we just have a few questions.

[blacklisle]

The Interrogation Meme

Your crimes were unspeakable, your lies were innumerable, but finally you've been caught. They bring you in, sit you down, and chain you up. No matter what power you have, no matter how strong you are, you're not going anywhere, so get comfy.

It's going to be a long night.

Rules

1. Post with your character, canon, and any prefs. Note whether captor or captive.
2. Tag around to other characters.
3. Roll for an option.

RNG OPTIONS

1. Truth serum: You know this person isn't going to confess easily, but you've got a surprise for them. This serum ought to loosen their lips a little.
2. Torture: The old-fashioned way might work best for this particular subject. How about those thumbscrews?
3. Bargain: You've got something they really want, or really need. If they fess up, if they tell the truth of the matter, they'll get it.
4. Blackmail: So, remember that night about ten years ago...? You know something they don't want the rest of the world to know and you're going to use it.
5. Seduction: Just because they're tied to a chair doesn't mean you two can't have a little fun, right?

Comments

[hadthehighground]

There’s a twitch of his brow as Ezra brings out the crystal. Ben’s eyes opening slightly to look at it with a mix of emotions. There were no kybers here. Not anywhere in his cave. Ben had made sure of that.

“One step at a time,” he tells Ezra. No he wasn’t planning on diving into it. That would be far too overwhelming for him. His steps were wobbly ones, like a newborn Eopie. His strength far weaker than any Jedi master should be.

But there was something he needed to know. There was clearly a connection between the two of them. Or there should be he thinks, but it’s feeling very one sided. There was only one way to know for sure if Ezra really was telling the truth. The Force would know.

So again he closed his eyes and reached out. Except he wasn’t blindly groping through the darkness, trying to find something that may or may not be there. This time he was reaching for Ezra.

[ezra_of_lothal]

"Ok, joint meditation, going slow, coming right up," he replies, wriggling a little to get into a more comfortable position for what might be an extended period of sitting.

At first all he does is loosen his grip on his presence a little, which he has been hiding, if not as rigidly as Ben was. And then he'd been carefully trying to keep his thoughts and feelings to himself, so as not to jolt Ben.

Now he blooms into teenaged padawan, in the Force, a mix happy/nervous/relief. But he lets Ben do the reaching right this second, just tries to focus on his breath and try to let those emotions smooth out.

[hadthehighground]

Still gripping his cup as it needing to ground him, Ben’s brow creases as he focuses. Trying to will up the strength to search the Force, to search Ezra, to search his feelings. The cosmic energy welcomed him like an old friend, the light piercing the darkness for the first time in years. Yet like a babe he had to learn to walk again.

Then he felt it. There was something there. A tether that could only be a bond of some sort. His side had atrophied but it was there nonetheless.

“How…” he murmurs in confusion even as he touched it. How could it be? There was a very select few people that he had this connection with. How could he forget any of them?

[ezra_of_lothal]

On Ezra's end, the bond that had felt empty flairs to life. Ezra can't help feeling a stronger flood of relief, but in the space of the breath, he curls his hand tighter around his kyber, and he flips to a steadier, warm reassurance.

The young man has his own traumas, and griefs, and brushes with the Dark, but for Ben he, it's easy to hold to trust, patience, and love.

"See?" he murmurs. "Wasn't sure where to start."

[hadthehighground]

He had barely started to explore it and already Ben was overwhelmed. Feeling Ezra’s emotions affected him in a way he wasn’t quite expecting. So much that he withdraws and gasps, looking a bit shaken. He hasn’t felt such a thing since…

“Yes I… see what you mean.”

He swallowed, trying to keep his emotions in check.

“I’m sorry it’s just… a lot.”

[ezra_of_lothal]

"It's ok," Ezra says, immediately, carefully curling his presence in again, and resolving to be very careful with the reawakened bond.


"We can just sit and breathe and finish our tea. I know I'm not handling this all...exactly smoothly, but you're in the pilot's seat, here, alright?"

[hadthehighground]

Ben nodded quietly and took another sip of his tea, letting the warm fluid comfort him. Again he closed his eyes and breathed out, leveling out his feelings. He didn’t close himself off though, not entirely. He just needed to step back and take a break.

