OPEN; loth-cat time

[merging]

» WHO? Ezra Bridger & you!
» WHEN? May, after Ezra receives his white Loth-cat
» WHERE? Around the station
» WHAT? Loth-cat shenanigans!
» WARNINGS? N/A


[So Ezra's made a friend. The creature is cat-like if not exactly a cat, and those from his galaxy might recognize it as a breed of tooka. Whatever it is, it mostly sticks close to him and can be seen with him throughout the station.]

I. HALLWAYS

[Were you enjoying a nice walk around the station, maybe going to meet a friend or get a drink? Too bad because now there's a Loth-cat running straight at you. Tailing behind it is Ezra yelling,]

Hey, wait! Stop!

[The Loth-cat starts running faster and looks as if it's about to pounce- when Ezra stops in his place.]

Oh, right! [His voice is calmer when he speaks again.] Stop.

[And the Loth-cat stops! It looks much more peaceful now.]

Sorry 'bout that.

II. MESS HALL

[Today the Loth-cat's sitting on top of the table Ezra's seated at. He's set out a small saucer of milk for it as he eats his food. Except... it keeps reaching for his food.]

I already fed you! And you've got your milk! Look, I know it's not blue, but it's almost the same! [He sighs.] Okay... just a little.

III. OBSERVATION DECK

[Ezra's kneeling at the edge of the observation deck, observing the deck with the Loth-cat. Or rather, they're observing beyond the deck and... space and stuff.]

So that's- actually, I don't what that planet's called. Or any of this. But you know... you're from Lothal. Or I think you are? Are you?

Comments

[hopefragment]

Oh... I'm sorry.

[Well now he feels kind of awkward. He'd just assumed that since Ezra said he doesn't feel that way anymore, that his parents had come back. Maybe he'd just meant getting closure? Either way, Hajime definitely feels like a jerk.

He just hums, looking back to the Loth-cat and gently touching its... nose? Is that a nose. It seems to be mostly mouth.]

I'm glad... you have a friend who will be able to find you. As soon as we get out of here, I'm sure they will.

[Hajime isn't sure he'd call signing up for the Project "a sacrifice," since... it'd be a pretty worthless sacrifice in most people's eyes. Who cares if some Reserve Course students disappear?

But he isn't going to keep arguing, even if he's not convinced. He's not really keen on the idea of insisting that his parents and friends -- if he can even call the people he wants to be around 'friends' -- won't ever see him again. It makes his chest ache to think about, and he doesn't want to keep saying it aloud.]

Um... can I ask what happened? If you don't want to talk about it, that's fine, I was just... you seem so sure of yourself.

[He is a little envious of that.]

this was longer then i lost the reply and.

[merging]

It's alright. They're still with me, even now.

[Part of that's through his connection to his Force, but another part's through the impact they've made on his life. They're with him always, just like Kanan.]

It's- okay, so there was... Well, I was- Okay, wait. This is gonna be a lot, just warning you. Buuut I also figure you expect that from me at this point. And this isn't going to make any sense. Which you should also expect.

I'm part of a Rebellion, fighting against the Empire that's taken control of my galaxy. Back on my home world- back on Lothal, Imperial presence has been growing pretty steadily these last few years. And I wanted to do something about that, we all did. I mean, the larger Rebellion didn't exactly, but the family I mentioned earlier. But getting rid of the Empire for good even on just Lothal obviously wasn't going to be easy. It's never been easy. They've got huge buildings and ships and buildings that are actually also ships?

I'm gonna skip over the full details of our plans and battles and all that and onto the stuff I was telling you about. I was with Grand Admiral Thrawn on his ship, an Imperial Star Destroyer he's named the Chimaera. And I realized before what I had to do, what I could do. My master... he gave his life for me, for all of us, for the Rebellion. And I realized that I could do the same. I called on the purrgil-

They're um... creatures. That can travel through hyperspace. And how I called them is an entirely different story. But they arrived and joined us in our fight, one even wrapped its tentacles all around Thrawn. And once they were in place, I called to them again. And they made another jump to hyperspace, taking the ship, me, and Thrawn with them.

I don't... I don't know what happened after that obviously. What I hope is that it gave the people of Lothal the little push they needed to rise up against the Empire and take back the planet. That was the plan, at least.

