Shadows of Bankor

The work continued. Petrus had cleared away the kaf table, leaving more room for him to perform his task. Fabric was strewn about, durable, and if not exactly lightweight, it was at least breathable. Important on this part of Bankor, where the temperatures so often got so high.

He glanced at his chrono, and then glanced at the door. His sister's work typically... wasn't typical. Ah, well. That was the nature of contract work. Gig economy, right?

Still, he couldn't help but glance at the door from time to time as he worked...

Today was...

With some time to her Jenna made her way home, she was casual, composed, she'd mostly worked in a high stress environment so she was used to pushing it down, away and out of mind. Stepping in through the door everything was as normal, long day at work, "Hey," her voice was a little shaky, looking at her brother.

Shutting the door securely she turned back around, looked at her brother, leaned her head back into the door and then slid all the way down it until she could sit there. With her head back against the door she closed her eyes and tried to push the thoughts out of her head.

"Hey." Petrus said, smiling, but only for a moment. He could tell something was wrong.

"Hard day?" He asked, his tone sympathetic. But his blue eyes continued to get wider, and more concerned, as she slumped to the ground.

Petrus rose to his feet. "Janna? What's wrong?" There was an emotional edge to his voice, rough and raw.

Hand shaking, she sorta laughed a hollow laugh, "I.. uh-," her voice shook, "I met an Inquisitor today..." she said, despite holding herself back her shoulders even started to shake a bit.

"Oh." Petrus said. For a few moments, his mouth stayed open, then it shut with a snap.

He crossed the rest of the way over to her. Kneeling down in front of her, he took both of her hands with his, one in each. "You wanna tell me about it?" He gave her hands a gentle squeeze, strong and reassuring. Maybe it would cover the cold fear he felt in the pit of his stomach.

It wasn't long, that he held her hands, that she surged forward and buried herself against him. Everything came surging forward in that moment, there were no more reasons to hold back, her whole body shook as the trembling overtook her. Heavy heaves came alongside deep sobs. Words croaked out and were unable to be heard, at first, but she gave up after a few attempts and just fell into the pit of her fears.

"I.. I was so scared," her voice trembled, "I.. I didn't.." the words caught in her throat, and for a second she almost struggled to breath trying to get them out but she inhaled deeply and sobbed yet some more.

Petrus' arms came around her. His own fear was forgotten in his concern for her. He pulled her against him, cradling her against his chest, warm and reassuring.

"It's okay. You're okay now." He murmured. One hand gently patted her shoulders, stroked her hair. Holding her for however long she needed.

"How did it happen?" He asked, his voice soft.

After a bout of crying, she sniffled, pulled herself together a little and released herself from her brother for the moment. So she could breath, and think, and speak clearly, with the tears and makeup making streams down her cheeks she sat up straight with her back against the door.

"We," she stammered, "we were in the library. Researching for Vaya's mission. And it just, they just came into the room, the troopers, put us all in a line to ask questions. I.. I was in line, and," she visibly shudders, "next thing I know I'm being moved across the room, just, sorta like flying but I didn't have any control, like I was just picked up... it was the Inquisitor, I.. I figured that out, eventually," she shudders again," I.. I think Verse got out, I was glad. They.. they were looking for that man, Oraka.. or something," she glanced aside for a moment, then back, "they were also after this girl? She couldn't be older than sixteen, I don't... I don't understand."

Petrus may have been released, but he stayed close, letting his presence reassure her, hopefully.

His eyes widened as she told the story. "Wow." He breathed. "That's... wow, that's terrible. I'm sorry. Verse got out?" He breathed a sigh. "That's a relief." From the sounds of it, it was Malus; he was the one who was after Oraka, after all.

His lips pressed together. "Did he hurt you?" There was a sternness to Petrus' voice that wasn't often heard. He used it as a Jedi sometimes, but more often as an older brother.

"N-no.. not," she shuddered, bringing a hand up to wipe away at her cheeks, it only smudged it further, "just, threatened to. Lightsabers, they, they generate a lotta heat y'know?" she chuckled a half-hearted, reverting a little into the street rat accent of yesteryear. "Had to.. had to be like only a few inches away from my face, he, I was surprised they were hunting a little girl. Questioned it. He.. he didn't like that so much, I.. I wasn't thinking, it was stupid. So stupid, to risk something like that. I.. I don't know why I reacted like that, I.. I just.."

"I do know." Petrus said, his expression serious.

He grit his teeth, his jaw clenching noticeably. After a few moments, he controlled himself. It was difficult, not to feel anger at someone who used fear and pain as weapons, who tormented his sister, and who was targeting a teenage girl. Petrus took a deep breath.

