IC CONTACT

[sithkabobed]

[please indicate mode of contact in the subject, thanks!]

Comments

[sithkabobed]

[Qui-Gon reaches out with his left arm--his right still hanging in its sling--and takes the book with a grateful nod. He scans the title quickly and, evidently pleased, turns to face Leia again.]

Thank you. I look forward to reading it.

[While Leia could have given him a book on literally any topic and it would have served a decent distraction, the subject matter does pique Qui-Gon's interest. He's a sucker for culture and knowledge, and has made no secret of it.]

As for the timeframe, it should only be another week or so. The healers are doing what they can, and I've had help from Obi-Wan and from my own abilities.

[He sighs and shifts in the bed, making it clear that despite the optimism in his words, they're rooted in frustration.]

If it were up to me, I would have left a long time ago. I'm sure you would agree.

[oratorical]

I'm no fan of medical wards, personally.

[Which is to say, she agrees, except in the case of others who need to stay under medical supervision to ensure they're safe and healing just fine. She doesn't need to sit still and heal, just everyone else.]

You can use the Force to heal others?

[sithkabobed]

[Qui-Gon concurs with a half-smile and a nod. Anyone would be hard pressed to find someone who enjoyed medcenters, but he understood her intent. There was a special kind of animosity between hospitals and the uniquely stubborn.]

Yes.

But like any other talent, some excel at it and usually choose to pursue it as a specialty as a result. I can't say it's one of my talents, personally, but I know enough to provide assistance when necessary.

Jedi also have a tendency to heal quicker than most thanks to our affinity with the Force. Others who are Force-sensitive are the same.

[He raises his eyebrows at Leia.]

[oratorical]

I doubt I'd have much knowledge there either way.

[Not only is it news to her, but she's always been one with access to the best doctors available. Even when full-time with the Alliance, when she'd rather refuse the treatment to meet the same standards everyone else received.]

[sithkabobed]

Explicit knowledge, perhaps not. But your instinct--implicit knowledge--may say otherwise.

[He refrains from speaking in absolutes, as it's entirely possible he's wrong in his hypothesis, but Qui-Gon does continue regarding Leia with a critical eye.]

Have you ever noticed that you tend to recover faster than others? Even if it's something as simple as a small cut?

[oratorical]

It's possible. But it's not something I would have paid much attention to. I don't have much beyond my own experiences to compare it to.

[usually because she was too busy to pay attention, and anything bigger than a small cut would've been treated with bacta. Sure she did have some friends she played with when she was younger, but between them being of many different species and there always being distance between them by virtue of how and where Leia had grown up, it's hard to tell.]

Being raised in a palace doesn't particularly lend itself to having close playmates that would play the sort of games that might lead to accidental scrapes.

[not that she didn't get them anyway but. In general.]

[sithkabobed]

Such is the life of royalty, I suppose.

[The airy nature of Qui-Gon's words points to just how much he believes (he doesn't) Leia didn't run around scraping her knees or finding someone rebellious to spend time with.]

[Still, he understands how it's not something that's immediately noticeable to someone who doesn't have an ample comparison or any kind of time to do said comparing.]

No matter the planet or its structure, that is a truth that seems to remain constant among government families.

[oratorical]

[Oh she certainly scraped her knees and had some other children she ran around with on Coruscant and Alderaan. But, none she would've counted as actual close friends. None that she continued to stay close with as they both aged.]

My mother always said that even if we'd prefer otherwise, there would always be a dividing line between those inside the palace and those outside. Even on Alderaan, that was the case.

[Well that and actually making true friends, not just acting with the sort of grace and politeness that princess are expected to have, has always been hard for her.]

[sithkabobed]

It was a lonely life.

[He says it with the quiet conviction of a man who, although never personally experiencing the special hardships of living as royalty, has seen enough to draw his own conservative conclusions. Even so, Qui-Gon doesn't dare to presume the specific details of what it is Leia has gone through. The young woman has already proven herself time and time again to break the mold with graceful aplomb. It'd be irresponsible to try and assume generalities with her (or anyone, really).]

[oratorical]

Lonely isn't the right word.

[getting to know people outside of the palace may have been hard. Relating to or making friends with people her age, even ones in the apprentice legislature, may have also been hard. But, it isn't as if she was totally alone or lonely. Not when she was growing up, at any rate.]

I had my parents. The three of us were very close.

[sithkabobed]

I don't doubt you were.

[Qui-Gon leans back into his pillows, settling in to allow Leia his full attention. Not that she didn't have it before, but now the floor is all hers. He's ready to listen.]

Tell me about them--outside of the politics. I've already heard enough about the Organa family on that front. Good things, but enough.

[oratorical]

The politics are just as vital to their character as anything else.