I had no clue where Thrawn and I were before I ended up here, but like I said I trusted one of my friends to find me. But even if I never make it back, I don't regret it. I spent my whole life living for no one but myself when I had the power to help those around me. If I made any change in the galaxy, that'll be enough for me. And... I hope that I made my parents, and my master, proud.

pours one out for the lost reply

[hopefragment]

[Hajime shifts to sit a little more comfortably, still absently petting the gentle animal as he looks up to Ezra.]

It's okay. I don't mind listening, if you don't mind telling me.

[And then he's quiet to let Ezra speak, and though he's still petting the cat, it's clear his full attention is on his -- friend? No, he doesn't think he can call Ezra a friend just yet. Somebody he knows and can reasonably trust, that's close enough.

A lot of it does go right over his head, honestly. It's difficult for him to fathom a single government on one planet, let alone some kind of "Empire" controlling many. Is... is hyperspace another dimension? That's the sticking point keeping him from full comprehension, but he just nods anyway. That doesn't seem like the most important detail of the story, anyway.

There's a pause of a few seconds when Ezra finishes speaking, Hajime waiting to make sure he's actually done before he opens his mouth.]

You're incredible, [is the first thing he manages. He's not mocking, he's absolutely genuine as he finally takes his hand off the Loth-cat to give it a bit of a break from absent pets.] I mean it, that's... you were able to fight something so massive, and be a part of something important...

I'm sorry about your, um, master, [there's a bit of hesitation when he says the title, because it's just a bit odd. Ezra doesn't act like what he'd expect a martial artist to be like, but then again, he's only familiar with the kind of over-the-top personalities that become SHSLs,] But... it sounds like he'd agree with me.

You really are some kind of crazy optimist, huh? Going through all that and knowing your friends will still be able to find you.

[merging]

[Sometimes Ezra might brag about being a Jedi or a hero, but... he's also sort of grown out of that. And at Hinata's words, he can't help but blush, glancing away as he scratches the back of his neck.]

I... well, you know, it's not just me. There's no way I could've done any of that on my own. Really... I'm just one person. And I did what I could to help. But after all that, it was up to the people of Lothal. And it's still up to the rest of the galaxy to fight off the Empire. There's so many more planets still under their control...! I wish I could've done more, honestly, but everyone feels that way.

It's- it's alright. I still... I still miss him, of course. I miss my parents too. But I'm still connected to them through the Force. In that way, no one's ever really gone.

[Kanan's words echo in his mind. May the Force be with you. Always. He'd always be with him.]

I don't know if it's optimism, but uh... you've never met Sabine. If anyone can find me, it's her. I think I gave her enough hints on my whole plan too, though I didn't tell anyone exactly what I was doing.

[hopefragment]

It sounds like you did a lot.

[Again, Hajime isn't just saying that. It really is a lot, and even if he doesn't understand all of it, it sounds like Ezra's the kind of person who can make a difference in people's lives. And that's admirable in its own way.]

...The Force?

[He has to ask, though. What the heck is that.]

[merging]

The Force is... I can't imagine a universe without the Force, so I think maybe it's in everyone else's and they just don't know it. Or maybe you guys have different names for it.

[The Lasat had mentioned something about Ashla, after all. And he didn't even know what the Force was until he met Kanan.]

The Force is in all living things. It surrounds us, it penetrates us. It binds the galaxy together. It connects you and me, everyone on this station, and Loth-cats too.

[hopefragment]

[...It what.

Quickly, Hajime looks down at the cat again, focusing his attention on pets instead of laughing. Right, okay, laughter-- contained. Got it.]

Uh... I've never heard of anything like that, [he says once he can trust himself not to laugh.]

[merging]

[Noting his reaction, Ezra's just gonna... close his eyes and hold a hand out. And slowly, the Loth-cat is levitating. He lifts it a couple feet off the ground, which it doesn't like, before slowly returning it to where it was.]

Anyways. Some people are more sensitive when it comes to the Force.

[hopefragment]

Whoa!!

[Hajime lets out a little yell of surprise, and if he weren't already sitting down, he'd absolutely have fallen on his butt anyway.]

W-What the hell was that?!