Shadows of Bankor

Coming back to the apartment, she dreaded the silence. Somehow the room felt empty, quiet, she needed a space and time to prepare but the room almost seemed to drown her. Thoughts weren't on the heist in the slightest but everything of where she wasn't. Setting the dress up on it's hook over the door frame outside of her bedroom she set out the other tools on the dining table. Pushing aside some ready to go plates she tended to leave atop it.

Sitting for a moment she leaned her face down into the palms of her hands, catching hair between her fingertips and sighing heavily. Holding, holding, holding, onto the sense of sanity she didn't believe she possessed.

Not everyone would have recognized Petrus casual step, if perhaps a little heavier than usual, approaching the door. But Jenna probably would.

The door opened, and a slightly weary-looking Petrus stepped inside. Spotting Jenna in, he smiled. "Hey, sis." He said, part emotional, part sheepish.

Crash.

It was a miracle, really, that the shoddy chair hadn't cracked in two when it hit the ground. One of the plates even, stacked as they were, was now teetering closely toward the edge when her arm flailed out to balance herself as she flew from her seat. Jenna, of course, was wrapped tightly around her brothers neck and squeezing with everything she had, tears streamed down her cheeks wetting his shoulder.

"You kriffin' idiot," she said, her voice a bit hoarse.

"Hey." Petrus said. "It's okay. I came back. I said I would, didn't I?" His arms encircled her, awkwardly at first, then squeezing tighter, letting his gear fall to the ground.

He pressed his face fondly into her hair. "Missed you, sis." He said.

Pushing back off him she took a look, thought about it, and then punched him in the shoulder, but she never was the strongest of the two. "You're a kriffin' idiot of a brother Petrus Karath, a kriffin' idiot," she looked him in the eye, the tears were evident along her cheeks and gave them a defined form, "but I'm glad you're home safe."

Hugging him again tightly now she hooked her chin over his shoulder. Arms over and under his, opposite sides

Petrus' blue eyes met hers, blinking in surprise and confusion. And then they were hugging again.

"I know I am." Petrus murmured, his chest rumbling, his voice muffled by her hair. "I know I am. It's okay." He squeezed her, arms flexing, and then just held her against him.

Eventually the room grew still again, a sniffle broke the silence and Jenna slipped free from her brother's arms. Turning away from her brother as she saw to cleaning up her face with a few wipes at her cheeks. A groan, she hated crying, always annoyed her a bit because of how the tears stuck to her cheeks with their light presence.

"Alright.. I... Have some business to take care of this afternoon," her voice wasn't quite normal yet, the soft hues of tears colored the quality of the sound. Another sniffle, "Let me to get cleaned up some, and then we can... talk, some?" she asked, having turned around to face him again.

"Yeah, okay." Petrus' hands twitched down at his side, and his blue eyes were wide. He could feel the ache behind his eyes himself, even if he didn't quite go as far as tears; Jedi rarely did, after all.

"Okay." He said again, managing a smile. "Have you eaten? Lemme make you, uh, something..." Petrus was not a very good cook.

"No," she chucked, her voice breaking back into her normal tones, "no, I don't think I'll put that torture on the both of us right now... but please, uh, you know, relax a bit. Must have been hard, whatever you had to do, I'll be," she was already moving at a casual pace toward her bedroom, "right back."

Smiling, Petrus nodded. "Yeah, okay. Sure."

He let her go, flopping semi-bonelessly onto the couch. He was tired... it felt strange, being so tired, and doing so much. And worrying his sister. Groaning softly, Petrus rubbed his hand over his face as he waited for Jenna to return.

Once she disappeared into her room it was only a few moments before she popped over into the refresher. Some time later, after the shower was running for some time, Jenna eventually emerged from the refresher looking as she did almost every day. Grey baggy shirt, darker grey baggy pants, and a black belt buckle that cut it in two, it wasn't a flattering outfit but she never cared.

It was the dress that was hanging, if seen through the plastic, that seemed most flattering. Yet she wasn't ready quite yet, there was more prep to be done and then she had to go to a pre-planned staging area. It was good that she was able to take her shower, to calm her nerves and stop the shaking, she was going to need those nerves later.

Crossing over into the kitchen area she stepped over the fallen chair and opened the cold storage and pulled out some fruit, "Want anything while I'm over here?" she asked, as if the world was normal.

Petrus perked up a little as Jenna returned. "Yeah, that sounds great. I'm actually really hungry all of a sudden." He frowned. "This whole day feels weird, like, off-balance or something." He should probably spend some time meditating.

"Uh... so what are you up to today?" Petrus bit his lip at how that sounded.

