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Greez knocked on her door. “Hey, kiddo?” Without a response, he knocked again. “Trilla?” He waited several seconds before opening the door quietly. The light from the corridor lit the room dimly, barely illuminating the shadow of Trilla sitting in the far corner on her cot hugging her knees. “Hey... I made some Great Granny Pyloon’s Umberhash for you specifically—since, ya know, it’s your favorite.”
“I’m not hungry,” Trilla said softly.
“It’s been a couple days. You gotta eat, kid.”
Greez could see her turn her head slightly. “I’m not hungry, Greez.”
“At least come out? You’ve been cooped up for a while.”
She slept on the Mantis every night; in fact, most of her time was spent on the Mantis. That was the case for the past few days. It wasn’t as if they weren’t allowed to be in the Mantis with her; they just knew she’d rather be alone.
=+=
“Trilla.”
“I don’t want to. Just leave me alone, Greez... Please.” Greez huffed. She covered her face when he turned the light on. “What the hell, Greez?”
“You’re coming with me.”
“I really don-” She made a noise of surprise when Greez grabbed her wrist and began dragging her towards the door.
“Come on; I’m sick of seeing you like this. I’m not letting you stay in your room and- and avoid all of us, okay?”
Trilla shook her hand from Greez’s grasp once she was standing. “I’m not avoiding anyone,” she retorted.
Greez put his left hand on his hips and pointed his right hands at her matter-of-factly. “You’re avoiding your feelings.” Trilla furrowed her brows, offended. “Yeah, yeah, look at me like that all you want. Am I wrong?” She pouted. “Exactly. Now come on. I wanna show you something.” He grabbed her hand and led her through the doorway.
“I can walk by myself, Greez.”
“Don’t care; come on.” They got to the ladder, and he let go of her and gestured. Trilla rolled her eyes and climbed the ladder.
“Worried I’m not going to come up once you are?” she called down.
“Yes, because I know you, Trilla.”
“Unfortunately,” she mumbled as he hauled himself up next to her. Greez gestured for her to walk forward, and she sighed and slumped her shoulders as she reluctantly gave in. He pressed the button next to the door, and she shielded her eyes from the sunlight with both hands as the door opened. “What time is it?”
“Early.”
“Gee, thanks for the specificity,” she replied sarcastically. “Where are we going?” she mumbled as she rubbed her eyes.
“Duck.”
“Duck?” As soon as the word left her mouth, she smacked her head on the bottom of the Mantis. She grunted and reached up to rub her forehead.
“Told you to duck.”
“‘Why, yes, Greez, I’m okay. Thank you for asking.’” He grabbed her hand again and continued to drag her to and down the ramp. “Where are we going?”
“You’ll see.”
Trilla sighed, finally giving up, knowing she wasn’t going to get much more out of him than that. They took the stairs outside the saloon leading to the basement. She looked over to see Cal sprawled out on the bed on his stomach with BD laying on his back.
They headed up to the main floor, and Trilla looked over to the kitchen to see the food piled on the stoves. “Thought Monk didn’t work this early?”
“It’s Centaxday.” Trilla stopped, and Greez turned around and looked up at her. “Told ya you’ve been away for a while.”
Monk came sliding back into the kitchen. “Ah! There she is! How ya doin’? Haven’t seen ya around lately.”
Trilla opened her mouth to speak, but Greez interrupted her. “Oh, you know her and Cal. They’re always runnin’ around the galaxy, dragging poor Merrin along with them.”
“Well, it’s good to see you, Trilla.”
She smiled softly. “Likewise, Monk.”
They made it into the main area of the saloon, and Trilla looked around. Moran and DD were the only ones there. She wondered if Moran ever left the saloon; it seemed every time she was there, so was he.
Greez jerked his head, and they turned to the right towards the stairs that led to the upper level. “You didn’t have to do that,” she said to Greez quietly.
“I know, I know, but you know he’s nosy; I was just saving you the trouble.” They walked up the stairs and down the corridor, and Greez opened the door to the stairs leading to the roof of the saloon. Trilla stopped and looked down at him—she knew where they were going, but she didn’t know why.
