Us and Them {Delta/Open- Limit 2}

{Alright, since we talked about adding in Locke on MSN yesterday, I'll go ahead and throw him in}

Weary. That would perhaps be the best word to describe Locke Nemsee at the moment. Or perhaps turmoiled, or worried. Regardless of the descriptor tagged onto the emotion, it remained the same.

Of course, that's not to say that something was wrong with Locke himself. The young Sentinel was fine, for all intents and purposes. But it was the state of current affairs in the galaxy that had left his nerves more than a little frayed at the moment. The Republic was at war. There was no denying that. He had seen the Supreme Chancellor's declaration--everyone had. And yet, instead of moving off to face the Sith threat, the Council decided to bide their time and wait until they felt the moment right to enter the battle. Now, Locke (usually) was not a fool; he could see the wisdom in caution, but the Knight worried that by the time the Council decided to move forward, it would be too late to end the war quickly, and the galaxy would find itself lost within an era of war.

And so Locke was a bit worried. Worried that the Republic he'd sworn his life to protect was in some dire form of danger, and worried that when the time came to act, whatever they did would be too late. As the days had passed, his sleep had become less restful, and his dreams darker. A sigh broke his lips as he turned a corner. Whatever will be will be, right, he thought with a tinge of sarcasm.

It was only when he stepped into one of the Temple hangars that he realized where he was. Not too long ago, he'd noticed a pull in the Force and decided to follow it. Along the way he'd gotten lost in his thoughts and his destination slipped his mind. As he walked around a bit, he found what he thought had led him to where he was. It was a man, fairly tall, and a Healer by the patch on the sleeve of his coat. He stood over a sink, and was washing a thick red fluid off of his arms. Blood without a doubt. The sight was unexpected, so much so that it made Locke abruptly come to a stop. He had some skill in sensing the emotions of others, and he could feel turmoil within the man, perhaps not too different than what he was feeling within himself. For once, Locke was at a loss for words.

"I'm sorry. I hope I'm not interrupting something. I didn't know you were here," he said politely.

The raven maned councilwoman felt the pull of something, yes, but it was not the Force. She felt the simply irresistible pull of her nature... the inner beast that was within all Aphithiri... her instincts. They bade her feet to blaze a path around the temple, and their reasons for doing so was known only by the Force. It was a fact that irritated the woman to no end: to know that your feet are walking forward... but not knowing were the final step would land or the reason for it landing there.

Instead of worrying about pointless things, such as the reasons for the more primal part of her brain requiring her to move, she worried far more about what she'd do with the Republic war effort. Two Jedi were not nearly enough in her own personal opinion. While Vreem was no doubt one of the strongest Jedi in the temple... she doubted that even his strength would be enough. Nor would hers. The Republic was standing before the onslaught of two nations, one evil and one craving nothing more than the challenge of war.

She may have been a general on Aphithir, yes, but even then she was leading a meager force of fifty or sixty men. They were large men, yes, but little more than small unit tactics compared to what generals of the Republic commanded. And the navy? Each Aphithiri clan had a navy, yes, but it was small... just enough to defend the planet from marauders. To say that she knew nothing of naval combat would be an underwhelming statement.

It was at that moment that her nose caught something interesting... the gentle, but brief, whisp of the asari trees from the room of a thousand fountains that wafted up from a vent. Those instincts that moved her feet forward almost instantly stopped on a dime, her eyes closed and a gentle smile creased her lips. In that brief span of time she was in proverbial heaven, for the nose of an Aphithiri is far stronger than any other sense. A comfortable sigh bobbed her shoulders down just as the last hints of the lingering aroma cleared from the air and her feet began to guide her once more.

She needed to spend more time in the gardens...

Her head shook slightly at the thought. Getting side tracked because some scent caught her nose was not exactly the behavior expected from one with her stature. Before she could think further, however, a pair of doors opened with a pneumatic hiss... revealing the hanger inside. And a Jedi sitting on the wing of his fighter, his head sunk low. The sharp expansion of her diaphragm caused the air to rush into her nose, bringing the various scents that pervaded the room along with them. She smelt oil... burnt metal... blood... and death. It rolled off of the man in waves, but not of his own doing. Oh no... it was the death of one physically close to him at the time.

The answer was clear: the Force drove her instincts to guide her to this person. Curiously enough, her boots rooted themselves to the floor like the base of a great and unmovable tree. The proverbial tendrils that her feet sunk into the tile did not allow her to move, even as the lone Jedi got up and walked over to a mechanic's station and began to wash the blood and the death from him. But something told her that he would never fully cleanse himself of the death that pervaded him, no matter how hard he scrubbed or how much soap he used. The stench of which had dug its tendrils deep within his heart, saddening its otherwise glorious existence.

