Beyond - Legends The Last - Diary Challenge Entry - OC - updated 7/28

Kagiiri has that affect on those who think to take advantage of her size and delicate appearance.

I believe the word your looking for is scrappy...

Seriously, wonderful update!!!

 

Golden_Jedi Thank you.

earlybird-obi-wan And now we'll finally know her name!

Jade_eyes Wow, that made my day!

Trika_Kenobi Kagiiri can take care of herself and anyone else she needs to!

Corellian_Ale She's definitely that!

---

[b]Entry #10[/b]

We make our way through the streets with no further difficulty. I am not unaware of the cautious looks thrown Kagiiri?s way, or of the way some of even the most disreputable characters in the galaxy now give us a wide berth.

Kagiiri tends to have that effect on others.

Because the crowd is less obstructive, we make good time to our destination. Oddly, I had not known it was our destination until I was already at the door. The Entity is mysterious at times, which can be annoying if one is not patient and willing to simply do what is needed [i]when[/i] it is needed.

Patience is a lesson I have learned well over these past decades. I have had to.

So we arrive at the door and I stop to stare at it for a moment in wonder. It is a small cantina and there is nothing to distinguish it from a thousand others, a [i]million[/i] others across the galaxy. I glance at Kagiiri and she is giving the door a wary look.

That is unusual.

Her gaze meets mine and for just a moment, I see concern for me glint in her lovely eyes. Then she heaves a sigh of resignation and pushes through the doors with me close on her heels.

We approach the bar and it has a human barkeep. He?s old, slightly stooped, his shoulders rounded and grey hair brushing down his collar. His back is to us, but something in the Entity whispers to me.

This man is who I sought, though I did not know it.

He turns, his expression polite but disinterested. His eyes go first to Kagiiri and that is no wonder. She is beautiful in a quiet way. A man?s eyes would naturally drift to her first. But then his gaze wanders over to mine.

And I smile.

His expression shifts for a moment. Then turns confused. He tilts his head and studies me. Carefully. His eyes search mine.

Then he knows.

We both know.

?Nola?? He says my name so quietly that it is almost a sigh.

?Zaihm.?

I have not spoken his name in years. Decades. A lifetime.

?I never thought I?d see you again,? he says.

 

ooh fascinating update. Nola... great to know her name at last... very curious to find out the nature of her relationship with Zaihm.

 

Lovely Nola and eager waiting for her relation with Zaihm.

Nice intriguing update

 

Aaaaghhh!

Curiosity cliffhanger! I'm curious and now I'm hanging by a cliff! Hurry! Agghhh, my nails!


Seriously, nice n' sneaky background filling there Vadey!


NOLA! (and now we know)

 

Sorry I missed the last one.


Entry 9

Kagiiri's a bad ass!

She also seems to be careful with her violence with her taking a life only once.

My mistakes are somewhat redeemed by giving Kagiiri to the galaxy. Is Kagiiri the writer's penance?

Entry 10

Then he knows.

We both know.

?Nola?? He says my name so quietly that it is almost a sigh.

?Zaihm.?

I have not spoken his name in years. Decades. A lifetime.

?I never thought I?d see you again,? he says.

Finally, we get to the heart of the story.

Wonderful mystery you've set up here. I am still wondering if the Entity isn't just someone using the Force to guide Nola (now that we have a name!)

Wonderful additions to the story!

 

Wow, that's beautiful.

I really like this. You never know what to expect next.

 

Oooo... who is this strange man? I'm eager to know! Great update... I'm more curious than ever with every entry!

 

I just found this, and I'm totally loving it!

 

Jade_eyes More to be revealed!

earlybird-obi-wan I hope you like this next update!

Corellian_Ale Sneaky is my middle name. Really. Look at my birth certificate.

madman007 I wouldn't want to get on Kagiiri's bad side, that's for sure!

moosemousse Nope, I never do.

Trika_Kenobi Curioser and curioser.

Lilith Demodae Thanks!

---

[b]Entry #11[/b]


Zaihm motions to a young man, and I see the resemblance between them. A son, perhaps. Or maybe a grandson.

?Take care of things here, Jomas,? Zaihm instructs him. ?I?ve got business with these ladies.?

The young man eyes us curiously and gives a nod of obedience. I wonder what young Jomas thinks of us, though I do notice that he gives Kagiiri a warm look of interest. She shuts that down with a cool glance of her own.

Jomas is young enough to flush and turn away, obviously annoyed.

Zaihm meets my eyes and we both try to suppress our laughter. Kagiiri just shakes her head and rolls her eyes. She does that a lot, but I suppose I provoke her quite often. ?I?ll go get something to drink,? she tells me, pointing to a table in the far corner. She?s going to place herself as far away from Jomas as she can, just in case he didn?t get the message the first time.

