DOOM!

YAY. New part to this finally. XD Much yays and all that -- I heart writing Synje. He's just so flighty and... not all there. O_O



part IX: THE DISTRACTION

Sunlight was fading as Jacen's eyes snapped open and it took him a few moments to realize he was leaning against the headboard of the bed, in the same place he had seated himself earlier. Cursing himself silently for fading into a light sleep, he slowly twisted his head, expecting to see Tenel Ka's body still curled up beside him.

The bed was empty, the sheets tangled up over one another. His brow furrowed slightly and he stared for a moment until he heard a noise that grabbed his attention. Turning, he watched Tenel Ka emerge from the refresher, her gaze instantly darting away from his.

Jacen's head turned with her as she stepped around the bed, his eyes never leaving her face. She was still clad in her jumpsuit, but she had unbraided her hair, leaving the copper locks to frame her face. He felt his breath hitch in his throat as she tucked a wave behind her right ear and continued to avoid his eyes.

Seating herself on the edge of the bed, Tenel Ka leaned down to slip her boots on and Jacen took the chance to crawl across the bed, settling on his knees behind her. Again, just like before, Jacen opened his mouth to speak but no words came. He didn't know if he should explain his jealousy, explain the kiss, explain how he felt... He could only sit behind her and shake his head.

She could feel him hovering there, his light breath shifting strands of her hair. She could sense his sudden misery flooding through their bond. Tenel Ka could sense that he was down about the whole situation -- but their bond was just strong enough for her to sense a little spark of jealousy still floating around his presence. That probably wouldn't vanish until they were away from this place.

Away...

Tenel Ka had the sudden urge to grab all the stuff they had brought in and march right down to the ship. But something held her back, some feeling, some emotion. Something. She felt Jacen's hand resting on her shoulder.

The hurt in his eyes was apparent once she shook his hand off and stood up, turning to face him. She tried not to notice it, she tried not to look in his eyes -- so she found herself staring at the floor. "We have to go to dinner."

Jacen had almost completely forgot about Synje inviting them to dine with him that night. "Oh..." His voice trailed off, lost to the deafening silence that hung over their heads. "Yeah."

Still feeling lethargic from his doze against the headboard, he slid off of the bed and stood up beside her, uncomfortably slipping his hands into his pockets. Normally he would've taken her hand or maybe snaked his arm through hers -- but the way her eyes carried that distance or the way she was holding her body, Jacen didn't want to try anything. They were treading on thin ice for some reason, over something incredibly stupid. Usually their small fights and tiffs were over something inane -- and it never stuck, it was always dropped or joked about.

They were both tense.

Taking her out of one stress filled environment and into the next, good job, Jacen.

After scolding himself, he followed Tenel Ka, who was already halfway down the corridor that led out of the bedroom.

He pattered down the halls after her, like a shadow, his hands still stuffed in his pockets. As they walked, he couldn't help but stare at the mane of copper drifting out behind her, the way it spread across the brown of the jumpsuit like a sea of fire. It was longer than he had remembered it before. He was so used to seeing it up with a crown topping it off or in its usual warrior braids.

The next thing he realized was that they were standing outside of the dining hall, and with a calculating glance from Tenel Ka, he watched her slip through the doorway. Jacen knew what that look meant, it was a warning -- as if she was telling him to behave. He quickly went in after her and stopped behind her, both of them staring in awe at the chamber.

The door they had entered had been on one of the long walls of the room, the table stretched out across the carpet ahead of them. It was spilling over with all kinds of food and drink -- things they had never even seen before; a man who had travelled the galaxy and back and the Queen Mother of sixty-three planets.

Passing Tenel Ka, Jacen wandered up to the table, his eyes running over still smoky meat, plates of salads and other leafy items, goblets of steaming, sweet smelling liquid -- over cakes and bowls of sugary pink cream. He could feel himself biting his lip. They had only eaten rations for the past however many meals and Jacen couldn't help but drink in the sight of this insanely long table blanketed in what he assumed was their dinner.

His eyes were still roaming when he heard Tenel Ka's voice behind him. "Where is Synje?"

In a fit of something that could easily be mistaken for rage, Jacen spun around, quickly trying to dispel any anger that had exploded in his system.

Tenel Ka had sensed it instantly and expected Jacen to ask why next, so she answered before he could speak.

"He is our host." Her voice was firm and it caused Jacen to turn away, his attention going back to the table. He began traipsing along the edge, running his fingers up over the backs of the tall chairs that lined it.

When he reached one of the ends, he caught something flashing out of the corner of his eye. Glancing over, in between a glass of mulberry liquid and a plate of some sort of greens, there was a datapad. Narrowing his eyes, Jacen snaked his hand around the goblets and serving trays and retrieved the datapad, biting his lip. It looked out of place in the dim room and when he picked it up, his eyes widened. Jacen spun around and held it out to Tenel Ka.