Finally, Rhissai's feet uprooted themselves and allowed her to step forward just as the second man appeared. It was Locke. She'd seen the man around the temple, the first time in the gardens and the second during a martial arts class that she held. Teaching was never her forte, "just ask Miki. Your excuse is not a valid one," that thought. It crept into the light of her consciousness from the deep recesses of her memories. Guilt.

No matter how hard she tried, how hard she scrubbed, or how much soap she used... she would never fully cleanse herself of the death that pervaded her. The stench of which had dug its tendrils deep within her heart, saddening its otherwise glorious existence. Tears begun to well up within her eyes like the rising river within a thick dam. No. She would not allow them to come, she would not allow the hairline cracks that threatened the dam's integrity to destroy it. Not in front of others. After taking but a moment to bite back the rage of the rising river, she stepped forward towards this man and Locke once more.

After taking care to be sure that her words would contain no traces of sadness, or formerly impending tears, she spoke. "Knight Locke," a nod towards the man bobbed her head down once, the voice that came from her throat was one of serenity. Yet it was warm, comforting, and even held the slight roll of the tongue that lingered from her native language. Her emerald green gaze shifted over to the man that Locke stood next to. "I do not believe that I've met you yet," during her pause to allow this man to give her his name, she couldn't help but notice his eyes. Each were of a florescent hue, rimmed with silver, not unlike her own... save the silver rim. The pair of bright eyes drifted about his form, but not in a sexual manner... but rather to size him up. What was the conclusion? He was a fellow Aphithiri.

Her brow knit together almost painfully at the feelings that were raging about within this man. The pain. The guilt. They were not unlike her own. It took all that she had not to simply drape her hand across her shoulder and speak comforting words to the poor soul. Send him comforting emotions. But she could not. It was unb-... since when did she conform to what was "unbecoming of a high councilwoman" and what was not? Never.

An elegant hand rose up and draped itself across his shoulder, and with it she connected the fringes of her mind with his. Comfort swiftly followed, rolling across the connection in waves. Master Rhissai'arckan was many things: passionate, thick headed, and even hot headed at times... but above all else she was compassionate. Many Masters believed it a weakness, but in her mind the intense desire to alleviate suffering was never a weakness. In fact it was a great strength, and should be one of the staples of the Jedi Order.

"I do not know the circumstances of your pain, but the Force works in mysterious ways. It lights our path, it guides our hand, and none can resist when it calls us to join with it. No more than one could draw blood from a stone." After a comforting smile and a silent nod, she withdrew that elegant hand from his shoulder and let the arm attached rest on the hilt of White Fang, an old habit.

That connection faded to nothing a few moments after the flesh of her finger tips lost contact with the cloth of the man's shoulder, but that did not mean his pain faded to nothing with it. It lingered in her heart. And no matter how hard she tried, how hard she scrubbed, or how much soap she used... she would never fully cleanse herself of the death that pervaded her. The stench of which had dug its tendrils deep within her heart, saddening its otherwise glorious existence.

With a shake of his steady hands, Levin shook some water off his hands in time for a young, stubble bearded man to stumble upon him at the sink. He placed his hands on the edges of the sink and turned his weary bright green eyes to the young man. A quick study of him and a little recollection brought his name to Levin. If there was one thing Levin knew, it was the names and faces of all Jedi he was in charge of for their medical files. He nodded slightly to him before saying

"No, you are not interrupting, Locke Nemsee."

A deep sigh followed as Levin drooped his head and shook it slightly, bringing one of his still damp hands to run through his hair, the wetness making his hair spike up a bit before falling gracefully back onto his head. Not a second after that, a what appeared to be young, raven haired woman walked up to them, greeting Locke and speaking to Lev after that. Green met with green as he locked eyes with her- slightly taken aback to see that her green was the exact same shade as his- minus the silver rim on his. There was a strange familiarity to her- not just because like Locke, she was one of his patients- but one of almost kinship.

Her touch took him off guard, the usually stoic Jedi not used to any real signs of affection. He felt an oddly familiar feeling wash off of her onto him, realizing it was the same feeling of comfort and warmth that he himself would use on patients in pain. Her words were soft, comforting, and familiar.

"Thank you, Rhissai'arckan. I know, the Light calls us all back home eventually, but the loss of a young life never goes down well."

Another flick of his hands would remove some more water before Levin used the Force to tug a towel to his awaiting hands, beginning to dry off the dampness. With a deep pull of the Force, Levin centered himself, washing away any feelings at the time, once more all business. His eyes drifted into Locke's before he slightly raised his eyebrows, an expectant and almost scolding look on his face.