Kagiiri isn?t one for subtlety.

Zaihm gestures toward a curtain that obviously leads toward a private area of the bar. Perhaps his office. I nod my agreement.

The curtain falls behind us, and that fabric shelters us more than truly possible. All the sounds of the cantina fade away. Somehow, as we stare at each other, the years fall away as well. Strange how that happens.

?I?ve missed you,? he says softly.

?It?s been a long time,? I agree. ?We?ve both lived a lifetime since we last saw each other.?

He is silent for a moment. ?I came back here?eventually.?

?Was the galaxy everything you hoped it would be??

He smiled ruefully and shrugged. ?Yes?and no.?

I laughed. ?That?s how it goes.?

?What brings you here??

?The inner voice.?

He nods, understanding at last. He had always understood my odd relationship with the Entity, as much as anyone deaf to its voice can understand. That was one of the things I cherished most about him, one of the things I missed the most when he left.


?It?s strange to see you again,? he admitted.

It was even stranger to ponder the reasons for being led here. The Entity was a bewildering and demanding Master. What reasons could have brought me here? And why did I tremble to consider them?

 

Kagiiri just cracks me up! LOL. And while I don't know a whole lot about this interaction and past history, but I'm fascinated by it! Great update! Thank you!

 

Super update. I'm even more intrigued by the exact nature of the history between these two You do a fantastic job of setting the mood and tone between the characters and of the setting/context and their reactions to it. I could feel Kaagiri's "ack! Get away" reaction to Jomas and the sense of privacy and instantly renewed on-the-brink intimacy behind the sheltering curtain. I could almost hear their hushed voices.



And you've given me a little nugget to play with on my NSWFF "Road Not Taken" piece where parallel realities collide and true soulmates ... rediscover each other. Thanks for the inspiration [face_bounce!]

 

And what is her past with Zaihm

Kagiri is nice.

Great update

 

Great reaction by Kagiri to avoid contact. Subtle as a train wreck as I always say.

The mystery of the two is interesting. You capture their emotions of seeing each other for the first time in ages perfectly.

 

The Entity was a bewildering and demanding Master. What reasons could have brought me here? And why did I tremble to consider them?

Me too!


Your characters flow so easily!

 

Trika_Kenobi I think it's interesting to sort of "unravel" characters bit by bit.

Jade_eyes I'm glad you liked it and that you found a little something to take away and play with.

earlybird-obi-wan Kagiiri is one of a kind, at least Nola thinks so!

madman007 It's a very weird experience to run into an old love decades later.

Corellian_Ale I'm glad you like it!

---

[b]Entry #12[/b]


?How have you been, Nola my love?? And just like the old endearment slips past his lips, surprising us both.

I stare at him. And he stares back at me.

Then I laugh and the tension is broken. How odd to think what creatures of habit we are!

?I?ve been?? I stop, considering. ?I?ve been well,? I finally answer, and it is an honest answer.

Did I miss this man? This man who has grown old and who should be a stranger to me and yet is somehow surprisingly familiar, even now?

Oh yes, I missed him. There were nights when I tossed and turned, trying to find sleep while my body and my heart yearned for him. He had flickered into my thoughts at the oddest moments, years and years after I had last seen him. And sometimes I had wondered, what if?? But we had both known that our relationship would have a season, and when that season was done, we had walked away.

Knowledge did not stop the ache.

?And you?? I ask. My mind flickers toward the young man in the room next to us.

?That?s my son,? Zaihm explains. He had always had an uncanny knack for reading my thoughts. I believe there is a spark of the Entity in all of us, and in Zaihm it was surprisingly strong, though not even to be a Jedi. Just enough to make him?Zaihm. I don?t know how else to explain it.

He had married late, it seemed, years after we had said good-bye. I?m not sure how I feel about that. Glad that it took him so long to settle down? Sad that he spent so long alone?

?And your wife?? I have no right to the feelings which swirl inside of me. Our farewell is decades old, the love we shared a dusty thing long packed away. And yet? As I said, knowledge does not always stop the hurt.

He smiles sadly and shrugs. ?Died?long ago, when Jomas was a child.?

?I?m sorry,? I tell him. And I [i]am[/i] sorry. I am sorry for the hurt that still lingers in his expression, his voice. He loved her. Still does.

And that is as it should be.

We fall silent, each wrapped up in our own thoughts.

?What brings you here, Nola?? He asks the question again.

?I?m a journey, Zaihm.?

?What kind of journey??

I pause. ?The journey of a lifetime,? I answer at last. This is a time for honesty. And I finally know why I?m here.

