"I could tell her you're alive."
"She'd ask how you know."
"You're right. We have a problem."
Silence reigned with an uncomfortably heavy fist between the two men as they thought. Finally, the Watcher spoke. "Captain Loran."
"What?"
"He could tell her I'm alive."
"He could?" the man looked at him incredulously. "Why him?"
"Let's just say he owes me one."
The man nodded, "Alright, just see you're not found out. I've got a bad feeling, here."
He stood, "I've got to go, there are several things I need to do, and they leave at Nineteen hundred, sharp."
"Good luck."
"Yeah. I'll be in touch." With a simple nod to the man, Fes left.
Sniffling, Sylvana calmed herself. Crying wouldn't help anything, least of all the incessant pounding in her head. "I'm sorry."
"Don't be, you've got a lot going on right now. Here," Face handed her a handkerchief, which she used to dry her eyes. "I wish there was something I could say, but I haven't seen you since we were kids... maybe someone who knows you more recently could help?" he tried to smile comfortingly.
She took a shuddering breath, "Yeah... maybe Hobbie? I need to apologise to him about earlier anyhow."
He nodded, "Good idea, I'll comm him - if you want you two can talk in here without worrying that someone'll disturb you."
"Thanks, Rikki.... Can I ask another favour?"
"Sure, anything, Cous'."
"Do you have any pain killers that don't have Bacta in 'em? I swear I've got the headache that ate the planet."
"Sure, gimme a sec." Face moved over to his desk and rummaged around until he found the med-kit. He pulled a few pills out and grabbed a glass of water before coming back over to her. "Take these, they'd knock the headache out of a Rancor."
She smiled her thanks and took the pills, downing them as he went over to his desk to comm Hobbie.
"And they leave at nineteen hundred, you say? Of course I'll be right over!" Hobbie replied to Face and shut down his comlink before picking up his tray and dropping it into the recycler on his way out from the cafeteria.
When he reached Face's office, and rang for entry, the Wraith Leader met him at the door and exited the room. He motioned for Hobbie to follow him to a corner so they could talk quietly.
"What's going on?" Hobbie asked worriedly.
"When Sylvana went to see Skywalker, he unlocked a whole mess of memories; some of which I'd figured out but hadn't had a chance to talk with her about. One thing, she's my little cousin."
Hobbie's jaw dropped as his eyes widened, his mouth forming a round "O".
Face held up a finger. "It gets better. You see, she's only half human, and the remembrance has her feeling very... displaced. Finally, when she was a teenager, she was tortured extensively, as was her twin, whom she saw die." It was true, from a certain point of view. These were things she knew to be true.
"Man, that's rough," Hobbie shook his head, trying to also assimilate what his friend was saying. "I won't ask what the other half is. It doesn't matter anyhow."
"It seems to matter to her. She's gotten herself into such a state, she says she's got a splitting headache. She did say she wanted to apologise for earlier, I don't know what that's all about, it isn't my problem - and I really think that someone who's known her since adulthood, rather than someone like me who hasn't seen her since childhood, might be able to be a better comfourt."
Hobbie nodded, "I can see your point."
Face walked with him to the door and palmed it open. "Besides, you two make a cute couple."
Before Hobbie could say anything in response, he was pushed through and the door shut between them. Face decided to take up residence at the secretary desk to be sure they didn't get disturbed.
Shaking his head to himself, then turning to look into the room, Hobbie didn't immediately see where Sylvana could be. The sound of someone trying not to cry led him to where she'd moved to sit on the floor in a corner, just out of sight of the doorway. He sat down beside her and gently put a hand on her knee.
Sylvana's head jerked up as she tensed, then guiltily wiped the tears from her eyes. "Hi," she said quietly. "I'm sorry about earlier."
"It's alright," He smiled softly, "Hey. Face kinda gave me a run down on what's going on. Want an ear?"
She shook her head, "No thanks. You wouldn't want to lend your ear to a freak."
"You're not a freak, Sylvana."
