Dathomir
The slow walk back to the Kell Dragon for Ciaran and Asajj was entirely silent, neither of them willing to talk about what had happened during the fight in the presence of Quinlan and Tholme. The two Jedi had moved ahead slightly, quietly discussing something among themselves but remaining inaudible. A cloud of fog had gathered around them, thin enough to see through but still obscuring the area around them to a noticeable degree.
"Sure would have been nice for the Singing Mountain clan to lend us a ride or something," Ciaran grumbled to herself, shortly followed by a grunt of agreement from Asajj. "I get the distinct impression that they didn't really want to deal with us once they had an excuse not-"
They were interrupted by the sounds of something large stomping towards them, and as Quinlan and Tholme ignited their lightsabers Ciaran realized that what was coming towards them was...familiar?
Before long the rancor that she and Asajj had barely managed to tame came into view, and without breaking stride simply strolled past Quinlan and Tholme up to Ciaran and Asajj. Now that they could get a closer look at it they could see broken chains around its neck and arms...
Once it closed the distance the rancor simply stopped, staring at the pair.
"Uh...hi?" Ciaran said nervously. "Looks like you broke out of whatever the Singing Mountain people had you in...do...do you..."
"Apparently we managed to do a better job of taming the rancor than I thought," Asajj said, groaning as she hauled herself up slightly. "It would seem that this one is still loyal to us, especially if it came all of this way to reunite with us."
Ciaran looked at her, then back at the oddly docile rancor standing before them, then back to Asajj, and a plan began to form-
"Yes, I wouldn't mind if - " Asajj gave the rancor a once-over - "he carried me the rest of the way. It's either that or..." She trailed off, shaking her head before gesturing towards him, and in response the Rancor slowly reached out a claw, carefully grabbing Asajj and lifting her up, using its hands to form a cradle Asajj could lie in before turning to face Ciaran.
"Right...well...uh...keep following me? I guess?"
The Rancor didn't seem to respond at first, but as Ciaran caught up with the very confused pair of Quinlan and Tholme he began to dutifully follow behind.
"...Why do I get the sinking feeling that this sort of insanity happens to you often?" Tholme said as he slowly facepalmed.
"Because that feeling is 100% accurate," Ciaran replied. As he started walking again she turned back towards Asajj. "You know, we're going to need to name him."
From her position in the rancor's claws, Asajj sighed in resignation. "Of course you want to keep him." She leaned up slightly. "Very well, do you have any ideas?"
"How about...'Cuddles?'"
"...No. What kind of fool would give that name to a rancor?"
The rancor growled, seeming to agree with Asajj's sentiment.
"I-it was a joke, I swear!" Ciaran said, shaking her hands in a "I didn't mean it" manner. "Hm..."
"Something that big deserves a fierce name," Quinlan said. "How about 'Juyo?' Like the lightsaber form?"
"That seems like a name that could cause some confusion," Tholme replied, bringing a hand to his chin in thought. "Hm...a name of a great warrior then? It may be a rather storied name, but perhaps 'Ulic' would suffice."
"If we're going historical, then I think 'Marr' would be a decent name for him," Ciaran said.
"If by 'historical' you mean yet another figure from the Jedi Civil War," Asajj replied indignantly.
"That's not fair! It's someone from right after that period," Ciaran retorted, and the look of annoyance from Asajj indicated she had an idea of what Ciaran was talking about. "You have a better idea?"
"He is a rancor. He will tear apart anything that gets in his way. We should go for a simple name that indicates how fearsome he is."
"Hm...well, we could always call him 'Adenn.'"
"And that means...?" Quinlan asked.
"It's a Mando'a word that means 'merciless.'"
Quinlan pondered the suggestion briefly before shrugging. "It's not a bad idea, but I still think 'Juyo' would be a better name."
After a few more moments of debate, the quartet arrived at their ships, with Silas leaning against the entry ramp. Without a word he glanced at the rancor holding Asajj before shrugging slightly and turning to face Quinlan and Tholme. "Right then, unless you two want to stay on the Planet of the Witches, you'd better get on board."
"Actually, I believe Mother Djo wanted to speak with us about something," Tholme said, and as Quinlan nodded in affirmation he turned to face Ciaran. "Would you mind going ahead of us?"
Ciaran shot a slight glare at Tholme. "I can wait. I won't interrupt whatever it is you're doing but we should stay together, for safety."
Tholme nodded coolly. "Reasonable enough." Without another word he made his way towards the nearby village with Quinlan close behind, and as they exited earshot Ciaran turned to face her grandfather.
"...So should I operate under the assumption that I'm going to have a Dathomirian cousin soon?"
Silas guffawed as Asajj leaned up slightly, a look of disgust on her face. "Normally I would not make those sort of assumptions about someone, but with you that is a reasonable question."
"Cut me some slack, I wasn't even here that long! Do you seriously think I could-"
"Yep." "Without question."