Greez cocked his head. “What?”
Trilla opened her mouth before sighing. “Nothing.” She walked up the stairs but slowed once the door to the roof opened. She looked at all the colorful plants already planted; vibrant purple, pink, and orange plants sprouting, some even having grown as tall as her.
Greez walked past her and stopped in front of the garden on the right. “C’mere.” Trilla walked over slowly and knelt down next to Greez when he gestured to the ground.
“Why are we up here, Greez?”
He walked behind them and over to where all the pots were and came back with a small bowl with several seeds inside and a watering can. “Because Cal won’t let me teach him how to garden, I’m teaching you,” he said, only half joking.
Trilla looked at him warily, and he set the watering can down in front of him. “Listen. I don’t want you cooped up in your room all day.” He gestured to the soil. “Plus, gardening can be very therapeutic—y’know, Great Granny Pyloon was the one who taught me.”
Trilla gave him a look. “This isn’t negotiable. If you don’t like it, that’s fine, but I want you to try first.” She sighed softly, and he put a hand on her shoulder. “Here. Take one.” Trilla reached into the bowl and picked up a seed. Greez took one for himself and set the bowl off to the side.
“You don’t have to worry about knowing all your different types of soil and all that; I’ve got that covered. Now... This spot is perfect for gardening, as it has the perfect amount of light and temperature all times of day; great humidity and moisture all around.”
Trilla’s mind had started to wander, but she didn’t realize until Greez said her name.
“What’s on your mind, kid?”
Greez wasn’t one to pry, most of the time, but she knew he would this time. “Cere wasn’t as crazy about gardening as you...” she said with half a laugh. “But she knew a few things. And she showed me. She would tell me all about the plants and flowers when we were on missions. I...I didn’t want to come up here because...”
“It reminds you of Cere.” Trilla looked over at him with a sorrowful look on her face and nodded subtly. “Yeah, I didn’t know she had a green thumb like me until I saw her tending to the plants on the Mantis one day. I know it’s hard being up here; it’s hard for me too.
“But Cere wouldn’t want me to give up something that made me happy just because it hurts a little, y’know?” He put his hand on her shoulder again. “She wouldn’t want you to avoid being up here either for the same reason,” he whispered.
Greez spent the next few minutes showing Trilla how to properly plant and accurately determine how much water a each plant needed. It was a lot to keep track of, given the number of plants he’d talked about was, at minimum, twenty. But after they were done and the seeds were planted and watered, she sat down in front of the soil and hugged her knees.
She felt a small throb in her throat; each second she spent up here hurt more and more. Several tears fell, and she felt Greez wrap his arms around her almost immediately.
After a while, Greez spoke up. “I got an idea. What’s Cere’s favorite flower?”
Trilla sniffled. “Calla lilies,” she whispered, her voice cracking slightly. She looked up slightly when she felt Greez let go. It was only once he walked away did she realize what his idea was. Force, you’re an idiot.
She sat there for a second before quickly touching her hips. She felt her saber, but not-
Shit.
----------
“Hey, Greez, do you know where Trilla is?”
“She’s on the roof. At least that’s where I left her,” Greez mumbled to himself as he walked away.
Cal hurried up the stairs to the roof only to see, well, not Trilla. “Of course,” he said with a sigh. He looked down at BD. “One of these days we’ll learn that she’s never where she was last seen.” BD trilled, and Cal sighed. “Yeah... Always worth it to check I guess.”
Cal put his hands on his hips and looked around. “Hm... If I were Trilla, where would I go?” BD beeped, and Cal looked down. “Yeah, definitely isolated.” He looked over to the stable and then down at BD. “Think she took Nadine?”
BD chirped before climbing up Cal’s leg and perching himself on his shoulder. Cal walked to the opposite end of the garden and used the rope to slide down. His feet hit the ground, and he looked up when he heard the Mantis start.
