[don't talk to strangers; keep away from the danger]

[kestreldawn]

WHO: Jyn Erso & Percival Graves (and probably an appearance from Cassian Andor).
WHERE: Maurtia Falls, a park.
WHEN: Backdated to June 6th; late afternoon.
WHAT: Graves tries to teach Jyn how to control her telepathy.
WARNINGS: None anticipated; will change as needed.

[The man who'd replied to her post on the network had seemed to know very well what he was talking about, but - call it a lifetime of trusting almost no one - there's something about him that makes Jyn a bit uneasy. Even through video, there was something about him that made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up, like he could have - at any moment - peeled away the skin on his face to reveal his true identity, and Jyn wouldn't have been surprised.

So prior to agreeing to meet him in a different town from where she lives, she'd alerted Cassian about the exchange and the fact that she'd gotten some .. interesting vibes from the stranger. She didn't demand anything of it - perhaps it's just a matter of covering bases in case something goes terrible wrong - but she'd also made it clear that she wouldn't have been against Cassian lurking somewhere in secret nearby, in the event of something going wrong.

She texts a location to Graves, continuing to use her alias of Tanith Ponta, and indicates a time. She takes a seat on a bench underneath a pair of stretching trees, fiddling with her comm while she waits.]

Comments

[candor1]

[They'd talked about it before as well… so when Cassian gets the notification that it's actually happening… yes, he goes.

And doesn't tell Jyn he'll be there.

That way, another mindreader won't be able to pick up on Cassian's presence from either of them. Cassian because he'll keep the energy shield up that, as they've discovered, blocks telepathy; Jyn because she genuinely won't know.

He finds a place where he can be hidden, have eyes on Jyn, and hold his pose for a long, long time. (On stakeouts in the past, he was able to stay motionless for so long, local wildlife would perch on him. He hopes it won't be birds if it happens. He's had to go back to Kay covered in guano before.)

He'll stay there, just watching and listening, Jyn's self-assigned mental bodyguard.]



[ooc: Though won't get involved unless cued, IC or OOC, by either of you :-) Might potentially make lurking internal monologue observations now and then, if okay!]

[gravedangers]

[ He appears. Right time, right place, he appears. Walking there, like some typical muggle. Primarily because he can't simply appear places he hasn't been before. If either keeps an eye on the government building a block or so away, he simply walks out of the front door there rather than from the porter. Maybe he came several hours early to run an errand. Maybe he apparated in the bathroom five minutes ago and simple walked out.

(the latter one is right)

Either way, he appears in his full 1920s finest and strolls into the park to the designated meeting place. Like a gentleman, he waits for the lady to approach. ]

[kestreldawn]

[A few stragglers have wandered by here and there. All of them seemed to be walking with purpose to some other destination, so she hadn't attempted to speak to any of them on the off-chance it'd be Graves. She thinks she remembers what the man looks like from the videos they'd shared on the network, but she looks for his face in all of the passersby as they go past.

When a man in clothing she absolutely doesn't recognize walks in with a casual gait, the pieces fall into place and she recognizes him immediately. She lets her eyes linger on him for a few moments, to grab his attention without verbalizing anything.

When she sees that he's paused to allow her the first approach, she counts to ten, pretending to finish up with something on her comm and then walks over, slipping the device into her pocket. Once near enough, she speaks.]

Graves. [It's more of a statement than a question.]

[gravedangers]

Ms. Ponta.

[He tilts his head in greeting- a side effect of it being too damn hot for having a hat to take off. This new world, particularly the southern parts of it, had introduce temperatures a wizard from the far north was simply not meant to live in.]

Is the park secured to your satisfaction?

[kestreldawn]

[She nods in acknowledgement of the use of her alias, as easily as she would her actual name. Eyes quickly observant the tendrils of sweat and the accumulation of moisture at his temples, his upper lip, his neck. If it weren't socially inacceptable to comment, she'd commiserate with him. She's still adjusting to the idea of a planet being multi-climate at all.

With a grazing glance around the park as though to give one last inspection, she returns her gaze towards him and nods again.] As secure as one can make a public venue.

[gravedangers]

That was the point, wasn't it? To make sure there are witnesses.

[The tone is more amused, certainly not offended. Trusting people had never turned out that well for him, either. In the rare occasion he had indulged.

He took a seat on a nearby (shaded) bench, making himself comfortable.]

But a public display may upset a few of the locals. If you're worried about drawing attention.

[kestreldawn]

Something like that.

[She watches him as he walks over to sit, though she doesn't do anything of the sort herself.] It depends on what sort of things we'll be doing that might be drawing attention, more than drawing attention itself.

sorry for the delay!

