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Avar rolled her eyes but with a little smile on her lips.
After taking their leave to the San Tekkas, Elzar had diverted their route to the docking bay on the shore of the lake, insisting that they could not leave without at least a brief visit to the island of Varykino.
"It will do us no harm to take a break before returning to the Temple," he insisted. Without her consent, he had already begun to free the small speeder anchored to the crystal clear shore.
It was an ancient-looking gondola, finely decorated with gilded inlays and made of an alloy of wood and durasteel. In keeping with Naboo's architectural style, it looked like something out of one of those holobook fairytales Avar used to read to the youngling when she was still a Knight.
“Besides, you have no idea when you'll have some free time again, Avar," he remarked, offering her his hand and inviting her to join him on the speeder.
Elzar was right. After the rescue on Hetzal, and after the Council had put her in charge of the investigation, she had not even had time to meditate. She had been able to help the wounded, but then she had been immediately involved in the numerous searches and investigations that had led them to the San Tekka.
Her gaze fell on Elzar's smile, cheerful and open, and on his hand still extended towards her. He seemed to be relaxed and at ease -as perhaps she had not seen him in a long time- and not too worried about the future implications of their investigation. For once, she could try to be as well, she thought, giving in to the dazzling smile he was giving her and reaching for his hand.
Not that she really needed it, but she found it pleasant - from time to time - to delight in Elzar's kindness. It reminded her how much good there still was in the Galaxy, despite the pain they had to face every day.
"But only for a little while," she pointed out, leaning back in the seat in front of him and sinking into the soft padding that bound it - of a certain refinement for a mere speeder.
They urgently needed to inform the Council and Chancellor Soh of what they had discovered - or at least guessed - about the San Tekka. It would also have been interesting to have Elzar do some more research about the family's activities and their hyperspace innovations. She was sure that with his abilities he would find something in the archives.
Besides, she trusted Elzar enough to know that if he thought the San Tekkas were lying, then they really were.
That was exactly why she had asked for his help: his intuition and ability to read people, regardless of his talent in the Force, were definitely remarkable. And Avar had learned to rely on them over time - perhaps more than was strictly necessary.
"This won't take long," he promised her anyway, fiddling with a few buttons and activating the manual drive system.It should not have been the first time he had driven it, Avar noticed, watching him handle the oars and rudder of the small ship with ease and without worry.
Elzar had enjoyed their little outing, chatting with her about casual and frivolous topics and putting their mission aside for a while. They indulged in gossip from the Holonet - which would make Stellan roll his eyes - little bits of intergalactic politics and Elzar's progress in his research. All of which allowed them to get back with both feet on the ground.
Avar could, for a moment, stop being a powerful Jedi Master, the Hero of Hetzal, while Elzar could let go of the pressure he often put on himself.
"This is not your first time." Not a real question. In fact, Elzar nodded, easing the thrust on the oars and letting the current carry them towards the shore. "I've been here several times when I was on duty at the Temple of Gallo."
"A few times to meditate..." he said, wrinkling his nose at the memory of many years ago and relaxing in the seat, letting their legs intertwine casually in the small space of the spider. "Other times just for fun, actually. We have been Berenko's guests several times. He is a very fashionable man and often hosts diplomatic events”.
Avar giggled, imagining him bored and in his pristine- but uncomfortable- temple robes, sipping a few drinks on the sidelines, away from the chatter of rich people and politicians. "You've never been one for diplomatic events."
She still remembered his boredom - and hers, she had to admit - when, as Padawans, their Masters forced them to attend political events or coronations on various Outer Rim planets.
Events where they were supposed to hone their diplomatic skills, without much success. In fact, he preferred to take her hand casually, mingling with the guests easily, and dance with her. That is, of course, until one of their masters called them to their duties.
Elzar smiled at her, probably bringing back the same memory.
It was not unusual for shared memories to flow freely between them. Avar tended not to close herself off from the tenuous bond that connected them, preferring instead to fully perceive what Elzar wanted her to feel. And Elzar did the same for her.
"No, not really," he replied, "But life on Naboo is quite peaceful. We used to mediate conflicts with the Gungun from time to time, but nothing more. Besides, Berenko has a decent wine collection, so attending boring diplomatic meetings was a fair price to pay. He emphasized with an explanatory hand gesture.
The Temple of Gallo was a well-known outpost, sought after by many young Knights and even Masters. Not only for the breathtaking beauty of Naboo, but also for the vast archives of the Temple itself. Expanded from time to time by huge donations from the San Tekka themselves. The fact that Naboo was then a relatively quiet place, with few missions and much like a core planet in terms of quality of life, had made it one of the most desirable outposts in the Order.
However, she had thought it would never be a fitting place for someone like Elzar: restless and energetic, in search of knowledge that mere static archives could not provide. Locked in the monotony of peace and the inertia of time.
She had not seen him tied to a single place for more than a few months - except for the Temple of Coruscant - and Naboo had been no exception.