[which is true enough, since she can't imagine what her parents would be like if they weren't equally as devoted to Alderaan and to helping improve the galaxy as they were to each other. But it's clear enough thanks to the faint smirk on her face that she's not offended by his remark, more slightly amused than anything.]

Though, neither of them were as serious in private as they appeared to be in the political arena. I don't think I've met two people that love each other as much as my parents did. They were always close, and made time for each other as often as possible.

[sithkabobed]

They sound special, indeed. Not many government officials can say the same.

[He's witnessed his own fair share of romances-turned-ugly within the Senate. It seemed like a common problem no matter what planet or species one hailed from.]

[He also might be hip on all the political gossip of his time.]

I've found that Alderaan's representatives, in particular, tended to serve their roles with little time or interest in the scandals that plague the Senate. I hadn't heard of anything regarding Representative Antilles or his predecessors, at least.

[oratorical]

It's not hard to not get involved in senatorial scandals if you're actually focused on doing work.

[Or at least, that's Leia's take on it. She tended to avoid focusing on the more gossipy side of the Senate to focus on trying to do what she could to restrain the Empire and help the galaxy using legislation, like Bail had before her. Granted, it didn't help much, but she's speaking from experience here.]

He's a relative of mine, on my mother's side, you know.

[sithkabobed]

You'll hear no argument from me.

[He says in the weary tone of someone who's had his fair share of dealing with the Senate's bullshit.]

What did he wind up doing after his time in the Senate?

[oratorical]

Philanthropy and mentoring, if I remember correctly.

[aka who knows with a minor character like that whose anything from legends is basically wiped]

Education was highly valued on Alderaan, and people often would volunteer to teach classes for their own enjoyment and the value of helping others. His experiences in the Senate gave him plenty of experiences worth sharing with those that were interested.

[sithkabobed]

If I'm not mistaken, all education on Alderaan came at no expense, as well.

At least, that was the case during my time. I can't speak for the future.

[He nods his head towards Leia. Because. You know. She's the future and all that corny stuff.]

[oratorical]

It was, yes.

[was, not is, since there's no real future for a planet that doesn't exist anymore.]

We made sure our citizens were taken care of. It's the very least we owed to them.

[sithkabobed]

[Qui-Gon is silent for a few moments, gauging how welcome a friendly gesture would be before he reaches out with his good hand and lightly places it on Leia's shoulder.]

And you did well by them.

Your parents--and your people--would be proud.

[oratorical]

[Leia glances at his hand on her shoulder, but doesn't move to shove it off or anything like that.]

It's hard to think so, sometimes. My actions wouldn't have changed even if I had known what was to happen.

[well she might have tried to warn people to evacuate or something but if it was down to her to carry the plans, she would still do it]

[sithkabobed]

[If the two were closer, Qui-Gon may have given Leia's shoulder a reassuring squeeze, but as they are, he pulls away. They've gotten better on the grandpa-granddaughter friends front, yes, but there was still a bit of a way to go.]

All that means is that your decisions were just.

My previous statement still stands. Your people would be proud knowing you did the right thing.

[oratorical]

[If they were closer, a shoulder squeeze would've been appropriate, but as they are now, the respectful distance is what she prefers.]

There were some who thought Alderaan should have protected itself above all else, as a sanctuary world nearly free from Imperial influence.

[Which would've been nice, but--]

But it wouldn't have been fair if Alderaan hadn't shared equally in the risk.

[Not that the risk was equally shared at all, that is. But that's a minor detail.]

[sithkabobed]

[Qui-Gon thinks about all of the people he’d come across during his travels who’d tried to do the same: claim themselves neutral, or as a sanctuary, against the turmoil surrounding them. The key word there was ‘tried’—more often than not, they wound up entangled in whatever disturbance spurred their neutrality in the first place.]

No, it wouldn’t.

Your father would most likely say the same, if he hasn’t already.

[oratorical]

He was the one who said that, actually.

[Not that she disagrees with him, but credit where credit is due.]

[sithkabobed]

And there we go.

[Qui-Gon dips his head with a small smile and the slightest shrug of his left shoulder in the universal gesture for "I rest my case, fam" before falling into a few moments of reflective silence.]

[Briefly, he wonders what kind of role, if any, the Jedi would have taken in such a tumultuous time. Would they have been sucked into rebellious political turmoil? Would they have allowed it to happen in the first place?]

[...Or is it entirely possible that they would have become one of the oppressors under the misguided sense of justice? It's sobering to even entertain the idea that the Order he loved so much could have very well been part of the problem. Normally, if someone had postulated that kind of situation to him, they would have been met with a resounding and resolute counterargument. But after hearing all he has so far...]

[No. They wouldn't have. He has to continue to believe that.]

[Qui-Gon returns his attention to Leia, the creases around his eyes deepening, but his gaze alert. The troubling thoughts have been pushed aside for now in favor of conversation with the young woman at his bedside.]