"Yeah, I am," she sighed. "I'm a half-bred alien freak," she said morosely, not looking at him but at the carpet before her drawn up knees.
He reached an arm around her and pulled her close. He could feel her muscles tense slightly. "No, you're a lovely young woman who happens to be a little different." At that, he could feel her relax and lean her head against his shoulder, as she let out a shuddering sigh.
"It's just... so outside my frame of reference. I have no problem with non-humans, just suddenly finding out I'm not what I'd always believed, and..." she sniffled.
"Now, don't start that," he lifted up a hand to brush away the tear that was forming at the corner of her eye. He could see the unsure look in her eyes, and guessed at what she was thinking. "No, it doesn't change who you are, and it doesn't change what I think of you." He could see that struck a nerve as she nodded with a sniffle, then closed her eyes and lay her head back against his shoulder.
"Thanks," she said quietly. They stayed like that for a few minutes, then she started crying again.
"What is it?"
"I'm a terrible sentient."
"No you're not, what makes you think that?"
"I saw my twin brother die, and I forgot him!" This brought on a renewed set of tears.
Unable to think of what to say, Hobbie just gathered Sylvana to himself and let her cry.
She remembered now. Every horrid detail of that turnabout in their lives, she remembered. Exploring the edges of the valley they had been visiting, the twins had wandered a bit too far. Their younger sister wanted to stay behind in the city, yet their baby brother, all of four years, begged to come along, and was allowed.
She remembered their capture by the militants for racial purity. Remembered Arrek's wide eyed fear as he was forced to watch his older twin siblings being whipped, cut, and burned. She remembered his loud crying as tears fell down her own face when they were taken from where their brother lay broken, lifeless on the ground. Deceptively pure snow falling over him where he lay.
She remembered being beaten more, her baby brother's cries in her ears - and then awaking back in the valley palace. She was told their cousin, Salogel, had found them in the cold of the mountains, her baby brother almost untouched, but for his ears having been cut off, and left afraid of anyone he did not know.
She remembered her father telling them that he would take away the memories so they could live normal lives, so they could be happy again. She remembered protesting....
She wept as she let Hobbie comfourt her, and he rocked her gently as she cried herself to sleep.
Fes walked into the office and saw Face sitting at the secretary desk. "You got demoted?"
"No, I'm giving 'Vanni and Hobbie some time to talk uninterrupted. And before you say anything, yes they know they have to part before nineteen so she can leave."
"I thought foresight was supposed to be my thing."
"I just know you too well."
"So, what did I come in here to say?"
"That, I don't know. Tell me."
"You can tell her."
"Tell her...?" Face let it hang, not entirely certain what Fes was talking about.
"That I'm alive. I'm sure you can figure out a way, just say that you're not sure where I am, but that you'll let me know, or something, and hopefully I'll be able to catch up to her..."
"Or something," Face finished.
"Yes."
"That's not one of your more brilliant plans."
"I haven't had much time to think about it."
"All right, I'll do that."
Hobbie looked at his wrist chrono and noted that Sylvana had slept for quite some time. She'd have to awaken soon, if he was going to get her back to the other Terrans before they left. Judging the time it would take to get there, they had about two hours before she had to leave, and he hoped to bring her to one last supper before she did so. Gently, he shook her shoulder, "Sylvana, it's time to wake up."
There was no response, perhaps she was exhausted, she had been through quite a bit in the past few days. "Sylvana," he spoke a bit louder, shook a bit more roughly. "Wake up."
She started, and he caught her fist just in time before it connected with his jawline. She blinked a few times, then her eyes widened slightly as she realised what she'd done. "Oops...."
He chuckled, "It's all right. How do you feel?"
"My eyes are puffy and my head hurts, but I think I feel a little better."
"Good, want to eat?"
She nodded.
"How about we get some take-out and go to that park I told you about the other day?"
She pulled away and got to her feet, smoothing out the wrinkles in the borrowed day-uniform. "Sounds perfect."