Lost and Longing.

Aayla wasn't sure what Shaak Ti's purpose here was now. She wasn't sure, but she thought perhaps Shaak Ti, known for being logical, might understand the wisdom of the secrecy oath they had given. If she took one then Aayla hoped she could discuss it all she wanted with her if Harry released her from that portion of the vow like he had done to Ahsoka. "Suffice it to say they're wide and varied."

Shaak Ti raised an eyebrow and then very deliberately looked Aayla up and down, and there was no mistaking the small smile on her face. "I have gotten that impression. Though I am curious as to your overall impression of the man."

Aayla flushed, having forgotten that her skin was still pink. "Yes.. and these abilities are wielded by a man who I am not convinced is entirely mentally balanced."

"That's a very loaded response, Aayla. What do you mean?" asked Shaak Ti quietly.

"He… rarely seems to react in a way I expect, even without knowledge of his culture," Aayla said after a moment's consideration. "Oh, he's extremely competent in a fight, but… from the evidence we've seen he quite clearly has attachments. I know for a fact that he's had wives… and children. But I haven't gotten him to talk about his history much at all." Shaak Ti's eyebrows rose but she remained silent as Aayla continued to explain.

"The reason they were on Nar Shaddaa is because he seems to be searching for people. Ahsoka said she thought it might be searching for others like him, or from his planet. That and he uses the Force completely different from us… is about all I know of his history," Aayla shook her head in frustration,

"Oh, and his mother sacrificed herself to save him from a Dark Lord when he was a baby," Aayla added belatedly, feeling more than a little guilty not bringing that bit up sooner.

"But the rest? He just… doesn't react like he should. Most of the time it's like he views almost everything like a game. But occasionally he gets serious and direct. Allowing his emotions to influence him … while keeping them under control," Aayla looked frustrated as she tried to explain what she meant.

"He deals with slavers and clearly feels anger but simply turns them over to the wookiees to deal with. He feels compassion and spends time counseling freed slaves. Allows me to come with him after believing I was a spy or an assassin… and then loses an arm saving my life… and his parting comment, before he disappears and miraculously regrows the arm and half his skin… is a lewd comment about my breasts," Aayla said as she shook her head, her tone filled with exasperation.

Shaak Ti had been quiet the entire time Aayla half explained, and half ranted about Harry. She could honestly see how someone like Harry could bother someone like Aayla. Aayla had not had an easy time at the Temple, and had been vilified on more than one occasion for her tendency to follow her emotions and get too involved in the missions she was assigned.

She had fought long and hard to earn the reputation she had, and here was a clearly powerful Force user, who seemed to embody every emotion and desire that Aayla herself had been denied. Shaak Ti was observing that first hand. On one hand he seemed easygoing and friendly, but on the other there was an edge to him. Shaak Ti was honestly torn on her impression of him, between suspicion and interest.

She decided to push her friend a little bit for her insight from her senses. She put her hands on Aayla's shoulders, focusing the other's attention on her while she looked her square in the eye, "Aayla, take a deep breath, and simply describe him."

Aayla opened her mouth, but Shaak Ti cut her off quickly. "Not his abilities, not his history. Him."

Aayla took a few moments to gather herself, then began to speak, "He is a walking contradiction. At times he seems disturbed… unbalanced, but he's not psychotic. He's caring… But sometimes he just kinda zones out. so much, that he'll drift off in the middle of the conversation and he has to be... snapped back into focus."

"He can be an asshole and drive me crazy," Aayla said, a bit of frustration showing through. "Also, from what I've heard that he did on Coruscant, as well as seen on Nar Shaddaa, he is dangerous as hell, but given how he saved me, he also has a massive protective streak."

Shaak Ti looked like she definitely wanted more information on that, but Aayla pre-empted her by shaking her head. "I can't actually say anything on what I saw, due to my oath."

Shaak Ti's eyes narrowed. "That is the second time you've said that you can't."

Aayla hesitated and spoke slowly, "I gave Harry an oath, one via the Force itself that I would not divulge any of the magic that I saw him perform."

The other Jedi Master regarded her friend carefully. She knew there was some that Aayla wasn't saying but the fact that Harry used the Force to compel agreement to an oath beyond a being's integrity was another worrying sign for her.

Aayla's expression darkened as she scowled a bit, "He's a sarcastic ass, who'd flirt with a hole in the wall if he thought it would rile the wall up or get any kind of response. You saw how he seemed thrilled you cut his legs out from under him when you said he had a small…" She trailed off unable to bring herself to say it, her memory of her vision striking clearly.

"Prick?" asked Shaak Ti a trace of amusement on her face at Aayla's discomfort, but Aayla just gave a dirty look and continued on. "Right. He didn't get angry when you insulted him. He was amused," Aayla then gestured around at the warehouse, "And then there's Dobby."

"Who somehow lives despite no midi-chlorian count, and who, despite his protests to the contrary, seems to be by definition, a slave to Mister Potter, albeit a willing one. But also one who manages to disappear and reappear from my senses using the Force." Shaak Ti commented, summing up what she had gotten from the being in the small amount of time she had seen him.

"That's ignoring the fact he apparently requires a bond to Harry in order to live," Aayla commented, not touching on Dobby's abilities. "If what Harry has told us is true, then logic dictates that he derives his ability to direct the Force from Harry. Follow those thoughts to their logical conclusion," Shaak Ti murmured, though she didn't bother voicing the idea that Dobby was absorbing Force from Harry. She just had no way to gauge the powers Dobby had displayed, though aside from the floating balls of fire she hadn't seen any sign of Harry using the Force.

"Oh! Let's not forget!" Aayla interjected. "Apparently, Harry is to be believed and I have little reason to doubt the only thing that prevents the little being from potentially going on a rampage of pure chaos is a strict adherence to the 'orders' that Harry gives him."

"Of course, Harry also has no qualms about rescinding all orders like he did during the slaver raid, which resulted in an entire ship's worth of Trandoshan slavers being spaced and attached to the outer hull of their ship in some sort of macabre warning that the wookiees apparently are in love with," Aayla summarized though there was no comment on how this was achieved. She fell quiet, looking down at the ground and not meeting her friend's gaze.

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