"- yeah. Well, we can still check."

"If it's safe I - yes."

"Yeah. I'll need a couple days to pack, and maybe one or two to help close down the garden if Daisy wants to come - she probably will, if it's more than a few days' trip. Where is it?"

"Korulen, I can pull up the maps. It's not close, I didn't want - thank you."

"Yeah."

She looks back up. "You did good, it sounds like. We'll figure something out."

"I don't - I didn't - I -" Daira stands abruptly and flees the room.

Yeah, fair.

She doesn't follow, but she does watch the girl; she'll go find her if it seems like she's needed.

She makes it halfway around the house before slumping against the wall and screwing her eyes shut against the tears.

Mari Mari Mari sister twin beautiful golden Mari - I don't know what doing right means, it was just Mari, Mari needed to be safe - I can see her, I can - safesafesafesafe for me - does she even care, maybe she barely remembers, we were twelve - is the house still - we were going to have a brother - is it still even the same - I'll come with a Sith, that's not - she'd do that for me, she just meet me, she doesn't - why - how - maybe I'm dreaming - no don't be stupid - Mari Mari Mari - and then Daira's thoughts are full of the golden light that was Mari's presence in the Force and she's crying in earnest, shaking with silent wrenching sobs.

She leaves her be, for a bit; she takes the opportunity to call Daisy on the radio and let her know about the change of plans.

The sun begins to set.

She's cried herself out by then, and is deep in her Force trance, drawing its presence around herself like a blanket. She doesn't appear to notice the sunset at all.

"Hey."

Daira lifts her head to look at her but doesn't answer.

She offers a hand up. "Come watch the sunset with me?"

She looks at Pradnakt's hand for a moment in total incomprehension, then clasps it and stands in a burst of motion.

She leads the way to the far side of the house, where there's a ladder bolted to the wall; there's a cushion propped up by the base of it. "Go ahead. The best view is from up there."

She clambers up the ladder and sits facing the sun, knees tucked to her chest.

Pradnakt follows with the extra cushion and sets it beside the one that was already waiting on the platform, to sit on.

The sunset is gorgeous, a blaze of pink and orange and gold, highlighted by a few clouds and a collection of sparkles, out in the desert, reflecting its light toward them from a dozen different places.

Half of Daira sees the sunset, and half of her is under another sun, racing speeders with Mari to get home before dark.

After a few moments, Pradnakt taps Daira's knee, offers her hand to hold.

Daira watches the sunset almost a minute, not reacting, and then takes her hand, humming softly in thanks.

She watches the rest of it in silence, and then lapses into meditation, this time a quiet, thoughtful sort.

Daira stays almost perfectly still, looking up at the stars when the sun's set.

She meditates for a while - about her usual amount - and then shifts to lie down, head pillowed on the cushion, to watch the stars as well.

The stars have always meant Mari, somewhere - and she's crying again, wiping her eyes angrily with the back of her hand.

She lets her. It doesn't seem right to interrupt.