Still, she had no doubt there was more to his resignation. But she had never looked into it. If Elzar had wanted to talk about it, she would have been there to hear him out. Besides, Avar did not want to ruin this moment of relative peace they had carved out for themselves, so fragile and fleeting.
She let the silence fall between them, as Elzar began to slow their speed as they approached the coast. A pleasant silence that had always given order to Avar's thoughts. It was not always necessary to fill the air with words, she had always thought.
When you say too much, it is because you have nothing to say, Elzar had told her once. And Avar could only agree.
They were there to see Varykino, to enjoy the beauty that the Force had created through its restless and constant work. So she leaned back on the speeder's seat and let the wind ruffle her hair, with the only audible sound being the hull cutting through the water.
It was almost sunset and the sun had begun to color the clear water in a pale orange. Avar let her hand touch the cold water of the lake and then reflected herself in it. Her blonde hair was shining in the calm water, and the gem set in her diadem reflected a faint green light.
"It looks beautiful," she whispered, watching the reflections of the birds flying above their heads.
"Yes." Elzar nodded and smiled at her as he slowed their speeder to approach the shore smoothly.
To Avar, who had spent most of her life on Coruscant, among the skyscrapers and speeders, most of the planets of the Outer Rim were a marvelous exception, with their restless and wild nature. She still remembered the astonishment that had overcome her the first time she had seen the ocean, endless and raging on Castilon. The wonder of snow or real rain, which only fell on Coruscant thanks to the artificial atmospheric system of its dome.
Varykino, moreover, was an oasis from the rest of Naboo: with the exception of Berenko's impressive mansion, which towered over the lake's shores, only the unspoiled nature of the forests surrounded the island. What could be seen from Varykino, however, was the Capital. In all its majesty, it stood out beyond the shore, glowing a deep red as the sun set behind the mountains that surrounded it.
They sat on the shore, not far from where Elzar had docked their speeder, with the gentle rolling of the waves lapping at their boots.
"What are you going to do when you get promoted?" she asked calmly. Just a small, innocent curiosity. They had worked together for years, perhaps longer than any other Jedi - and Avar's rank had helped from time to time. But when Elzar became Master too, things would certainly change.
Elzar's eyes widened in surprise, causing Avar to laugh. "Hmm?"
"Don't be humble," she told him, "you know it will happen sooner or later."
Elzar seemed to think about that, crossing his arms, "Is that why you wanted me to come with you?" he asked without mincing words. Not that it had ever been a problem for Elzar to be honest, especially with her.
"No," she replied, equally direct and honest. And it was the truth. Elzar was competent, perhaps much more so than other Masters she had worked with in the past. "The mission is important, El. I would never have chosen you on a whim. And you know it," she remarked, meeting the man's indifferent gaze. "The Council knows how to recognize talent and it won't be long before they recognize yours."
"They don't seem to agree with you," Elzar cut short with a distracted wave of his hand, before lying down with the back to the sand.
"Maybe they don't agree with your behavior, sometimes," she said, biting her lip uneasily. Stellan had told her a few times that Elzar's manners could occasionally be misunderstood. If some of that could be tolerated when they were Padawans, it was more complicated now that they were Knights and Masters.
Not that he found Elzar's behavior particularly dangerous. Perhaps he preferred to act and then explain. But his talents - natural and undoubted - had never betrayed him. Besides, he knew his limits very well.
He had never gone further, and Avar was sure he never would.
"But I don't think you should change," she stressed firmly, her gaze fixed on him. "There's nothing wrong with them."
Elzar shrugged to look indifferent. But Avar knew how much the judgment he felt from most of his fellow Jedi bothered him. He had always been the most talented of them, she had no trouble admitting that, but few tended to recognize it.
Stellan had been an excellent student, committed to his studies, dutiful to the code, and a great teacher. She had been a naturally talented Padwan, a dedicated but effortless talent who had made her way in the Galaxy.
Elzar, on the other hand, had always been just Elzar to others.
As much as he could pretend not to care, Avar knew how important the Order and its judgment were to him. And perhaps - she thought with a hint of regret and slight frustration - the Order had never loved him as much as he did.
But Avar certainly wouldn't have hesitated to help, even if it wasn't really needed. Elzar was an outstanding Jedi, and this mission and her report to the Council would have been more than enough to allow him to reach the rank of Master
What she could have done would have been to show the Council what Elzar was: a great Jedi.
"There are some things I would like to explore. You know, different ways of using the Force."
"Like fishing?" she teased him, mimicking the tone in which he had spoken to her a few hours earlier on the balcony of San Tekka's and earning him a crystalline laugh.
It was good to be cheerful again for a few hours, to be able to relax, because Avar could sense - not only in the Song of the Force - that something had changed. The feeling that the Galaxy would never be the same after the hyperspace disaster had not left her since they had departed from Hetzal.