"I have.. work," she paused, having reached into the cold case and pulling out what she needed. A couple fruit and the ingredients to make a quick sandwhich. "Shouldn't be more than a few hours, going to offer some advice on security," she said.

It wasn't really a lie, totally, but the deception was present as she wasn't sure she'd ever be able to admit it, especially after how she acted when he wanted to run off to do something noble. Sandwhiches weren't that complex but she took the time piecing it together to drift onto that thought for a moment.

"Anyway, need to make sure I impress today and it should be a pretty lucrative deal," she came around toward the couch. Handing him the sandwhich and one of the fruits. Taking herself, and her fruit, to the nearby armchair. "Might make us a little best egg in case.. well, whatever it is you went to do isn't over yet."

"Oh, that's good." Petrus said, flashing a quick smile. "You'll do great, I know you will." He accepted the food with another smile, and began eating, slowly and carefully. He was hungry, but it felt distant, somehow.

Another small bite, and he looked over at Jenna. "Hey sis..." he chewed his lip for a moment. "Thanks for taking care of me these last few years. I know I haven't just been lying around watching Warrior's Heart... but still." He shrugged. "I mean it, really. Thanks."

"It's what family does, right?" she said, the brightest and most earnest of her smiles shone at that moment."If you're in danger, need help, what kinda little sister would I be if I didn't come running?" she chuckled, rolling her wrist with the fruit in hand, a few bites removed.

"And you haven't been just laying around, no, but you have.. made some interesting friends? Of late? I.. I don't really know how to ask about that, really. What's even safe to say."

"Yeah..." Petrus chewed his lips a few moments. "I don't know how much to say either. I trust you more than anyone, even them-" he nodded towards the girls next door, "-but it's just so..." He grimaced, shaking his head.

After a few moments, he brightened. "Actually, I was gonna have some of them over tonight. The neighbors, of course, but also some of my new friends. You know Xanna, but you can meet the others, too? Oh yeah, and I'm gonna show them Warrior's Heart." He grinned. "What do you say? You're in, right?"

"Of course," she said with a bright smile, the thought of his mission was pushed aside. What it meant, what happened, it wasn't safe to really talk about anywhere, to even know it happened.

Some things, she thought deeply, were just better to not talk about.

"Well, if youre planning on having some people over you best do some cleaning in that room of yours. When I get back I'll take care of the rest of the house, but there, I'm not even dating."

Petrus blinked, looking down at his plate. Apparently he'd polished off his sandwich. Maybe he was hungry after all.

He looked at Jenna, his eyebrows going up. "I'm not expecting anyone to see my room. I don't want people to see, uh, stuff." Mostly his lightsaber.

After a moment, he nodded. "But... I think I'm gonna, anyway. It's about time." He smiled. "And I'll help you clean up out here, too. I'm pretty sure more than half of any mess we have is mine." Although between Jenna and Mia, it wasn't that bad.

"Good," she smiled, pushed herself to her feet and came over to hug her brother quickly before tossing out the core of the fruit into a bin.

"But for now, I should go," she said, having half turned toward him, "got to make sure I can get ready and everything for that bit of work. Don't wanna be late," she spoke as she collected the things laid out on the table discreetly. Correcting the chair to its proper place as if it weren't even a thought and then quickly grabbing the dress down from its hanger.

"See you later, then?" she said, walking past and toward the door in a whirl of speed and motion. Glancing back at the frame, her hand resting against it,

Normally, Petrus would give one of his half-hugs, but he did a full one this time.

"Uh, yeah, sure, okay." Petrus sank back down into the couch. "I'm just gonna rest a little before I get started." It had been an exciting morning, after all.

"Hey..." He paused a moment, biting his lip. "Any snack requests? For tonight?" He said suddenly.

"Uh," she leaned up against the door, resting her head on it for the second as she thought, "I dunno, uh, whatever you think your friends would like should be fine?"

"Oh!" she said, on a thought, leaning back off the door, "I'm looking forward to meeting them, and make sure to put the good dishware away if you can. Mia.. has a good heart, but sometimes I feel the girl can get a bit too excite-able to keep around fragile things."

Petrus grinned. "Yeah, sometimes I think she doesn't know her own strength. And she's got a lot of energy."

"Well, okay." Petrus smiled again. "Good luck on your job." Not that he really believed in luck. "And hey, when you get back, let's hang out a bit, huh?"

"Lets," she said, with a smile, and then slipped through the door.

Petrus slumped back with a sigh, a faint smile on his lips. He really did love his sister, and it seemed like things were still normal between them.

Mostly.

It was a while before he rose with a sigh, tossing his own pit, and putting the plate next to the sink for later. He had cleaning to do if everything was going to be ready for Warrior's Heart!