I suppose that must be strange, speaking with someone who you have yet to meet, someone who is not even born yet. From the lessons I learned with your mother, I know that strange things can happen, but that must be more than strange. Unsettling, perhaps. And how do you know that she is not trying to steer you in a direction that might harm you?
[ To Bastila, it seems more than a little suspicious that Paul's supposed sister is insisting on anything, especially when said sister is not even physically with them. ]
What are her motivations? What are her reasons for steering you in that direction? [ I have not even met her and I don't think I trust her.
She notes the way that Paul's hand tremors against her cheek, and instinctively, she moves closer to him, wanting to offer reassurance.
She can only venture a guess at what he might be thinking of, but the look on her face tells her that it is not a pleasant memory. A stray thought enters her own mind then, but that would be too much of a coincidence for them to be thinking about the same thing. And, really, she isn't certain how much she believes in coincidence anyway. ]
Are you glad that the tribe respects her? I imagine the respect they offer is somewhat different from the respect she might have received on Caladan, if she was given the respect she deserves. Feared, however...
[ She thinks that over for a moment. ] Your mother does have her moments of being rather fearsome, I would say. [ There is a force behind Jessica that appears from time to time, and while Bastila would not say she fears the woman, she can cautiously appreciate that forcefulness.
As she sits there with Paul, she notices how he seems to drift away from her, a little at a time. And where he's going seems to be somewhere she can't follow. Perhaps it's a vision, or a waking dream, and if the things he spoke of just moments ago are any indication, she imagines that what he might be seeing may not be all that pleasant.
Still, all she can do is sit there with him while he navigates whatever strange things he is seeing, and hope that when he comes back from it, he is still himself. From what she understands of visions and dreams, they have a strange way of changing a person.
And as far as she can tell, Paul has been changed quite enough already, although she knows that most, if not all of these changes, are well outside her control, if she ever had any control at all.
For now, she waits. She waits for Paul to navigate the weirdness of his visions and return to her. Eventually, he does, and the only way she can tell that is by the way she touches her face. And then she hears his next words and she leans in closer to him, the desire to comfort him growing stronger by the second. ]
I survived, Paul, and so did you. We survived together, even though we were apart. [ Perhaps her words make no sense. Perhaps he will dismiss them as stupidity. Their survival had nothing to do with anything the other was doing. ]
What is it I want? [ For her, the choice is easy. ] I want to be with you. If I have to be your concubine, I will. If I can be your... your lady, I will. As long as I can be with you.
[ She would even walk behind him carrying his belongings if it meant being with him. ]
no subject
[ To Bastila, it seems more than a little suspicious that Paul's supposed sister is insisting on anything, especially when said sister is not even physically with them. ]
What are her motivations? What are her reasons for steering you in that direction? [ I have not even met her and I don't think I trust her.
She notes the way that Paul's hand tremors against her cheek, and instinctively, she moves closer to him, wanting to offer reassurance.
She can only venture a guess at what he might be thinking of, but the look on her face tells her that it is not a pleasant memory. A stray thought enters her own mind then, but that would be too much of a coincidence for them to be thinking about the same thing. And, really, she isn't certain how much she believes in coincidence anyway. ]
Are you glad that the tribe respects her? I imagine the respect they offer is somewhat different from the respect she might have received on Caladan, if she was given the respect she deserves. Feared, however...
[ She thinks that over for a moment. ] Your mother does have her moments of being rather fearsome, I would say. [ There is a force behind Jessica that appears from time to time, and while Bastila would not say she fears the woman, she can cautiously appreciate that forcefulness.
As she sits there with Paul, she notices how he seems to drift away from her, a little at a time. And where he's going seems to be somewhere she can't follow. Perhaps it's a vision, or a waking dream, and if the things he spoke of just moments ago are any indication, she imagines that what he might be seeing may not be all that pleasant.
Still, all she can do is sit there with him while he navigates whatever strange things he is seeing, and hope that when he comes back from it, he is still himself. From what she understands of visions and dreams, they have a strange way of changing a person.
And as far as she can tell, Paul has been changed quite enough already, although she knows that most, if not all of these changes, are well outside her control, if she ever had any control at all.
For now, she waits. She waits for Paul to navigate the weirdness of his visions and return to her. Eventually, he does, and the only way she can tell that is by the way she touches her face. And then she hears his next words and she leans in closer to him, the desire to comfort him growing stronger by the second. ]
I survived, Paul, and so did you. We survived together, even though we were apart. [ Perhaps her words make no sense. Perhaps he will dismiss them as stupidity. Their survival had nothing to do with anything the other was doing. ]
What is it I want? [ For her, the choice is easy. ] I want to be with you. If I have to be your concubine, I will. If I can be your... your lady, I will. As long as I can be with you.
[ She would even walk behind him carrying his belongings if it meant being with him. ]