"But you saved me, Molari-"
There was something wrong with her saying that, something that nagged him - it was her voice, the way he imagined she'd sound if she'd lived, but Janus had rarely called him by his full name. And even then she had been one of the few who knew his name, his real name. They never called each other by their real names - that had been drilled into him since he could first understand it.
Names were power.
Even as a Jedi he had been always aware of that truism, making 'Molari' his name as far as the Republic was concerned. Sometimes even 'Molari' was too much of a name, the Knight falling back to titles when agitated or wary. Humans didn't understand the power of a name, the power over someone it gave... Few species grasped the concept, he believed, feeling names were merely monikers.
Time passed. His head swam, suppressing the sensations to show as few weaknesses as possible; the Knight rubbed his wrists, reaching up to try and slip a finger under the collar and finding no give. The cuffs had almost been more welcome than the collar - at least he could still feel the Force with the cuffs, even if it'd been harder to control without the crutch of guidance by hands. He'd still been able to feel connected but now? He could barely sense anything, able to really only 'feel' a few feet, before the only perceptions he had were with his own senses. The press of what might happen was gone, the slight edge cut off and he was left with the itch of uncertainty.
Perhaps it was better though because he couldn't feel the overwhelming press of the Dark Side now - so there was some plus to it all. He could almost pretend he was someplace else, almost... except the forcefield and the cell made that illusion fracture all too easily. But at least he could attribute any feelings of sickness to merely a physical ailment (as hard to believe as that was) instead of the corruption of the Force.
The Knight's stomach twisted, hunching over and putting hands down on the ground to brace himself. The ground felt cool and his cheeks pinched, taking in shallow gasps of air as he wondered if the room had suddenly been chilled or warmed. That was...new. It must be the stress, he reasoned, certainly not something else.
Ari...
He couldn't tell if the voice was in his head or in his ears, trying frantically to sense if there was life nearby and failing. Maybe it was in his ears, maybe she really was close by, maybe... Molari shook his head, running a hand through his hair, trying to compose himself. He felt hot, splaying his fingers against the cool floor to try and draw the chill into himself.
Almost as an after-thought the Jedi thought to check his nose, the one the guard had slammed a knee into when he'd been knocked back. It was barely even tender though he could smell the blood still, the injury already mostly-healed. This was one of the few times he'd be thankful he wasn't as human as he looked, thankful because he couldn't imagine any stay on Dromund Kaas was going to be pleasant for long.
The cell faded, hazing as the dull headache started up, starting at the sound of footsteps. The ground rocked underneath him and when he looked up he wasn't in the cell, feeling the weight of the saber in his hand as he got blearily to his feet. But then the room shifted, the superimposed vision of his ship's deck fading before he was simply alone in the cell.
But her voice was in his ears again, or maybe in his head, and he found himself hoping that she ended up being only in his mind because if she was here he wasn't quite sure what he'd do.
Ari you have to make it home...
Was there someone watching? Were those footsteps he heard, the click of heels on flooring? Was Janus just past the wall of his cell, Molari moving to put a hand against the wall not protected by the field, trying to extend his senses again and finding nothing inside the short area he could reach out to.
Caged-
Collared-
Trapped-
Blood-
His eyes glazed before he caught himself, stepping away from the wall and back, facing the doorway.
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