“You know, I have to ask, Tari. We might not ever agree on anything, but I think we both know how dangerous my Father is. I may be many things, but at least I know that he needs to be stopped.”
She closed her eyes for several long moments. “He—-I don’t think he’s a traitor. He’s just—-it’s not his fault he doesn’t want go through something similar to what they did to him during the Empire.”
“What did the Empire do to him?” He asked with an eyebrow lifted, “I know some, but not most.. However, I do know why he has those scars on his arms… the ones he rarely lets anyone see.”
“You don’t have to.” Tari muttered. “You could just not bring him in at all, and no care about whatever they say about you. But I realize that’s probably a stupid thing to say, as I’m sure you wouldn’t do that, no matter how much I wish you would.”
“You’re right. I could do nothing, but we both know that deep down I wouldn’t pass up this opportunity. My father is a traitor to the Order and unless I bring him in? I will be labeled as a traitor myself.”
Normally, Tari would have tried to keep her head down…however, in this case she knew that that wasn’t an option. To keep her head down would mean betraying Wyndel’s trust and breaking a promise, and those were two things she was not willing to do.
She could also be extremely stubborn when she wanted to be. “Perhaps you will find him, but I will not help you do so.”
“Who said I ever needed your help?” He asked with a scoff, “I don’t need your help willingly, Tari. No, I could just extract it, but if you don’t tell me where he is one way? I might have to hurt you.”
He didn’t want to, but… if it came to that he would.
“You can’t find him and I’m one of the few people who knows where he is—-of course you need my help.” she replied. “And I agree, I wouldn’t give it willingly. I fear for what they will do to him when he’s brought in.”
“It’s out of my hands what they do, Tari. Look, I don’t care about what he has done, but the code is clear — if he isn’t brought in? They will think that I have something to do about.”
He bit his lower lip for a moment, “I have to bring him in.”
Tari blinked at him, a confused expression on her face. “I—-I don’t know—-what did I say?”
“Does it matter what you said?” He barked out, “I am not going to dignify that with a response. Tell me…W H E R E Wyndel is!”
She shook her head. “Ne’paravu takisit—-I’m sorry, I just—-I can’t tell you.” she replied. “I made a promise and I hate breaking them.”
Of course she couldn’t say where Wyndel was, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t going to try to push again, “Tell me where he is, Tari. I won’t do anything other than talk.. I swear it.”
Normally, Tari would have tried to keep her head down…however, in this case she knew that that wasn’t an option. To keep her head down would mean betraying Wyndel’s trust and breaking a promise, and those were two things she was not willing to do.
She could also be extremely stubborn when she wanted to be. “Perhaps you will find him, but I will not help you do so.”
“Who said I ever needed your help?” He asked with a scoff, “I don’t need your help willingly, Tari. No, I could just extract it, but if you don’t tell me where he is one way? I might have to hurt you.”
He didn’t want to, but… if it came to that he would.
Tari gave a soft sigh. She really should have known Kader wouldn’t know what buir meant.
With another soft sigh, she explained, “Buir means ‘father’.”
An eyebrow was lifted, he knew some Mando, but not enough in the long run it seemed, “What about him? You know him better than me at any rate, much better….. not that it would matter of course.”
Tari shook her head. “No—-no. You didn’t know.” she repeated, her eyes dropping to stare at her boots. “You said it was important and I—-I’ll tell you, just…not right now. I—-I need to prepare myself for what I have to say. It’s very painful and difficult to explain without feeling it all again.”
Kader knew there was no arguing with her — it wouldn’t lead to anything if he did so, but he would accept her wishes… for now at least, “Alright, take your time.”
He chuckled for a moment, “Take all the time you need, Tari.”
She gave a soft sigh and seemed to relax, the tension seeming to drain slowly from her shoulders.
A thought passed through her mind and she paused, a strange look flickering across her face for a moment before she looked up at Kader. “I—-can I ask you something about your buir?”
“I don’t know who you’re talking about.” He stated off offhandedly, “I don’t even know who that would be at any rate.”
It was the only response he could give her, but it was a response nonetheless.
Kader glanced up at Tari for a few moments, “Wyndel doesn’t like talking about things — especially now. He also has stinky feet.”
“His feet always stink! He doesn’t even clean them. He says he doesn’t need to.” Kader smirked, “Wyndel even said he doesn’t need to talk about it… at all.”
Of course, he could have said more, but for now he was simply going to ignore everything else, and look up at Tari, “What was he like before now?”
Tari wasn’t intimidated by Kader in the least. He looked and acted too much like Wyndel for her feel much fear towards him. She sighed softly, lifting her head so that she could look at Wyndel’s son.
She didn’t meant to, honestly she didn’t, but a growl crawled its way out of her throat and her eyes narrowed. “Do anything to hurt me and you’ll have to deal with Wyndel. He may have shocked you before, but what he’ll do to you, even if you’re his son, won’t be pleasant in the least.”
“Won’t be pleasant? My dear, I am looking for him, and I would trust that you would keep yourself out of trouble.” Kader smirked for a moment, “Tell me where he is and I won’t harm a finger on his head, but if you don’t? Well, it seems that I will have to do something you might not like.”
It was then he took a step forward, “Tari, I am doing this to find him, and I know he shocked me. He’s shocked me every since I was BORN and that reject will get what is coming to him once I find him!”
Tari shook her head. “No—-no. You didn’t know.” she repeated, her eyes dropping to stare at her boots. “You said it was important and I—-I’ll tell you, just…not right now. I—-I need to prepare myself for what I have to say. It’s very painful and difficult to explain without feeling it all again.”
Kader knew there was no arguing with her — it wouldn’t lead to anything if he did so, but he would accept her wishes… for now at least, “Alright, take your time.”
He chuckled for a moment, “Take all the time you need, Tari.”
“It’s probably for the best we don’t know exactly what happened to him.” she said with a sigh. “If we did, we might feel pity—-well, more so that if all we know is that it happened. He never did like being pitied. I think he once said that it made him feel weak, and he never did like feeling weak….”
Tari was a silent for another moment before she said, “He never did like talking about things that hurt him, either.”
Kader rolled his eyes, “Trust me, he doesn’t even like knowing someone can use the Force better than him. The First time Kylo threw him into a wall was… amusing. Though, Wyndel ended up kicking him in the groin… repeatedly..”
Kader knew that he shouldn’t have been here, Kylo already was starting to suspect him of being a traitor, but only due to his father. However, he wanted to make things right, and the only way to do that was to find Tari.
She knew him longer than anyone, but it was highly impossible that she would have told him his location. Yet, he would still try to find it out, and hopefully they were not tracking him.
“Tari, I need to know where he is.”
She shifted, a concerned expression on her face. She knew Kader was a Knight of Ren, and she trusted him, really she did, but…not enough, it seemed, to tell him what he wanted to know.
Tari dropped her head to stare at her feet. “I’m sorry, Kad’ika, but I—-I can’t. He made me promise not to tell anyone—-not even you.” And when Tari Novhret made a promise, she tried very hard to keep it…even, it seemed, if it meant keeping a child from his parent.
Kader took a step forward, he knew that he wouldn’t speak willingly, but there was a chance that she would, and he had to take it.
“Tari, I can’t stress this enough that I need to know — it doesn’t matter if you don’t want to, but he is my Father.” In truth, he had never used the term father before around Tari, but Kader’s relationship with Wyndel had always been strained. Even more so since the events of what recently happened….
“Please, if you don’t tell me than I will have to extract the information, and I am quite certain I know how to with… massive amounts of pain.”