"It's a message from Synje." He seemed to say the teenager's name with a bit of venom, as he casually handed the datapad off to his companion. "He says he can't join us right away. He has some things to attend to first."

Tenel Ka snatched the device away from him, inwardly smirking as his sudden attitude. Letting her eyes scan the few lines that Synje left in his memo, she whispered the last one to herself. "Please, don't wait on me -- begin when you arrive. I'll follow shortly."

Great, dinner with Jacen.

"Looks like it's you and me."

Tenel Ka couldn't tell if Jacen's statement was one of triumph or just an observation, but she cocked an eyebrow nonetheless. Letting her gaze wander past his form, she started over to a seat near the end of the table, close to where Jacen was standing, fidgeting with the sleeves of his jacket.

Casually reaching an arm out, he pulled the seat she was planning to sit in out for her and bowed his head slightly as she stared him down. A moment's hesitation, then Tenel Ka seated herself, leaving Jacen to decide which of the many chairs he was going to sit in. Rounding the table, he sat directly across from Tenel Ka, to his right was the tall chair that signified the head. She was already reaching for food once he situated himself and Jacen caught his eyes resting intently on her through a crooked stack of pastries. He glanced away as she looked up at him, and he pretended to debate on what he wanted to try first.

The chamber was massive and every clink of a dish or tap of a glass echoed. It seemed like every shift in fabric and every movement did too. Jacen reached to his right to grab a pitcher of a fizzy clear liquid and felt his left foot brush against Tenel Ka's leg.

"Sorry," he murmured, not meeting her gaze as he poured his drink.

"Mmmhmm." She replied between bites of fruit.

Jacen couldn't help but smile inwardly at that childlike quality she possessed. She was a Queen, taught to act like a lady. Responding with a mouthful of food certainly wasn't ladylike, but it was something simple that made Jacen want to spend the rest of his life with her. She was herself, no matter what.

"Try these." She was reaching across the table with a handful of berries and Jacen began to bring his hand up to retrieve them when they both heard something. It was a low yet loud jumble of words that turned into a drawn out scream. The voice sounded male and it sounded fairly far away from the hall they were seated in. Jacen thought maybe the next level up or even many rooms over on the level they were currently on.

The noise made Tenel Ka drop her handful of berries all over the table, freezing in place.

Solo grabbed the hand that was still hovering over the spilled fruit and squeezed it -- their trivial feud thrown to the side for something more serious. "Stay here. I'm gonna go see what that was."

"Jacen! There is no ---" Tenel Ka went to argue and ask what in Force's sake he was thinking telling her to stay here when he cut her off.

"You're a handmaiden --" He hissed, lowering his voice. "--not a Queen Mother." He paused, releasing her hand. "And definitely not a Jedi Knight!"

She slammed herself back in her seat as Jacen's plan that was never explained seemed to unravel itself in her mind. It came flooding into her system like a shock as a sigh escaped her lips. Still, she trusted him enough to follow through with it and she watched as he flee from the room through a different door than the one they had entered the chamber in -- he left in the direction of the scream.

They hadn't explored that section of the manor yet, but Tenel Ka was sure Jacen didn't think about that before he sped off, leaving his almost untouched dinner on the table across from her.

Tenel Ka stared at her own plate and absently began picking at her food. She had lost all track of time but instantly wished she hadn't once the doors behind her opened. Quickly spinning in her seat, her eyes widened.

A white cloth was tied neatly over his eyes, the knot lost in a mass of blonde hair. A long, immaculate jacket of the same color hung over his frame, the front clasped from his waist to his neck, the bottom sweeping the floor behind him like a cloak. He felt around behind him and tapped the panel, letting the doors slide shut.

"Synje." Tenel Ka stated, trying to keep the shock out of her voice. Her first instinct had been that the scream they heard was his. But here he was -- and no Jacen.

"Teneve!" He exclaimed cheerfully, as he meandered over to the table, keeping his right arm out in front of him the whole way. "I trust you two are enjoying your meal?"

Tenel Ka stood and grabbed Synje's outstretched hand, leading him to the seat at the head of the table. He nodded, smiling and quietly said his thanks as Tenel Ka sat back down in the seat to the right of him.

"Actually," She started, her eyes darting back to Jacen's plate across from her. She felt a pang of distress at the absence of him, wondering where he was exactly. "He my compantion not here right now."

She saw Synje's face fall considerably and quickly moved to explain. "He was here earlier but we were eating and we heard a... a scream." She had no idea how he would take such a thing, especially after he had said there was no one else in the manor -- and there hadn't been for years. But she wasn't about to lie over Jacen's absence -- they had already lied to Synje enough.

"A scream?" His brow furrowed under the ivory cloth. "That's odd."

"You did not hear anything?"