[gravedangers]

That depends on your strength.

[ She may be dripping suspicion, but he continues to move as if they were in his own front parlor. Confident in his own security. ]

If you react to what you..ah, see in your mind, it may be disturbing to some.

no worries!! :D

[kestreldawn]

React? Violently, you mean?

I don't think that's happened. It's more - I just hear the thoughts, see the memories. I might be surprised or, in one instance, was upset and saddened by what I saw, but I haven't become violent in any way because of it.

Not .. yet, at least.

[gravedangers]

Or emotionally. Some people tend towards dramatics.

[But she'd jumped to violence, so very likely not her. Violent he could handle. Overall, a nice break from hand holding.]

But with your consent, I'll begin.

[ooc: If she agrees, he's going to try and use the Legilimency Spell to delve into her mind, permitting him as the caster to see memories, emotions and thoughts. If there's anything it's okay for her to glimpse, let me know!]

[kestreldawn]

[She nods grimly. For as much as she tries to stifle emotion, she has quite a bit of it underneath the surface. She doesn't like letting it out all that often.]

Consent given.

OOC: Okay! I'm not familiar with the spell, so - I transcribed a good portion of the Rebel Rising novel (which is all about Jyn and her life before we see her in Rogue One), which is here. Feel free to see/take whatever! :D

[gravedangers]

[ Trauma was simple to start with. Real ones, the kind that shape a life, were ever there, just beneath the surface. Even when not consciously thought of for months, years, it was always guiding. Lessons learned hard enough never quite faded away.

Like those during the death of a parent, the 'abandonment' by another. It was a crude lunge into her mind, one to make sure she could feel him in there, sitting in on her personal history.]

Try to block me.

[ooc: magic vs superpowers, who knows how it works??? Focus and being more 'closed' is supposed to be the key to blocking people out with the spell. Do with it what you will]

[kestreldawn]

[It feels like someone's hand reaching in through the blackness of her consciousness, rummaging around in a decades' old datapad - clumsily and roughly poking at its screen, prying it apart, trying to get to the wires underneath. It's like a blinding light behind her eyes, and she closes them as though it might block it out.

It doesn't.

His words barely penetrate through the strange mental violation she feels, but she tries to envision herself trying to yank the datapad away from the strange, disembodied hand - tries to imagine trying to snap the thing back together. She gets so far as to take the thing away, but can't seem to get it all closed up again. All of her memories are still exposed and aired.]

I .. I don't know how. I don't know how to seal it up.

[gravedangers]

Focus.

[It was an unfortunate fact, but a true one: there was nothing for it but practice. All the texts and analytical essays in the world couldn't teach how to actually block mental intrusion. Only practice.

But motivation helped.

He shifted through, sliding along one memory to a connected one. The death of her father.]

Build a wall, shut me out.

[kestreldawn]

I'm trying. [Her words have some bite to them as her eyes open long enough to find, and perhaps glare at, the man rummaging around in her brain before closing again.

She sees her Papa's face in her mind. Hears his voice. Her brows gather as she gets a flood of the metallic taste of blood in her mouth, unknowingly biting on the inside of her cheek hard enough to break skin. She grits her teeth, clenches her fists at her sides.

She tries to envision building a wall - piece by piece, rock by rock - but the emotion of cradling her father's body on Eadu, the feel of the rain pelting her skin, the brush of his hand on her cheek - prove to be too powerful.] Papa ..

[gravedangers]

[He emits a soft sigh, then breaks his concentration and ending the spell. It would be insane, of course, to expect anyone to excel at the first try. Many of the more noted wizards of his day couldn't so much as cast the spell, let alone combat it.

But there was always the smallest chance.]

That seems enough for the day.

[kestreldawn]

[And just like that, her mind is her own again. Things come back into focus, the walls repair themselves and build up once again. She curls her arms around her torso in a self-protective move, still feeling a tad mentally .. well, violated, in a way. Even though she'd consented and agreed to the whole thing. It's .. strange, to feel someone rummaging around in her mind so acutely.]

Yes .. I .. I think it is.

[gravedangers]

Would you like an escort home? Or to anywhere else?

[The tone is low, soothing. Maybe not appreciated by her, but he can at least empathize with how unpleasant the first few rounds are.]

But you did well to start. Nothing worth gaining comes without sacrifice of one kind or another.

[kestreldawn]

I think you're being overly kind to someone who's got no idea what she's doing. [She offers a wry smile, though there's an appreciative glint in her eyes.] Escort unneeded, but appreciated, Mr. Graves.