"Tch! No respect for your elders, I swear..."
Before Ciaran could continue, she realized something as she turned to face the yet-named rancor. She quickly darted into the Kell Dragon, found a tracker, and came out with it, walking slowly towards the rancor as he tilted his head slightly.
"So I don't have space in my ship to take you with me. But I do plan on coming back for you soon. Just keep this on you," Ciaran said to the rancor as she gingerly put the tracker on him, "and it'll let me find you once I get back. Got it?"
The rancor nodded slightly.
"Good boy."
The rancor growled in clear annoyance.
"O-okay, apparently you don't like being patronized, got it..."
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After the Jedi duo returned and boarded the Forefather's Charm, it and the Kell Dragon climbed upwards and exited Dathomir's atmosphere. Once it made the jump to lightspeed, Ciaran sighed and made her way back into the ship's quarters where Asajj was lying back on the bed. As Ciaran entered, she turned her head slightly to face her.
"Are the bacta patches helping?" Ciaran quietly asked.
"...Some. I'll be fine soon, but I'd prefer getting some time in a tank to make sure I don't have any serious internal injures."
The two of them fell silent.
"...Are we going to talk about what you said back there?" Ciaran said, though Asajj started to turn her head away. "Once everything settled down I started to realize that Talzin trying to kill me...I can't imagine what that must have felt like to you over-"
"It was the most terrifying thing I've ever felt in my life."
Ciaran blinked owlishly as she processed what Asajj had just told her.
"...You don't realize what it's like, do you?" Asajj said quietly, still not facing Ciaran. "Being alone for so long. Keeping yourself distant from others, fearing that getting close to anyone again would bring you more pain. When I felt you starting to die I..."
She trailed off, trying to find the words she wanted to say.
"...It made me realize...that I haven't been this close to anyone since my Master died. How...warm it felt. ...How cold it would be if I lost that again."
Ciaran remained silent. Asajj rolled over slightly to face her, and for the first time Ciaran could see a look of genuine fear on Asajj's face.
"I don't want to lose you. I...I don't know if I can go through that kind of loss again. I..."
Asajj trailed off again, though this time Ciaran had a reply.
"Do you know why I've been saying that you're my sister?"
Asajj went silent, though it was clear that she was curious about the answer.
"Before I can answer that, I need to ask you one other thing: Do you know what Nihilus represents to me?"
Asajj shook her head.
"Nihilus isn't just some figure from the history of the Miraluka, or someone who can act as a boogeyman to scare people. Not to me. Not after Malachor. To me he..."
Ciaran breathed in deeply, steadying herself.
"...He represents what I could become if I ever gave in to my hunger, and simply began to take what I wanted without any regard for the consequences, to consume everything in sight without a second thought. In a sense I have to fight him every single day because that hunger is always there, and if I falter for even a second...then there wouldn't be any difference between him and me."
Ciaran closed her eyes.
"...You...help me fight that hunger. Maybe even more than anyone else. Every time you chide me for getting too arrogant or make a snide comment at my expense...it brings me down to reality and helps me stay in control of myself."
She opened them again, locking eyes with Asajj.
"I guess what I'm trying to say is that the thought of you dying is equally as terrifying for me," Ciaran softly explained before a bitter chuckle escaped her lips. "It's kind of cruel, isn't it? We keep each other sane, but at the cost of knowing that if one of us dies, the other will fall."
Asajj let out a rueful chuckle of her own. "Then I suppose we should both do our best to not die before the other does. Though now that I think about it...it's not that cruel. You're the kind of stubborn idiot who refuses to die after all."
"Hello pot, my name is kettle~"
"Hmph. At any rate..." Asajj grumbled as she laid back. "I shouldn't be moving too much. And you'll need to be ready for Kenobi."
Ciaran opened her mouth, closed it, then nodded slightly and left the quarters. As she headed towards her office she went over what she was going to say to him in her mind...
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"It would seem that this will be the last time we see each other face-to-face. Do you truly believe you are ready for the battles ahead?"
"We both know that it's not a matter of me being ready. I can't stay here anymore."
"Your words betray your uncertainty."
"I won't deny that. But even so I'm not going to hide away here. That wasn't why I was looking for you."
"So you have found your answers then?"
"...No. But for the first time in years I feel like they're within reach. They're just not here."
"You are risking much if you believe she can guide you towards the answers you seek."
"I know. That's still not going to change my decision."
"Then take care that it remains your choice no matter what happens."
AN: I debated having the Obi-Wan stuff be a part of this, but then I realized it wouldn't really fit the tone of what the next interlude would be going for, so consider this an "intermission" like before.
Only real detail I want to comment on is that there was a Rancor actually named Cuddles in Forces of Corruption. Have I mentioned that it's a great game? Because it is. Anyway, the rancor's name here will be up for a vote later, but it was a fun way to relieve tension and have some little character moments.
I'm so conflicted.