Elzar ran a hand over his face, ruffling his thick, perfectly neat dark hair and laughing as he teased her."No, but if you're interested, we could do a search. There must be something in the archives already."
He was not so far different from the young Padwan she had loved passionately more than ten years before. The same smile, the same eyes that curled slightly to the side when he laughed, the same calm expression when their eyes met. Avar blushed at the thought.
"Indeed. I've been trying some new things in the last few missions. You know, we often ignore that the Force doesn't just bind us together. Or that the Force is not just about us as sentient beings," he said, turning to her and emphasizing each word and concept with gestures -something Elzar had always done for as long as she could remember. "Sometimes we get so full of ourselves that we forget that the Force affects everything in the Galaxy and we are only a part of it. But the Force also flows in the oceans, the lakes...".
"Like between us," she replied, unsure where Elzar was leading her, but also curious.
"Exactly," he smiled, pleased. Elzar appreciated those who could understand him in his explorations of the Force, and Avar had always tried to do that, no matter how much of what he did was a mystery to her in practice. "Have you ever tried to hear the Song of the Force in nature? But not the way they teach in the Temple, making you perceive how they are in relation to you. Have you ever thought what a Song the ocean has within itself?
The same as yours, she was tempted to answer hastily, overwhelmed by Elzar's words and their implications. But she remained silent, her eyes fixed on the horizon.
The Force had always sung to her and for her, for as long as she could remember. As it had done on Hetzal, in that beautiful field of blue wheat, as it was doing now.
"Of course," she replied calmly, "everything around me sings, El.
But Elzar's curiosity demanded more from this simple answer. "And is it different from the Song you heard between us?"
"I..." Avar thought, unable to answer. There were people, places, and animals that resonated with a familiar sound. Similar to each other, with only slight nuances to distinguish them, which Avar had only learned to discern with experience.
The Song of the sea and that of Elzar still often blurred. He could hear Elzar in the waves, even when he was not with her. She had always hoped that he, too, had something in the Force that would always remind him of her.
"I've never really paid attention," she replied honestly. "What I can do through the Force is perceive you, each of you, and make your notes harmonize, become a song. Everything has a note, everything makes noise, but nothing can be a song alone”.
"What if you could do what you do with people, even with simple things?" he teased her, twirling many small stones with the Force in front of her face. "What if you could do it with water, or even the rain itself?"
Avar laughed, despite the fervor and conviction in Elzar's words. "You can't be serious, El. Atmospherical events?"
Elzar shrugged and let the stones fall with a small thud into the space between them. They weren't that far apart, Avar thought, watching the stones mix with the sand. "Water and air are connected by the Force, they are part of the Force itself. It would not be complicated to make-”
"Make it rain?" she interrupted him immediately with excited surprise in her voice. He couldn't really believe that. Still... what Elzar said made sense. "Have you tried?" she asked, already knowing the answer. She was sure he had, otherwise, he would never have told her about it with such certainty.
Elzar was a dreamer, but he had never been an arrogant man. In fact, constantly questioning his abilities had helped him to dig deeper into the Force than any other Jedi.
Elzar nodded, a small satisfied smile on his lips. "I'm not saying I succeeded, but..."
"That's outstanding," she interrupted him again, smiling in surprise
"You think so?"
"Everything you do is El,". He may not have realized it yet, but he was already the Jedi he had always wanted to be. Perhaps he always had been.
Elzar blushed, a beautiful, sincere smile opened on his lips. And maybe he shouldn't have cared so much about her opinion, Avar thought, but at the same time, that hint of the selfishness of youth she still had made her feel happy. If it had been necessary, she would have reminded Elzar of his worth every day, just to see that smile on his lips again.
She thought it would be nice to kiss him there, as the sunset warmed his dark skin and turned his face a delicate red. To press her lips on his one last time and let the moment die together with the sun.
One last secret.
And at that moment, Avar knew that Elzar would want the same.
But they were no longer Padawans or naive Knights. They would no longer be able to justify themselves. So, their eyes parted, leaving Avar with only her thoughts and a slight blush on her cheeks.
"It's time for us to go," he said, offering her his hand again. There was a veil of sadness in his eyes, golden in the reflection of the sun. Perhaps the same sadness that was in hers at that moment.
But they had to put it aside, at least for the present.
As they moved away from the coast, Avar admired Varykino's beauty for the last time, wondering how long she would have to wait to see something so majestic, so powerful, resonating with a gentle song in the Force. But her eyes rested on Elzar and she smiled. More majestic and powerful than the nature that surrounded them, gentle and tumultuous in his Song.
Maybe she could have accepted his proposal. Perhaps, after a lifetime serving the Galaxy and the Order, they might have thought of dedicating themselves to each other, listening to the melodious song of the feelings hidden in their hearts for the time they had left.
Together.
But for now, as their eyes reflected the light of the first stars and sought each other tenderly, she would keep it to herself.
They would have time to reveal their secrets to each other. For now, Avar would keep them in her heart, as the most precious treasure she had.