However his gaze wanders over to the little chrono he has nearby and his eyes widen.

“I need to go,” he says suddenly and gets to his feet. Downing his tea quickly he grabs something quick to eat and scrambles to get himself ready to go.

[ezra_of_lothal]

"...go where?" Ezra asks, in bafflement, watching Ben rush around.

Doing things by the clock isn't completely foreign to him - although on the Ghost time keeping was largely 'when Hera says so'. It's the being in the middle of nowhere combined with urgency that's confusing him.

[hadthehighground]

“Work,” Ben says simply as he gathers up what he needs.

“Even I have to make a living these days.”

Pulling on his poncho, he then went out front where his Eopie was waiting for him. Giving the animal a handful of feed before getting on its back.

[ezra_of_lothal]

"Oh. Uh. Suggestions on something useful I can do today, then?" Ezra asks. Rather than, 'you're coming back, right?'

If Ben did bolt entirely, then really Ezra should just leave. He knows perfectly well Ben needs to stay on Tatooine.

[hadthehighground]

With the Eopie rising up to its feet, Ben looked down at Ezra. His expression softening to one of fondness.

“I’m certain you can find something to do. The vaporator could use a tune up, oh and if a Jawa stops by tell him I don’t want anything.”

He then paused and sighed softly.

“Don’t worry, I’ll be back. … Brother.”

It was with that he turned the animal away to start the trek across the desert. Things slowly starting to click into place. He couldn’t remember specifics just yet, but feelings had certainly come through. It was something he would be thinking and meditating on throughout the mundane work day.

[ezra_of_lothal]

Ezra scrambles to his feet, staring. That endearment's the first hint that memories are in there somewhere; even the bond remaining hadn't completely convinced him. That could be chalked up to natural affinity in the Force.

"I'll - I'll count on it," he replies, voice shaky at the start of the sentence and firming into determination.

Then he retreats into the relative cool of the cave, to eat from his small store of ration pack in his pack, and organize his thoughts.

Vaporators and Jawas, huh? He doesn't know a lot about either topic, but he can figure out most things mechanical with some time and effort, and he can definitely charm locals in the scavenging and trade business.

But as it turns out, he has no visitors for that day. Taking apart the vaporator, cleaning it out and reassembling, is easy enough, although he's not willing to dive into getting more creative with something so vital. He's not a Skywalker.

Back on Lothal, if it wasn't storming, and he didn't have a specific task in mind, he'd often spend the day wandering. Tatooine has so many more hazards, going more than within sight of the cave seems foolhardy, alone, no matter how restless he's feeling - at least for right now, while he's getting acclimated.

By early evening, he's backed into the cooler part of the cave and is trying to burn off some of that fidgeting by going slowly through the open version of lightsaber katas, starting with Shii-Cho and then onto Soresu.

[hadthehighground]

Ben has a long time to think as he rides his Eopie into town, ties her up in a stall, then takes the transport to the work sight. Like always he is quiet and keeps to himself, so no one notices any change in his demeanor. The act of cutting up neat has become mechanical and he can do it on autopilot as he goes into deep contemplation. It’s not quite meditation but close.

He searches his thoughts, his memories, his feelings. At first there is nothing, but as he lets the force in, the memories begin to trickle as well. Voices, faces, the sounds of lightsabers clashing as his knife chops through a block of meat. The trickle becomes a stream and then a torrent. Ben gasps as it all comes flooding back, dropping his knife and staring vacantly.

His pause disrupts the line and someone begins to shout, though it’s only white noise in the background as his brain practically reboots itself. Then someone is grabbing his shoulder and yelling in his face. Effectively pulling him out of his stupor and making him wince. “S-sorry,” he stammers before managing to get back on task.

Able to slog through the rest of the day, he quietly slices off a sliver of meat and tucks it away when no one is looking. Though it’s a little bigger this time. His mind still trying to process the sudden block of memories that hadn’t been there before.

Making his way back to the cave, he walks in to see Ezra practicing. He can’t help but stand there and stare in silence. Unsure of what to say, and not BBC wanting to interrupt him.

[ezra_of_lothal]

In many circumstances, Ezra would have picked up on more of that through the day. But as it is, he'd locked down their connection as much as possible, so all he's gotten is a vague sense of thoughts churning, almost like the crackle of water running over a glacier.

