Luke did not have a lot of practice, lately, at navigating what other people thought of him. That had been part of the point, though not as much as just getting away and keeping everyone else safe. The idea that someone might have an opinion, looking at him, took awhile to present itself, after all this time.
And at first, of course, he couldn't have cared less what Rey thought of him, had it even occurred to him to wonder.
Now, though. Now, with this connection to Kylo Ren buzzing in the background, the danger of that dark place within Rey herself reaching back, Luke found himself grounded more fully in the present than he'd been in ages.
Ironic, given how much time he'd had to perfect his meditation. But Yoda had been right, all those decades ago. Some things just didn't change all that much.
That morning, the tickle at the edges of his consciousness that spelled "Rey" felt stronger, but he thought it was his imagination at first. His connection to the Force was still shielded, or so he thought. But with Rey's burgeoning Force presence, he could not ignore the shifting of balance. And he'd begun to respond, in ways both conscious and not.
But it had been a long time since anyone had reached out to him in this way. And so it took a moment to understand what was going on, that Rey had taken it upon herself to learn more than assigned and was connecting, not with the Force, but with his presence in it. And as precocious as it was, it also terrified him.
Like so much about her did, in ways he didn't fully want to describe.
"Good morning," he returned after a moment, eyes searching her expression. "I wonder that you still call me Master," he added after another pause. "Considering how little consideration you seem to give my teaching."
It was a hollow protest, in a way--the word 'Master' now echoed darkly in voices lost to him, and besides that he'd hardly been receptive to the role. But it seemed a place to start, to startle her out of her attempt to hide the episode.
no subject
And at first, of course, he couldn't have cared less what Rey thought of him, had it even occurred to him to wonder.
Now, though. Now, with this connection to Kylo Ren buzzing in the background, the danger of that dark place within Rey herself reaching back, Luke found himself grounded more fully in the present than he'd been in ages.
Ironic, given how much time he'd had to perfect his meditation. But Yoda had been right, all those decades ago. Some things just didn't change all that much.
That morning, the tickle at the edges of his consciousness that spelled "Rey" felt stronger, but he thought it was his imagination at first. His connection to the Force was still shielded, or so he thought. But with Rey's burgeoning Force presence, he could not ignore the shifting of balance. And he'd begun to respond, in ways both conscious and not.
But it had been a long time since anyone had reached out to him in this way. And so it took a moment to understand what was going on, that Rey had taken it upon herself to learn more than assigned and was connecting, not with the Force, but with his presence in it. And as precocious as it was, it also terrified him.
Like so much about her did, in ways he didn't fully want to describe.
"Good morning," he returned after a moment, eyes searching her expression. "I wonder that you still call me Master," he added after another pause. "Considering how little consideration you seem to give my teaching."
It was a hollow protest, in a way--the word 'Master' now echoed darkly in voices lost to him, and besides that he'd hardly been receptive to the role. But it seemed a place to start, to startle her out of her attempt to hide the episode.