"I know. But we don't want it, even if you'd be fine, okay? You've put up with things being very hard for a very long time, and you shouldn't have to do that any more. We just need to figure out how to make that happen."

He doesn't look entirely convinced, still looks a little concerned. "O-okay," he agrees quietly.

"Nothing bad is going to happen, I promise." She pats his shoulder reassuringly and goes.

Dusk is on the roof, meditating, poorly, the tension obvious in her shoulders and chest and forearms. Daisy approaches, quietly but not too quietly, and sits on the plain wood beside the Sith's cushion.

"We should talk, Love," the droid's voice is quiet, even. "When you're ready."

    Now is fine. She opens her eyes.

He's not doing well.

    I saw. You don't think he'll come around?

I think... not like this. Not fast enough.

    What does he need?

You need space from each other.

    I'm doing okay. But if he needs it, sure. What are you thinking?

A room might be enough. His own house would be better. Keep him out of the kitchen, that's a problem.

    I'm okay with that. We'll need supplies, though.

Yeah, that's tricky. I don't really trust him to eat without someone telling him to. But if I leave when he goes to bed I'll be back a few hours after he wakes up; that's not dangerous, I think.

    No, it's not. Not good, but not dangerous. Bring back some cookies or something for him to eat right away.

Yeah. Okay. And chickens and seeds and things - maybe fancy chickens, this time, he likes animals.

    Of course; whatever you want.

How much can this... look like we're taking advantage of him, before it bothers you?

    What do you have in mind?

I haven't thought about it much, yet. But he keeps panicking when I say he shouldn't be treated like a slave, or that he isn't one, or that he doesn't have to do things. Even being treated like a valued slave is going to be an adjustment for him. And he has a hard time with too much too fast.

    I trust you, the Sith signs, after a long pause. Do what works.

All right. I'll get the speeder ready now, head out as soon as he goes to bed. Love you.

    Love you too.

She gets out the speeder and hooks the empty carts to the back of it, and then heads back inside.

Nova's curled on his side, still awake, and staring at the datapad, his eyes dart to the door when Daisy comes back in, but he doesn't move.

"Hey." She comes over and sits on the bench by the bed. "Do you want to hear what we decided, or would you rather rest a while longer first?"

He shrugs. "I- whatever is fine."

"All right. Let me know when you're ready." She moves back over to the other side of the table and begins revising the list she made earlier, looking up every so often to check on him.

He's watching her in confusion, and only stays lying for a little while longer before sitting up, pausing the datapad. He wraps the blanket around his shoulders. "I- you wanted to. Talk to me?"

"Mmhmm." She puts her pen down and returns to the near side of the table. "I talked to Pradnakt about it, and we don't think it's good for either of you for you to be staying in the workroom like this, so we're going to build you your own place. And in order for us to do that, I need to go into town to get building supplies, and that means I'll be gone for a while - about half a day. I'm planning on going when you fall asleep, so you'll just sleep through most of it, but I'll still be gone when you wake up, and you'll be alone for a few hours. Does that sound like something you can handle?"

He's still for a moment, trying to process that. "I- yes?" It makes sense for him not to be in the way, but... "But- Could just...sleep in the barn? Easier?"

"No." She sighs. "Nova, I mean it that you aren't a slave any more, and we aren't going to treat you like one. You're a guest. That means we need to give you someplace to sleep that's safe and clean and comfortable, and the barn isn't."

"But- I-" he doesn't even know how to argue against that. "As you say."

"All right."

"I'm going to make some things for you to eat while I'm gone; I want you to eat if you get hungry, all right?"

"O-okay," he agrees, nodding. (He does actually seem to mean that.)

"Okay."

She makes some biscuits, and refills the bowl of sunflower seeds, and then goes back to her list.

Nova half watches her, still wrapped in the blanket. He seems to be searching for something else to do as well, but not finding anything.

"Bored?"

Is that the word for it? Maybe. "I- Not used to. Not doing anything."

"Yeah. And we don't really have any games or anything around here - you could try drawing?"

"I- drawing?"

"It's like writing, but instead of words, you make pictures. Here, come sit at the table and I'll get you the colored pencils."

He unwinds himself from the blanket and moves over to sit at the table.

She gets a pad of drawing paper and a tin of pencils from the cabinet and sits back down next to him. "You hold it like this," she demonstrates, letting him get a good look at her hand before and after she makes a sample mark on her paper.