You Can Run But You Can't Hide (A Barin Truthfinder and Thom Capella story)

*deep sigh of satisfaction*

I liked the way Thom told off the Council, using their own words of wisdom against them, and the way he exclaimed "You are SICK!" when he realised what they thought Barin had been doing. It was great the way that Barin was the only person who could make Thom settle down and apologise, simply by speaking his name, and the way that Yoda and Yaddle were amused as they saw the connection between the two. Wonderful, the way that Thom decided he had to practise bowing the way Barin did. Yoda has practically given Barin an order now, to ask Thom to be his padawan and then come before the Council to-morrow. I can't wait!

 

Eeeee! At least Yoda's on their side! And I just love Thom more and more. I like that he thinks everyone should obey the rules if he has to.

 

The disadvantage of coming in after a whole bunch of people have already posted is that it gets difficult to say anything original. *sighs*

Anyway, I liked everything that everyone else has already mentioned (especially Thom's tirade and Barin's control of Thom's tirade) and all of the above!

You have me wrapped around your finger, HaiGan!!!

Sarah >^,,^<

 

Oh, that was wonderful, Hai Gan! So intricately done and just superb. That line "You guys are SICK!" was excellent, Thom's whole reaction was great. At least Yoda is sticking up for him, and definitely giving him the advice and guidence he sorely needs. Well done!

 

Well done that troll! I'm so glad that Yoda believes that the force is bringing Barin and Thom together.

 

*dispences with sighing over the lack of posts and has a good cry*

Just Kidding! I considered it though...

Sarah >^,,^<

 

WoW!~ HaiGan,

That was absolutely awesome! Go Thom!

 

Aw, rats! Everyone else already plucked up the original parts! Overall, I loved the way Thom stood up for Barin in the Council Chamber. I especially liked how the other Councillors seemed annoyed at Mace and how it was recognized that Thom has had fewer problems since teaming up with the knight.

I certainly wasn't expecting Yoda to side with Barin like that - very cool twist! He all but has permission to take on Thom - time to nab himself a padawan.

 

Sorry to bring bad tidings, but the end is nigh (come on, it had to happen eventually). Probably another three posts to go after this one. With Corellian fast food (It'll make sense when you get to it. I hope). And then maybe the well-behaved sort of bunnies will finally appear for the other threads I'm involved in, and I can catch up on reading everybody else's stuff at last!

The sonnet is 'Silence' by Edgar Allan Poe.

******

The library was always quiet, even when it was busy. //Perhaps 'hushed' would be a better description,// Barin mused at he moved between the racks of datachips and holocubes and onwards among the shelves of ancient flimsy tomes. The weight of knowledge gave the air itself a heavy, timeless feel. There was a pervasive and musky scent of dust, with overtones of old leather. Barin drank it in, held his breath, and relaxed.

Deeper into the long, silent halls were the envirotanks holding older records still; writings on hides, stone, clay, bark and sheets of pounded grass. There were chains of knotted strings, lengths of beading, woven strips of textured fabric and painted wheels of colour. They were the recorded histories, beliefs and cultures of a myriad different species, the accumulated wisdom of millennia. Some were so old that their language and script had been forgotten. The greatest of the Jedi historians spent long hours studying them, questing through the Force for insights into their meaning.

Barin paced the shelves for a while, now and then slipping a flimsy volume from its place to scan a page. There was reverence in his every move. He had no particular goal in mind; it was a way to pass the time, to indulge in one of his oft-neglected passions, and to take his mind off what he had yet to do. Many of the books he knew by heart; but he lifted them anyway, finding reassurance in their constancy. His path took him slowly back towards the more recent records, until he reached a conspicuous gap in a rack of datachips.

//Hmm.// The knight ran a finger down the stack. //Daelus, Dan'Aa... So who is absent? Daggen?// There was nobody at the nearby holoterminal, and no datachip left in the slot there. Barin scratched his beard, glanced about the floor, then peered beneath the racks. He reached out and slid the datachip from where it had been lying. //Ah. Dancing Saber, the scandalous old romantic. This is the translated version, though.// He replaced the datachip on the racks, then, on a whim, crossed to the other side of the aisle and hunted out the original- which had a far less pronounceable name. Beneath the chip another name drew his eye and brought him up with a nasty jolt. He had to force himself not to recoil.