“Huh. Wonder where he’s going.” Cal looked at BD. “Not like him to leave without telling us; especially not without telling us where he’s going.” He watched Greez fly into the atmosphere before looking at BD again when he warbled. “He didn’t seem off...” BD perked up and chirped. “Yeah, maybe he went for a ride,” Cal suggested with a chuckle. “Let’s go check the Nekko stables.”
He jogged over to the stables but slowed down when he saw Nadine laying down, curled up sleeping. “Huh.” He walked over and knelt down in front of her. “Hey, girl,” he said as he scratched her snout. Cal chuckled when she grumbled in response. “Grumpy as ever.”
“Heya, Cal. Whatcha doin’ in here?”
Cal stood up to see Mosey walking towards him with her axe over her shoulder. “Looking for Trilla. You seen her?”
“Well, as a matter of fact I have.” She lowered her axe to the ground and leaned it against one of the railings. “Saw her walking off towards Southern Reach.”
Cal walked over to Echo and mounted him with a grunt. “Thanks, Mosey.”
“You bet.”
“Come on, girl.” Cal whistled at Nadine, and she snorted at him and turned her head away. “Come on; let’s go see Trilla.” With the mention of Trilla’s name, Nadine stood up. Cal looked over at Mosey and sighed with a smile. “Every time.”
“Every time,” she repeated with a smirk.
Nadine walked past Cal and leaned into Mosey’s touch when she reached up to pet her. “Hey, Nadi.” She cupped Nadine’s face. “Did Cal wake you up from your nap?” She snorted and shook the dirt from her feathers before stretching and exiting the stables. Mosey looked over at Cal. “She ain’t in any kinda trouble, is she?”
“I doubt. Greez would have the whole saloon searching for her if she were.”
“Gotcha. Tell her I said ‘Hi.’”
Cal saluted. “Will do, Mosey. Let’s go, Echo.” Cal rode out of the stable and Rambler’s Reach and out to Southern Reach with Nadine by his side. He stopped and held his arm out in front of him. “BD, you mind?” BD skittered down Cal’s arm and settled on his forearm. Cal looked through BD’s binocular feature and spotted Trilla in the distance.
“There she is; come on, Nadi.”
Trilla stopped and turned her head to the side as Cal approached. “You just can’t leave me alone, can you, Kestis?” she joked.
“Naturally,” Cal retorted lightheartedly.
“Did Greez send you?” she asked as she turned around.
“Nope. I was just looking for you.”
Nadine approached Trilla and huffed as Trilla reached up to pet her. “Hey, girl... Why’d you bring Nadi?”
“Thought you’d need her.”
She rolled her eyes lightheartedly. “I was going for a short walk, Cal.” Nadine nudged her face, and Trilla scratched the underside of her head. Nadine grumbled and tilted her head to the side, and Trilla smiled up at her.
“Know where Greez is off to?” he questioned as he slid off Echo and walked towards Trilla. “He never leaves without telling us where he’s going.” They looked over when Nadine snorted at Echo. Cal sighed and shook his head. “Echo, leave her alone.”
Cal looked back at Trilla when she spoke. “He went to go look for a flower.”
“A flower? What for?” She opened and closed her mouth, and Cal cocked his head. “Everything all right?”
“I will be. I’m just a bit upset.”
Cal drew his brows together. “Do you want to talk about it?”
=+=
Sensing her sadness, Nadine walked back over to Trilla and rested her chin on her shoulder, nudging her softly. Trilla frowned. “Just thinking about Cere.”
Cal nodded in acknowledgement. “I miss her...” There was a long, mourning-filled pause before he spoke again. “I’m glad you’re out and about.”
She rolled her eyes. “Not by choice. Greez quite literally dragged me out of the Mantis; then he took me up to the roof of the saloon to teach me how to garden--says it’s ‘therapeutic,’” she air quoted.
Cal shoved his hands in his pockets and pursed his lips to the side. “How do you like it?”
Trilla hugged herself. “It’s all right, I guess,” she answered in a whisper. “I told Greez that Cere would tell me all about the different plants whenever we were on missions, and being up there... It reminded me of her.” She jerked her head in the direction of the landing pad. “Greez asked me what Cere’s favorite flower was, and, without thinking, I told him, and now-”
“And now he went to go find it,” he interrupted, finishing her sentence for her. “Classic Greez.” Cal looked up the hill. “Where were you going?”
