The Park, Friday Afternoon

[uncertain_dume]

Kanan was still in a pretty good mood today. Yesterday had been productive. He'd set his nerves at ease with a good talk with Sabine after class, had stopped by Amaya's to pick up an actual metal sword, and had even made time to go watch a stupid movie at the community center, where he hadn't so much as glanced Seivarden's way.

It was all kind of nice, really. And now he was at the park with his dog and three different swords. The dog was demonstrating his impressive grasp of the command 'stay' by sitting patiently beside the bench watching Kanan work. Two of the swords, the bamboo training sword and the one he'd picked up from Amaya, were leaning up against the bench, waiting for any potential sparring partners. The third, Kanan's lightsaber, was assembled and in his hand, being wielded with swift, deadly precision as he worked through his forms.

He wasn't even holding back today. Even if Form III didn't involve the same acrobatics as many of the other ones, there was a speed behind his movements that surpassed usual human ability, and today he didn't seem to mind terribly if anybody happened to see.

So, really, yesterday had gone well.

[OOC: Open!]

Comments

[thatwaslucky]

It hadn't really clicked how wrong last week had felt until Rey stopped by this week and watched for a bit.

"This is better," she said.

[uncertain_dume]

"This definitely feels better," Kanan agreed, giving the lightsaber in his hand a spin as he turned to face Rey. Yeah, he was grinning. It really was an improvement. After another moment, he gave a little whistle, which was apparently the signal he'd taught to Stance telling him it was safe to come say hello, now. Immediately, the dog was trotting over to Rey with his tail wagging. "Last week was an experience I'd rather never repeat, if I can help it. Paranoia's exhausting."

Funny, that.

[thatwaslucky]

Look at Stance being a good boy! Rey immediately crouched down to say hello.

"I'm guessing everything's okay now?"

[uncertain_dume]

"About as okay as I figure it possibly can be," Kanan agreed, grinning a little as he shut his lightsaber off and clipped it, whole, to his belt. "No more weird paranoid training sessions spent holding back, at least until the next crop comes in and I get a chance to figure out where they stand, too."

So, still careful. Forever careful. He wasn't quite at a point in his life yet where he could stop worrying about it.

[thatwaslucky]

"What changed?" Rey asked. Because maybe it should happen more often, he seemed happy.

[uncertain_dume]

"I actually did something about what was bothering me, instead of running away from it."

Which, for the record, was something new and novel after all these yeras.

"Had a good talk with someone. Maybe not an easy talk. But a good one."

[thatwaslucky]

"Congratulations. I'm very proud."

She said it lightly, but she actually was.

[uncertain_dume]

"Honestly, I kind of am, too," Kanan admitted. "Running gets under the skin. Becomes the easiest solution to things that have better fixes. I've done a lot of it over the years."

[thatwaslucky]

"Even after you've been here so long?"

Of course this was Rey, who did the exact opposite of running by trying to stay put.

[uncertain_dume]

"Here's the first place I ever came back to," Kanan replied. "Two years of Fandom offers a lot of new perspective, but sometimes it's harder than it seems like it should be to move beyond old scars."

[thatwaslucky]

"But you did it this time," she smiled.

[uncertain_dume]

"Yeah," Kanan agreed, smiling a little again. "It was either that, or let it drive me crazy. Feels good to face something like that. Even if it's something as small as a conversation."

[thatwaslucky]

"Good. You weren't really you last week," she said.

[uncertain_dume]

"Just sitting and playing with the dog was about my speed last week," Kanan confessed. "I have no idea if I would have been able to keep it up, though. This place has been spoiling me, I suppose."

[thatwaslucky]

"One of us would have kicked you if it had kept up," she assured him.

[uncertain_dume]

"I was practically getting kicked already," Kanan said with a little huff of a laugh. "I have no doubt I couldn't have gotten away with it for long, especially not with my usual Friday crowd."

[thatwaslucky]

"And that's if Hera didn't get to you first." She had proximity.

[uncertain_dume]

"Hera understood, but she does have the benefit of a more collected mind when it comes to certain situations," Kanan noted. "I doubt she would have let me get away with it for long, you're right."

[intotheout]

"Well. Someone's feeling better."

Tip was having another "please don't make me raise my arms" day, but she was very glad to see the lightsaber out and singing.

[2_old_for_this]

Peter showed up with his own sword in tow, waving at Kanan before he got close enough to stand and watch.

[uncertain_dume]

"Someone is," Kanan said, lowering his lightsaber, reaching into a pouch on his belt, and pulling out a tenner. "Had a good talk with Sabine. This is yours."

[uncertain_dume]

Kanan finished the next few steps of his form, and then shut off his lightsaber and straightened up again, turning and waving back to Peter.

"Hey," he called. "Good to see you here. I've been looking forward to this since last night."

[thatwaslucky]

"I'm not entirely sure I got it, except that it was upsetting you," she admitted. "But then, I've never had anyone after me."

[2_old_for_this]

"Me too," Peter confessed. He hefted his sword and took a few swings just to warm up. "I don't get to do this often enough."

[uncertain_dume]

"It isn't what I'd consider a great time," Kanan replied, shaking his head. "I hope you never have an opportunity to really get it, Rey. I wouldn't wish it on anybody."