him, in what things he'll be allowed to do. Eighteen years old. He's an adult now.

There's a nervous tension singing through him when he emerges from his room. He's not sure what to expect. He's not sure if he's supposed to feel different. And oh, how he wishes that the rest of his family could be here for this, especially Kanan and Hera. It doesn't feel fair that neither his parents nor the people who stepped into that role in his life get to be with him to see him grown up.

But at least he isn't alone.

And that's enough to make Ezra's smile real when he steps into the living room. He doesn't even look to the bag in Qui-Gon's hand, because gifts aren't something he's ever looked for or forward to. No, the real gift is what he hopes to see in Qui-Gon's eyes - warmth, love, and pride. Acknowledgment from someone he looks up to.]

Yes, Master Jinn?

[ACTION][FOURTH WALL EVENT]

[sithkabobed]

[Over the couple of weeks since Ezra's return, a certain equilibrium has managed to settle itself around Qui-Gon's life in Empatheias. Still, there's a foreboding feeling that's nagging at the back of his mind, almost like there's a whisper in the Force that's trying to break through a thick fog clouding his senses.]

[He's not sure what he can do to lift it, though. Or, perhaps, he does have an idea, and he simply refuses to.]

[Regardless of its cause, Qui-Gon has to find a way to overcome it. Speaking with Ezra helps, sure, but it's all been lighthearted, surface level conversation that, although peppered with some information from the holocrons, never went any deeper than exchanges that only held as much of an impact as words without complete context could.]

[But perhaps there's something that Qui-Gon can offer Ezra. Something bigger. He hadn't spoken about this to anybody before, at least, not anyone who didn't already know what he had uncovered. Mostly to avoid false hope or fueling unbridled ambition. Maybe now is the time to change that policy.]

[Qui-Gon knocks at Ezra's door.]

Ezra, are you free?

[lothrat]

[It's surreal for Ezra to tell himself that he's "bacK" in Empatheias. He knows he left. He's seen all the evidence he needs to be sure of that. But he still doesn't remember being gone, and that bothers him. Was he frozen in time? Or did he lose his memories of whatever it was he did back home? Or is it something more complicated than that? With all the efforts he's been making to try to change the past, to change Anakin's fall, maybe...

Maybe he doesn't remember going back because the life he left is gone. If that's the case, though, then how would he come back?

He doesn't know. He doesn't know, and he doesn't know of any way to get answers. The best he can do is meditate, trying to settle his mind. That's what he's doing now when Qui-Gon knocks. Abandoning his meditation, he gets up to open his door.]

Um, sure?

[He tilts his head, blinking, the question in his posture and his voice.]

What do you need?