She shrugged. “Just wandering.”
“Mind if I join you?”
She rolled her eyes. “If you must.” Nadine raised her head before kneeling down to let Trilla mount her.
=+=
While mounting Echo, he looked over to see Cere’s saber hooked to Trilla’s belt. He remembered the exact expression on her face when he gave it to her. It was an expression of grief, obviously, but also a sense of...relief.
Since losing Jaro, he hadn’t once modified his saber, aside from when Cere gave him her old one to make his new one, so he knew what it meant to her to have something left of Cere.
After he gave it to her, he never saw her without it.
Ever.
Even though he was saddened by her sadness, it made him happy that she was able to have something left of someone she considered family.
A mother...
“Lead the way.”
Trilla rolled her eyes before clicking her tongue at Nadine.
They made their way up to the top of Southern reach and stopped. Nadine knelt down to let Trilla off; Cal followed, sliding off Echo and walking up next to Trilla. She sat down, and he followed. “Cere would’ve liked it here,” she whispered. “It’s quiet.”
“Yeah...” Cal looked over at her. “Y’know, I had a crewma-” He cut his own sentence off. “I had...a friend... Bravo. He would’ve liked it here too.” Cal paused. “He flew for the Republic.”
Trilla raised her eyebrows and nodded subtly. “Ex-military--must’ve been a great pilot.”
“Damn good one; almost as good as you,” Cal joked. Trilla smirked. “He taught me how to fly.” He sighed. “I don’t know why I brought that up; I guess I just see some of him in you.”
After a few minutes, they heard the shifting of sand, and they both looked over to see Nadine and Echo laying down, with Nadine leaning into Echo. He laid his head on the ground, and Nadine nudged his head gently before resting her chin on top of his head.
Cal chuckled and shoved Trilla’s shoulder with his. “Guess she doesn’t hate him after all.” Trilla smiled.
After maybe an hour or so of complete silence, Cal suddenly spoke up. “By the way, Mosey told me to tell you she says ‘Hi.’” As soon as he finished his sentence, there were several loud crunches behind them. They both turned around to see Echo on his back, rolling in the sandy dirt. “Seriously?” Echo turned his head to look at them, and he blew at Cal.
Seconds later, the Mantis soared over them and descended towards the landing pad. Cal jumped to his feet, and Nadine and Echo lifted their heads to look at him as Cal brushed the dirt and sand off the back of his pants. “Come on, let’s go get that flower.”
“I...” Trilla sighed softly through her nose. “I’d rather do it myself, Cal.”
Cal smiled. “All righty, then. You know where to find me.” He looked at Echo and jerked his head. “Let’s head out, bud.” Echo groaned through a stretch as he stood up before lowering his head and rubbing his snout against Nadine’s head. After trudging over to Cal, he ruffled his feathers free of debris right in front of his face, resulting in Trilla covering her mouth to stifle the snicker she let out when a pebble was flung at Cal’s forehead.
“Just for that, you don’t get any palm fruit,” Cal threatened lightheartedly. Echo snorted at him. “Well, you should’ve thought about that before flinging a pebble at me. That could’ve gone in my eye, y’know.” Cal looked at Trilla and shook his head. “Unbelievable.”
“Wonder where he got it from,” Trilla teased.
Cal put his hands on his hips. “Now what’s that supposed to mean?!”
“Oh, nothing--nothing at all,” she teased with a quick wink.
He raised an eyebrow. “Uh huh...” He sighed through his nose and looked up at Echo, who cocked his head and whined. “Oh, don’t be such a baby; you’ll be fine.”
“You’re really going to say no to that face?” Echo whined again, and Trilla faked a pout. “Look at him; you hurt his feelings.”
Cal slumped his shoulders and groaned. “Fine. But you only get one.”