//Xi-Win Kon. I have not read any of his work in... eight years. Just before-// Barin gave his head a shake, as if trying to dislodge an unwanted thought. //Just before I left,// he thought, deliberately. //There is no reason to attach any excess baggage to it. It is not as if Kon can help the manner of beings that choose to find his writing appealing; and besides, it was I who introduced it to- say the word, it cannot hurt me now- to Vaarn. I used to like Kon's work. Even if some of it is a sight too unnerving to read on a full stomach. I should read it. I cannot keep running away from unpleasant memories. It only gives them more power when they finally catch up.//

The datachip slotted into the holoterminal with a click. The Ithorian text flickered into life on the screen. Barin picked a sonnet at random, finding his fingers trembling and clenching his hands to stop them from doing so.

There are some qualities- some incorporate things,
That have a double life, which thus is made
A type of that twin entity which springs
From matter and light, evinced in solid and shade.
There is a two-fold Silence- sea and shore-
Body and soul. One dwells in lonely places,
Newly with grass o'ergrown; some solemn graces,
Some human memories and tearful lore,
Render him terrorless: his name's "No More."
He is the corporate Silence: dread him not!
No power hath he of ev

 

HaiGan !

What a place to stop---"we need to talk" !

Not the end! This is my favorite story, I can't resist flawed, but decent Jedi. What a lifeline for Barin to cling to: "It is a choice, not a destiny. " *shivers*

Besides which, Thom is adorable, even if hyperactive. Threatening him with the Agri-Corps! Grrrr.

I loved the Poe quote!-- I used to walk by his grave going to work at Baltimore. How Gothic! Hopefully, there are lots of dead literary folk in the Sleepy Hollow graveyard I can make acquaintance with.

Has Barin decided what to say to Thom? Has he figured out what he wants?

Great post--can't wait for the next!

E3J

 

//Finds herself hanging off the side of a cliff by her fingernails.

Woah! Very cool how Barin picked Fel apart to get him to realize he brought the foam incident on himself. I love how his mind works - frighteningly analytical.

'It is a choice, not a destiny.' A very poingent set of words for him to hold on to.

I *really* can't wait to read what Barin says to Thom.

 

Thanks for the post, Hai Gan! But it's nearly over?

I liked how Thom wanted to hug the belt but wasn't going to do that in front of his friends, that was very cute. And also how Barin poked his head in during the meeting and Thom blurted it out about the Agricorps, they're really started to grow on each other. I look forward to their talk! Great post!

 

Whee-heee!!!

I'm glad Fel seems to recognize that Thom would actually listen to Barin. Please hurry, HaiGan, I want to know the rest of the story. I'm sorry, but I'm a very impatient reader.



"Well, get along and face the music," Hauyne said, not doubting for a second that Thom was probably guilty of /something/. He was the sort of person that seemed to be just generally guilty, in the most unmalicious and well-intentioned fashion.


That bit was great.

 

"We need to talk."

Aaaaaaaaargh! How could you leave it there??? Go on Barin, claim your padawan now! God knows he's turned down one offer in order to seccure the master he wants! And then of course there was that matter of what Ferdi did...I was screaming with laughter at that. She didn't make a good job of it?

Probably on purpose! Wonderful, HaiGan!

More soon?

 

I loved the way the belt was green and had jelly worms engraved on the inside! Nobody could ever doubt that it was Thom's with a decoration like that! Woo-hoo, excellent touch! It was funny, too, the way the boys were pretending to be Plo Koon with the breather. I loved the way Barin took care of Master Fel by reminding him that Jedi believed in honesty and that if he went poking around in packages clearly marked for other people, then he deserved what he got. Will Master Fel take up the wig idea? Somehow I don't think he would--he'd always be nervous of Thom sniggering at him behind his back, even if the boy never breathed a word of it to anyone else.

I can't wait to read about the talk between Barin and Thom--but, oh no! That would mean that the end is even nigher. Hmm. No, I will not be sad in advance, I will focus on my anticipation instead!

 

Excellant! Go Barin!

Kithera

 

That is deffinately a unique sort of cliff-hanger. Usually they leave the character on the brink of some sort of bodily damage, not emotional.

Wonderfully handled, HaiGan!

Sarah >^,,^<

 

I say Master Fel got what he deserved for messing with stuff that wasn't his!