All endings require the truth.

 

I don't normally find much to like in first person stories, so I'm rather pleasantly surprised by yours VaderLVR64. Not only am I enjoying but you've also go me intrigued. If you have a PM list would you be so kind as to add me to it? I can't wait to see where you go with this one.
fanficfan

 

Wonderful. Very beautiful and true to life. All of Nola's emotions are totally what one would expect to find--regret, wistfulness, sorrow, a twinge of jealousy followed by the realization that her rights to that were long gone but it's still there anyway. I too would have that feeling of "I'm glad it took him a long time to find someone after I left" it kind of validates her meaning to him--he wasn't able to just find someone like their relationship hadn't mattered a whit--and yet, it's also a shame he had to be alone so long only to lose his wife early in their time toether apparently.

The textue of the emotions is so fascinating here. One gets the sense of a tender and shared history but that those emotions are way past done with and not about to reignite LOL but that there's genuine caring on both sides.

Bravo on a superb entry!

 

All endings require the truth.

Superb update and with that wanting more to be revealed.

Loved the different emotions displayed.

 

If there was a song playing in the background of this scene it would be "Love Hurts" by Nazareth.

Such a wide range of emotions expressed in such a small time. From the remembrance of missed passion to the sorrow of him losing his wife, I'm sure Nola is overwhelmed.

Great scene and update.

 

Vadey, all of your literary emotions always come through as so authentic and hearfelt...





Ah well, best not to dwell on such things I suppose.

 

Fanficfan I'd be happy too, and thanks!

Jade_eyes Old loves are the most complicated!

earlybird-obi-wan Thank you so much.

madman007 Yes, that should be their theme song!

Corellian_Ale Awww, thank you.

---

[b]Entry #13[/b]


Then Zaihm looks at me, and for a moment, the years fall away and we are what we once were ? lovers, friends, companions.

?Will you be staying long?? he asks, and I cannot tell if he hopes my answer is yes or no.

I do not know what I would wish if it were up to me, so I suppose I can forgive him this ambivalence. Though the years have fallen away, what they left behind remains?.standing between us. The Zaihm and Nola who once loved really are gone, all that remains are these pale and aged ghosts.

I smile at him, and reach out to touch him. His face feels odd beneath my fingertips, grizzled and old. We [i]are[/i] old, how foolish to have forgotten. It?s just that, for a [i]moment[/i] I wasn?t old. I was young and foolish and in love.

Now I am Nola, the last of my kind, the burden of my blessing weighing heavily on my heart and thoughts.

?No, Zaihm,? I tell him gently. Something flashes in his eyes. Relief? Regret? Both?

?Where are you going?? he asks and he leans into my touch as he had always done. A fleeting memory tugs at my senses.

?Away,? I answer enigmatically, but through no desire to avoid answering. I do not tell him simply because I don?t [i]know[/i]. ?Far from here.? This sounds right. I point to the curtain. ?First, I am taking Kagiiri to a?place.? My words trail off uncertainly. I shrug. ?She needs to go, I need to take her, and then?and then we?ll see.?

We are silent for a moment and then he nods. ?I?m glad you came to see me, Nola.?

?I?ve missed you,? I tell him, smiling sadly. ?But I am glad to know that you found happiness.?

?I loved her too,? he says. ?But there was still always room in my heart for you, Nola.? He wipes away the tear I did not know was on my cheek. ?I?ll always love you, Nola. Take that thought wherever you go.?

?I will,? I tell him, knowing that is a promise I can keep.

?Tell your Kagiiri to watch out for you.?

?That?s something I won?t have to tell her,? I tease.

?She?s pretty capable of taking care of herself,? Zaihm agreed. ?And you.?

?And me.?

?Then I thank her for that.?

?Take care of yourself, Zaihm.? And I turn to go. When my hand is on the curtain and I am about to walk away ? forever, I know ? I hear his voice one more time.

?Tell me, Nola, why [i]did[/i] you come?? There is honest curiosity in his voice.

I look over my shoulder. ?I did not know it until I saw you, but I came to say good-bye.?

 

Lands but it's weird to see Manager Emeritus under your name!!!

What an amazing update. Now the secret's out. Vadey's really Nicholas Sparks in disguise. I say that in all seriousness because he is the (or at least my) undisputed romantic tale champion.

Hugs!!!! for sweet and tender dialogue. I am totally left with a sense of nostalgic wistfulness for Nola and Zaihm.

 

loved the dialogue and it is so sad to see them parting.
Is it forever in this life

Great update

 

?Tell me, Nola, why did you come?? There is honest curiosity in his voice.

I look over my shoulder. ?I did not know it until I saw you, but I came to say good-bye.?