The Perk, Tuesday Afternoon

[joan_of_bark]

It had been a while since Pam had come here, hadn't it? In the hectic blur that had been-- the past five months or so, she'd almost forgotten about the world outside of her work. But sometimes it was good, to rejoin the flow of life, to sit in a little corner with a little cup of something, watching humanity thrive around her.

It was good to remember there was more to life than work, than the Green, than great forces moving against each other for the sake of the planet and the endless business of coaxing the soil back to life.

It had been a while since Pam had come here, but that didn't stop the staff of the Perk from immediately scurrying to the back to find the sustainably-sourced coffee beans. "Would you like a pastry with that? We have an almond croissant that's delicious and vegan!"

Pam thought about bees.

Pam thought about groundwater.

Pam thought about the scurrying.

She smiled as pleasantly as she could. "Sadly, I'm not vegan, and not hungry," she said. "But thank you for offering."

She took her coffee and walked to the corner, where she sat down to sip her coffee and people-watch. The staff-- watched her curiously (and with only a little fear) from the counter.

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Comments

[thatwaslucky]

It was one of those days where Rey stopped in after training- not for actual coffee, last weekend had shown her some things about caffeine addiction- and as she waited for her drink, she spotted Pam and gave a little wave hello.

[joan_of_bark]

Pam lowered her own coffee and gave Rey a--

Well. Let's call it a 'girl nod'. Spotted and acknowledged.

[thatwaslucky]

Once she got her drink, Rey walked over with a, "How are things going?"

Because of the girl nod.

[joan_of_bark]

"Pretty well, at the moment," Pam said. "Swamp restoration is coming along. I'm not sure I trust it, but I'm trying not to borrow trouble."

She was going to get attacked by a mutated kaiju of a former human being in that swamp eventually, and she would be entirely unsurprised when she did.

"How about you?" she added. "And please, sit down."

She was Adrian's girlfriend, and ergo, something adjacent to family.

[thatwaslucky]

"Good," she said as she took a seat. "Had a very busy holiday, so it's nice to be back. Did you do anything?"

[joan_of_bark]

Pam tilted her head, thinking fondly back to a number of days. "I spent it with my Harley," she said. "Non-traditionally, for the most part. We... spent some time out on the town."

That was a euphemism for crime, yes.

"Did you go home?"

Ah, small talk. How the misanthrope had fallen.

[thatwaslucky]

Did that euphemism fly right over Rey's head? Yes of course.

"I spent it in Connecticut with my Master's wife's family," she said, like that was a normal sentence. "And so many other people. I had to look up how long pie is good for because I was sent back with so much."

Not long enough, if anyone was wondering.

[joan_of_bark]

There was a brief pause. Mid-sip, even.

"You're going to have to explain the 'Master' thing to me," Pam said.

And depending on the explanation, possibly the wife.

[thatwaslucky]

"I'm a Jedi apprentice," she said, though honestly she was more than that. "It's kind of a... space knight? I'm here getting training."

[joan_of_bark]

"And your Master is an experienced... knight?" Pam said.

[thatwaslucky]

"I need to get better at explaining this. Where I come from, Jedi were protectors of the galaxy. Using powers to help people, things like that."

Or at least that was the intent, opinions on how well that worked varied.

"My Master is one of the best."

[joan_of_bark]

Pam, for her part, was trying to ward off any intrusive thoughts about cops or Bats that that description brought up. (Though that little philosophical side-path her step took into the arrogance of moral certainty and the complicated and often systemically byzantine nature of 'good' - and 'help' - could not be helped.)

"So how do you plan to help the galaxy?" she settled on, brushing her more cynical thoughts aside.

[thatwaslucky]

"Well, I'm the person who's going to be building it back up," she said. "It's a long story, but the Jedi were all but wiped out. Right now it's been things like taking down groups who've tried to take advantage of people after a war, or helping refugees. A lot of it is just finding a place and doing whatever's needed right there. At least so far. And at some point I'll be training people on how to do the same."

[joan_of_bark]

"You had time for my long story last time," Pam said, sitting back a little. "I wouldn't mind hearing yours, if you'd like to expand on that."

Arrogance and byzantine qualities aside, there was something to be said for trying to help just... one thing at a time.

[thatwaslucky]

Rey nodded. She'd just told Adrian a lot of this, so this at least she could explain.

"The Jedi Order was around for millennia. They were there to protect, to provide balance in something called the Force. That's an energy between all living things, which is where you can get your power," she explained. "On the other side is the Sith, who use the dark side for very different purposes. What the Jedi looked like seemed to have changed through time, but at the end they were essentially soldiers in a war. And that war was used by a Sith Lord to massacre them and take over the galaxy."

[joan_of_bark]

"Helpful that it's colour-coded," Pam muttered into her coffee. "... But I'm sorry."

[thatwaslucky]

"It was years before I was born, so that part doesn't affect me that much," Rey assured her.

"The Emperor was killed in another war-" Sort of. "-and one of the few remaining Jedi tried to restart the Order, and for very messy reasons they didn't work out. And when he died, it was left to me to rebuild while trying to learn from the mistakes of everyone before me."

No pressure.

[joan_of_bark]

Pam raised her eyebrows. "And why isn't your Master committing himself to that job?" she asked.

Seemed like a lot to leave on one young woman's shoulders.

[thatwaslucky]

"We're from different timelines," Rey said simply. "He's dead in mine. It's my responsibility, but he's making sure I'm up for it."

[joan_of_bark]

"So how did it fall in your lap?" Pam asked. "You're clearly not old enough to have been in either of these wars."

[thatwaslucky]

"I blame the Force," Rey said wryly. "I was in the right place at the right time to meet the right people. Got involved in yet another war. The Jedi who tried to restart the Order was my first Master, briefly. When he died, there wasn't anyone else. There are other Force sensitives out there somewhere, but I'm so far not finding them."

[joan_of_bark]

"Not to be alarming," Pam said. Sip. Set it down. "But are you sure they are? I... don't know how the Force works, exactly. But sometimes there's nothing out there. Or nothing that wants to be found."

[thatwaslucky]

"I'm sure," Rey said. "I know one. Knew another. My second Master would say the Force is in everyone, it's just that not everyone can access it. I just need to find those people."

[joan_of_bark]

"So do you know why you can't find them?" Pam asked.

[thatwaslucky]

"I think I'm not meant to yet," she admitted, and sipped her drink. "The galaxy is enormous. Most of the time I go wherever the Force points me, so if it's not pointing me to a person, then I don't think I'm supposed to be at that point."