Now please give us some relief from the cliffhanger that you left us on HaiGan! PLEASE?! [begging smiley]

 

Um, HaiGan? We're going to the beach day after tomorrow and I was wonderin' if you could maybe post the ending?

NO WAIT!!!

I take it back; I don't want this to end...ever. So keeeeeep on going and ignore me.

Though, while we're on the subject, could you post more soon?

Sarah >^,,^<

 

Upperkalifragilisticexpealidocious.

Sarah >^,,^<

 

HaiGan, this is terrific! I love this story so much!! Barin is now officially on my Favorite Characters List *grin*

 

[nervousbreakdown] Hey HaiGan, c'mon!!! Let us have some more!! [/nervousbreakdown]

 

Is that another new reader?

*waves*

I do notice. Hi CeNedra! And while I'm at it, hi Puff, and Sarah, and E3J, and Renata, and all the crew from the Jemmiah Chronicles threads- you know who you are.

Thank you everybody, I'm really glad you're all enjoying it. And I will write some more for BTSS and DLAH and TLST soon, really I will, Honest Jedi!

Edit: Okay, so who spotted the fact that Barin apparently went out in his socks...

******

Trotting along at Barin's heels was becoming a habit for Thom; a habit he didn't want to give up. Like practical jokes. //He's not going to tell me to stop playing tricks on people, is he?// Thom studied the knight worriedly. What if he /did/? Would it put an end to any chance of becoming his padawan if Thom disobeyed? Could Thom really stop himself anyway, despite the fact that some people deserved it? Despite the fact that it was fun? Despite the fact it was, well, it was just what he did- like eating jelly worms? Despite what his friends would say?

Thom put a few hops into his step as he tussled with the question. He knew he /could/ stop, if he actually wanted to. It wasn't like anybody was forcing him into it. It wasn't like it was addictive or anything. Not much, anyway. But /would/ he give it up? If /Barin/ told him to, would he stop?

//If he /did/, /if/ he did, he'd have a good reason for it,// Thom reasoned. //And he'd listen to me if I thought different.// It was that which decided Thom, finally. He knew that Barin would allow him to voice his own opinion, and that the knight wouldn't dismiss it afterwards just because he was a troublesome initiate. The knight had proved it, more than once. So if Barin told him to do something after that, it had to be pretty important. If it came right down to it, Thom would do what he was told.

The decision left Thom free to think around the subject a little. //He needs to talk to me// Thom thought to himself. //No, he needs to talk /with/ me. 'We need to talk', he said. That means me too. You know, I'm not sure he meant about old Fel getting a faceful of foam, either.// The initiate grinned for a moment at the memory of the Master's hair. //He must've been looking for me before he found out about that. I hope it's good news. He looked kind of...// Thom tried to pin down just how the knight had looked. //Sort of 'I don't know if this is a good idea but I'm going to do it anyway'// he decided.

Barin hadn't really /looked/ like whatever-it-was either, Thom realised. There hadn't been anything in his expression, or his voice, or his eyes. Thom had just known. It would have been spooky if it hadn't seemed so familiar. There had been that time in the garden, too, when he'd heard the knight's warning through the Force just as if it had been spoken aloud. And then again in the Council Chamber, when the knight hadn't given away a flicker of anything in his aura or face, and /still/ Thom had known just what he was feeling.

//If that isn't what a padawan bond feels like// Thom thought, //then it ought to be. I know he /wants/ me as a padawan, he's said so! He just doesn't think the Council would say yes. He shouldn't let Windy push him around like that. I mean, he stood up to Fel for me, so why doesn't he stand up for himself? Maybe that's what he's decided to do anyway. Well, if /he/ doesn't ask the Council, I will!//

They reached the door of Barin's room. The knight tapped in the code. //He hasn't changed it// Thom realised. //He's had loads of time to change it. He knows I know it. He trusts me?// He blinked at the enormity of the idea. After several moments of astonishment, he found he was still standing on the threshold of the doorway, looking into the bare little room without really seeing it.

"Do come in, please," Barin said.

Thom found himself waiting for the 'you're invited /this/ time', but it wasn't forthcoming. There was just the polite request, as if he were a proper guest. When he still didn't step right in Barin started to look a little regretful.

"I hope your earlier experience was not too off-p

 

LOL! Thom finally managed it!! I just hope this eating out thingy doesn't cause any trouble.