"No, I was out in the central courtyard finishing up a painting before I cleaned up and changed to come here. "And there isn't anyone else here."

Her eyes moved back to the door Jacen had left through and she tried to reach out and feel him through the Force. She could feel his presence, it was faint, but it was there. Something was dampening it. Tenel Ka had noticed that something since they had arrived. Something was dampening the Force in general.

She shook her head and turned her attention back to her dinner and her host. "I am sure Jedi Solo is fine. He should be back soon. And the food is excellent, by the way. Thank you very much."

Synje brightened visibly, happy with the kind words and the verbal affirmation that his childhood hero would be just fine. "You're quite welcome." It all quickly dribbled into small talk and as Synje began to speak of his family and things of that nature, Tenel Ka took it all in, storing information they might need later. Part of her mind couldn't break itself away from Jacen though.


Above the dining hall, Jacen was traipsing down a silent corridor, lightsaber in hand, ready to be activated if the need arose. He had tried to heighten his senses, especially his audio perception. He had tried to seek out other living signatures nearby, but he could feel nothing -- except two beings below him.

Tenel Ka and him.

Jacen tried to banish the scowl from his face, but for some reason it just stuck.

With a sigh, Jacen peeked into the room he was closest to, which happened to be a guest refresher. Slipping into the small chamber, he tapped the light panel and a very dim glow appeared over the mirror ahead of him. It bathed the room in a eerie lifeless glimmer, a jaded sheen bouncing from the faded walls. On one side, behind a curtain was the side of the room with the shower and such -- this side, with the sink and mirror, seemed a bit like a lobby. Like a waiting area. Jacen tilted his head, marveling at how odd the manor was. There were multiple wings and many floors, all more elaborate and detailed than the last. Seeing this refresher just clarified that, as his eyes raked across a sofa and an endtable with some decorative flowers on it. As he stepped in front of the mirror, he let his magnified senses ebb and he set his lightsaber down on the counter beside the large basin that made up the sink.

One glance in the mirror and Jacen could feel himself cringe. He looked horrible. A combination of almost no sleep and nerves had gotten to him and the garish lighting cast an unnerving shadow over his visage. His brandy-brown eyes seemed to take on a black sheen as the lights began flickering randomly, suggesting a loose connector or something of the sort. This manor seemed very old, Jacen wasn't surprised that certain rooms had gone without care. This just must've been one of the forgotten ones.

Another exhale as he relaxed his shoulders, the fatigue finally setting in. He had been exploring for quite some time now and had found no evidence of the scream -- no one to trace it back to, nowhere it could have come from. And Synje was downstairs with Tenel Ka; if it had been Synje, he would've felt a jolt in the Force from the Queen Mother. Even though the Force seemed hard to reach there, for some reason, Jacen could still feel her through their connection quite clearly.

He leaned over the sink and switched the faucet on, the style of the handles reminding him of the apartment his family had on Coruscant. It took a few seconds for a steady stream of water to emerge but it was worth it when Jacen moved both of his hands under the clear fall. It was cool to the touch and it felt even better when he tilted his head down and splashed it all over his face. The air of the manor, especially upstairs where he was, was musky and heavy -- the water fixed that, if only for a short period of time.

Jacen had closed his eyes when the water met his skin, a reflex obviously, and dragging his sleeve across his face to dry it, he waited a few moments before opening his eyes.

And that was when he saw her.

Or her reflection anyways, in the mirror.

She was sprawled out across the sofa he had seen empty mere moments before, one arm propped across the back and the other hand in her lap. Her eyes were wide, her mouth stretched in a thin pale line across her ivory skin and her hair was a messy halo of red.

She was rather beautiful, albeit she looked quite young. A tad unsettling too. Her expression, her eyes... something about her made Jacen's throat clench up. And it wasn't just her sudden appearance. Solo watched her reflection and he didn't dare to move. She shifted her legs a bit, crossing them at the ankles and continued to meet his eyes in the glass.

Instincts tore Jacen's eyes away from the mirror and he spun around, his gaze traveling straight to the sofa.

The empty sofa.

"What..." Jacen let his whisper trail off as his mouth hung open, lips dry, breath slightly ragged.

When he had decided he stared at the sofa long enough, Jacen slowly twisted back towards the mirror. His eyes met with his reflection, a shock jolting through his veins at the sight of her peering over his shoulder, her lips formed into a slight pout.

He would never forget that look in her eyes.

It was the last thing he saw before he grabbed his lightsaber and ran out of the refresher. He didn't look over his shoulder again -- he couldn't feel her through the Force, like a normal being anyways, and he wasn't about to stick around alone and leave Tenel Ka with Synje -- who had lied and said there wasn't anyone else here.

Jacen had a lot to talk to the Queen Mother about.


Also, a couple new (and old) fanfic100 stories coming up, as well as the next part of Shred Shot! :D