"It's okay." He said reassuringly. "People do weird things, at times like that. And, well, it's pretty hard to understand."

Swallowing, he took one of her hands, his blue eyes seeking hers. "Jenna... the reason he was doing that is because he's hunting someone with a connection to that girl. That's how they do things, they use family and friends, and they hurt or terrify them to get what they want from their target." He let that sink in, watching her expression closely.

Catching her brothers eyes she started to tear up again, "I was so afraid they were going to ask about you," and she broke, again, tears created a new path over the smudged makeup and descended down and along off her chin. Once she realized, she reached forward again to hold her brother tight and just sobbed.

"It's okay, Jenna." Petrus said. His voice was a little strained; he could feel his own fear returning. Swallowing, he did his best to force it down. "It's okay..."

He gave her another squeeze. "Look, someone like that isn't gonna come after me. I'm not important enough." He took a deep breath. "I'm just glad you're okay."

"They're even hunting a little girl Petrus," she said, her voice desperate but weak, "I don't think they're focusing on you now but... But if they knew? If they knew?" she shook with a sob.

"I.. I'm used to, to fear, I.. I know what it's like to go up against someone with power but," she broke off, realizing, "I'm just.. I've never felt so helpless. Like nothing I could say, or do, would save me... save you," she sniffled.

"I.. I left Vaya there, alone," another sniffle, "he executed someone in front of me, needlessly, just... Just to prove a point someone died because of me. I.. I couldn't ... I ran, I've always run, and I ran."

Petrus sighed, his eyes closing. "It's okay, I understand. The Dark Side, and those who use it... it's not like a normal fear. It's a weapon of theirs."

His hand came up, holding her head gently to his chest. "Sometimes there's nothing you can do. And you got through it."

He took a breath. "And Vaya's clever. She made it out, right?"

"I.. yea, she, she made it out.. but I still," she didn't need to say it again, so she stopped herself.

"I don't know if Bankor is safe for us anymore, any of us.." she released herself again. A sniffle, wiping her face dry. "I just don't know what to do, I don't know what to do."

Petrus breathed a quiet sigh of relief.

There was a long pause before he answered. "It's not. But we can't just leave, not yet. There's too much here. So many people that care for us. In fact, I gotta tell you something about that. And I know it's scary, but you and I can handle it, huh?"

He frowned, just a little. "You said you're used to going up against people with power?"

"Yea," she emboldened herself a bit, a smile, wiped at her cheeks a little more but it'd long since dried. "Karath siblings," she said with a dreamy kinda tone to her voice, "our parents may not have been worth kriff, but we've never found anything we can't handle, at least as long as we're together, huh?" she propped herself up on the door.

"Ok.. yea, I.. yea.." she said, not sure how or where to start, "I.. I gotta tell you something too, it seems, something I've been.." she debated with herself how to phrasie it, "keeping from you for a long time. But," she paused, "let me get up and wash my face of first?" she said with the hint of a grin.

"That's right." Petrus said, smiling. "That's us. And we are together, now."

"Oh, uh..." Petrus blinked. "Okay...?" He rose easily to his feet, offering his hand to gently help her up, too. "Sure. And hey, lemme get you something to drink. I bet you haven't eaten either, huh?"

With his help she was quickly back up on her feet. Looking ahead at her brother, she smiled, and took him into another short hug before releasing and slipping around him.

"Thanks..." she said, as she came around, and didn't pause till she got to the bathroom. Taking only a few moments she only took the time to wash off her face, process, and then look at herself in the mirror.

Outside of the bathroom again she moved to the table and took her usual seat, looking over to her brother.

While she was gone, Petrus had a little time to think about what it was that she meant.

He had no ideas. And so he waited.

When she came out, he took his usual seat too, and there was a glass of water sitting in front of hers. Petrus' expression was curious, and concerned, but not more than that.

"So," she starts, taking the glass into her hands. "You said you had something to tell me about too, yea? So, who goes first? Me, you?"

"Uh..." Petrus considered for a moment. "Well, I think I'm gonna explode if you don't tell me your big thing. Mine's not that big really." He gave her an encouraging little nod. "So please, you first."

"Okay," she took a moment, looked down at the water and then let out a long exhale. "So, to start.. how do you think I found you?"

"Uh..." Petrus frowned. He remembered being so happy that she'd found him... happy, and a lot of other things at the same time. The Purge was recent enough then that he had neither processed, nor managed to shove it deep inside.

He didn't remember ever asking how she found him. It hadn't occurred to him to ask.

"I don't know." He said, blinking. "Come to think of it, I have no idea." He nodded to her, encouragement to go on.