Trilla stood up and walked over to Echo to hold his face in her hands, and she turned his head to face Cal and pouted. “Look at how sad he is!” she whined dramatically. “He deserves a piece of fruit for the emotional distress you’ve caused him,” she urged as she scratched the underside of Echo’s head. Echo whinnied softly and nodded. “See? He can understand.”
Cal rolled his eyes. “You said the word ‘fruit’; of course he’s going to agree to anything you say. Come on, Echo; let’s go get your fruit,” he grumbled. Echo snorted and nudged Trilla’s head before walking over to Cal. Cal hoisted himself up and turned his head to look at Trilla, who gave him a shit-eating grin when he pointed at her with raised brows. “You--are a bad influence.”
----------
Trilla leapt on top of the saloon, and Greez jumped, almost dropping the watering can. “Jeez, Trilla- You scared the crap out of me.” He grabbed a bowl with both hands and smiled. “I got good news—I found a calla lily. Well, seeds. Learned all there is to know about it. Now to pass it on to you,” he said with a wink. “C’mere.”
She walked towards him and looked at the bowl next to the watering can. “All right. So. They thrive in full or partial sun, which we don’t need to worry about, because there’s plenty of sun year-round. They thrive in warm temperatures, usually around seventy Fahrenheit, and relatively humid areas, which again, we don’t need to worry about.
“Only requires watering once a week, usually three to five centimeters of water. However, too much moisture can cause rot, mildew, and all kinds of wilt. We don’t have any pests that could be a problem for these bad boys, so you don’t have to worry about that.
“You don’t gotta worry about getting fertilizer either; I got plenty over there,” he said, pointing at the shelves near the door. “Use any of the ones on the left. Do not use the ones of the right; they’ll ruin the flowers.” Trilla nodded in acknowledgement. “I went ahead and dug a little hole for you.”
He put the bowl in front of her. “Wanted to leave this part for you though. You want me to stay, or...?”
“If you don’t mind...”
“No problem, kiddo.” He put a hand on her shoulder. “You know where to find me.” He walked away, and Trilla looked down at the bowl—several seed pods inside. She took a deep breath before picking one seed up and setting it inside the hole in the soil.
She scooped surrounding soil into the empty space and sat there and stared at it for several seconds before looking around for the watering can. She sat back on her heels again after watering it and stared at it.
((~~~~~~~~~~))
Second Sister stared at the door of the lift, thinking to herself, unsure if she could look her former master in the eye.
But backing out would indicate she wasn’t qualified to be an inquisitor.
The lift doors opened, and she was greeted by two Purge Trooper Commanders. She looked at each of them before walking past them and across the bridge. She stopped in front of the door and took a deep breath. She lifted her chin and opened the door.
All of the troopers in the room immediately straightened their postures; no trooper dared to look at her or even in her direction.
Second Sister stared at her former master, who was half conscious. She cocked her head when Cere groaned.
She walked forward slowly as Cere came back, and when Second Sister looked up at her, the color drained from Cere’s face.
((~~~~~~~~~~))
“You killed everyone in the room that day; everyone except me... Some days I wished you had...... Because every year, every month, every week, day, hour; every second......every second was agony. They told me you willingly gave up our location... I was so angry; I felt betrayed; I was hurt. I hated you...... I hated you... and I relished the fear in your eyes when you saw what they had done to me.”
Trilla sniffled. “I’d viewed myself as a monster for years... But that day—that day—you looked at me and saw your padawan. Not an inquisitor, not the monster I became; your padawan. Despite everything I did, you still saw me as your apprentice. When you knelt down in front of me, I expected disgust and disappointment, but you looked at me like I was the only thing in the galaxy that mattered to you.
“I saw the love in your eyes, the warmth; you looked at me like I was still your daughter and nothing else. Not the evil I harbored—your daughter; the little girl you raised.” The memory of Cere’s apology replayed. “You never stopped caring; you never stopped loving me. You looked me in the eyes that day and told me what you’d waited years to tell me.”
A sharp pain took over in her throat, and she swallowed hard. “You loved me...despite it all.” Trilla paused for roughly thirty seconds. “I love you...despite it all. I love you, Cere... And I always will...”