And well, that all makes sense to him. When Obi-wan is unbalanced, going over a thought he's snagging on over and over is what he does, in Ezra's experience. A little concerning, but not urgently alarming.

When Ben comes back, he finishes the sequence he is in the middle of, before he pauses and turns, his expression morphing into bright and pleased. "Hey." And then more tentatively, realizing Ben looks even more shell shocked than he did this morning, "How was your day?"

[hadthehighground]

Overly analytical is a good way to describe him. Ben has always been that way for sure. He’s a thinker, planner, a strategizer. Always trying to figure out the best way to approach a problem. Sometimes that served him well, and other times it didn’t.

He must have looked like he felt in that moment. Because Ezra’s bright demeanor quickly turns to one of concern. When asked that question he hesitates, his mouth opening in silence for a split second before he speak.

“Very… illuminating,” he admits. He swallows hard, his eyes looking away for a moment but are then glinting a little as he looks back.

“Ezra I… I’m so sorry.”

[ezra_of_lothal]

And now he's alarmed. "What?" He takes a couple of swift steps toward Ben, but then hesitates again, not wanting to crowd the man. "For what? Illuminating how?"

What in the Force does Ben think he needs to apologize for?

[hadthehighground]

Ben closes the rest of the distance between them and pulls Ezra into a tight hug. “I remember… I remember it all.”

[ezra_of_lothal]

"Oh. Oh." Once that really registers, he's hugging back just as tightly.

"Then...please don't hold onto feeling bad about not remembering immediately. I knew coming here was - I knew there weren't any guarantees."

[hadthehighground]

Pulling back enough to look at Ezra directly, there was still sorrow and pain in Ben’s eyes.

“I don’t think I wanted to remember,” he admitted softly. “I never expected you would show up like this.”

[ezra_of_lothal]

Not wanting to remember - Ezra's not sure how to take that. He has to resist the urge to glance around the austere loneliness of the cave, while he reminds himself to try not to take it personally.

He clears his throat. "I'm, uh. I'm not sure that I could have, without my history with the vergence on Lothal. And I meant that I said, about deciding things together."

[hadthehighground]

It wasn’t personal, it all had been just another thing that was taken from him. Practically another life, one whose memories were easier to suppress and allowed to fade away. There were other things he wished he could forget too, but those were not so easy to banish. Though Ben realizes what he said might be taken the wrong way. His face softening as he placed his hand on Ezra’s cheek.

“I’m glad you came,” he tells him. It was a gift that he never thought he could have. “But things have changed. I have changed.”

[ezra_of_lothal]

He nods vigorously. "You've been out here a long time."

Then he takes a deep breath. "I know you know..how things were for me, before Kanan found me. I don't think I've ever talked about-" Another breath. "My parents weren't dead, you know. Not until I was 15. But I had to tell believe that they were. I just...I had to."

[hadthehighground]

Listening quietly, Ben nods slowly, his hand gently squeezing Ezra’s shoulder. “I understand. You were a child. There was nothing else you could have done.” His voice full of sympathy and sorrow for Ezra.

“I… thought Anakin was dead, until today. Now that I remember, I’m not sure which is easier. Believing him to be dead, or knowing that he’s out there and what he has become.”

[ezra_of_lothal]

Hmmm. Yes, he'd been a child, but that hadn't really been his point. But as Ben continues, he realizes maybe some of what he was trying to get at did come through.

"Alive means choices. For better...and for worse," he replies, carefully. "Sometimes hope and despair are two side of a credit chip. And where it lands can depend on the moment."

[hadthehighground]

What Ben had been trying to say is that Ezra was a child and thus had little choice in the matter. But in his case, he knows better, he is able to do something about it. He had made choices he deeply wished he hadn’t made, that things had turned out differently. What Ezra does say though strikes a chord and he nods.

“Yes, you are right,” he admits while pulling away. Looking a bit distant as he starts to go about his routine again and making dinner. “I can’t say I’m proud of many of the decisions I’ve made or how I’ve handled circumstances. But sometimes we simply do the best we can.”

He was pretty sure he knew what Ezra was getting at. Though it was hard and painful, he was trying to acknowledge it.