"Locke Nemsee, you are three weeks late on your bi-yearly physical."

He said, his eyes then snapping to Rhissai's with that same expression.

"And you, Rhissai'arckan, are almost two months late for yours."

Levin was sure that the pair wouldn't realize this, but as one of the chief Healers of the Order, Lev was a very thorough man. After drying off his hands he tossed the towel to the faucet of the sink before using the Force to pull his coat to his hands, swinging the light brown fabric around his form as he slid his arms into its sleeves. He began to step to exit before turning his gaze back to the pair.

"Well? If you two are here, it means you aren't busy. And that means you get your physicals."

The Healer motioned with a nod for the pair to follow. Though he certainly had the ranking to boss Locke to follow, the fact that he spoke the same way to Rhissai told most that he was either disrespectful, or saw people as equals. Either way, it was his duty as a Healer to make sure his people were in good health, whether they liked it or not. Levin began walking at a calm pace out of the hangar, doing his best to keep that young Padawan's face out of his mind, and a couple of good, thorough physicals would keep his mind off of her.

"Well, that's good to know," Locke said at Levin's word that he was not interrupting anything. Though, the man seemed a bit strange. Before he'd told Locke that he wasn't intruding on anything, he'd looked over the young Knight, and Locke couldn't help but feel a tinge of uneasiness. It felt like he was being looked over, like he was a piece of meat at a market or some such. Very strange, Locke thought. And come to think of it, how in the galaxy did the man know his name?! Locke was know well enough, he supposed, but he didn't think that many in the Temple knew who he was... or at least not well enough to call him by first and last name upon their first meeting. It really wouldn't be much of a stretch to say Locke was a bit weirded out, but he kept his sentiments to himself. "Well, uh I see you know my name, but I don't think I know yours...."

The sounds of approaching footsteps and the familiar presence of someone in the Force drew Locke's attention, and he turned to see High Councilwoman Rhissai'arckan. A smile touched the edge of his mouth to see her again. "Hello Rhissai," he said with a slight bow of his head. "Long time no see." That, of course was sarcastically said; he'd see Rhissai quite a bit as of late. He kept to himself as Rhissai did whatever it was she did with Levin, and nodded slightly to at her both her and Levin's words at the end.

He was about to say something as Levin tossed the towel back onto the faucet when the healer turned to look at him, and Locke couldn't say he liked the look on the man's face. What's he up to, he thought warily. Locke's face went pale at Levin telling him he was late for his physical, and it was all he could do to put on some innocent looking face--he wasn't very good at those, and it came out with him looking like he'd eaten something sour--while trying to stammer out some excuse."I-i-is that so?" He laughed, far too loudly to be a normal laugh. "Well, I've just been so busy, see, and the time slipped away, I'll make sure to stop by and get it done as soon as I can though!" He smiled weakly at Levin, hoping that would satisfy the man. Truth be told, Locke hated getting his physicals done. It was a normal thing for him to put them off until one of the healers had to come hunt him down to get it done. But they never bother me about it this early, he thought forlornly. And how does he know?!

Locke's frantic thinking was replaced by amusement as Levin's attention turned to Rhissai, revealing that she was even more overdue for a a physical than he was. And she's a Councilwoman, he crowed in his skull. He snickered none-to-subtly, and amusement rolled off of him like rain drops, but he didn't care to try to hide it, though he did keep his remarks to himself. His amusement was cut short quickly enought though, as Levin ordered--well, maybe it was more of a suggestion to one of Rhissai's rank, but not to Locke--them to follow him to have their physical's done. "Hey, now, there's not really any need for that now, is there? I m-mean, I feel fine! Never felt better!" But he fell in behind Levin, turning to look at Rhissai with a 'please save me' expression on his face.

Rhissai simply couldn't help the warm smile that spread her lips thin at Levin's reaction, and a nod of understanding bobbed her head down ever so slightly. It was good to know that the Temple's head healer didn't allow himself to believe that he could defy the Force's will. Despite this fact, and her previous statement, tears began to prickle up within the woman's eyelids at the news of a lost young one. The little one was now one with the Force, yes, but there was still so much that the child didn't experience. So much that life that was snuffed out. The fact saddened her heart beyond words.

"That it does, Levin," her voice only just barely reflected the sadness within. Rhiss always felt her emotions strongly, and because of this she was always fighting back one of those damned emotional ballads that the Aphithiri tend to sing. Often times she wondered if the musical babble that flowed from her mouth during that song meant anything at all... or if it was some kind of lost language that had ingrained itself into the racial memory of the Aphithiri people.

Obviously there was no way of knowing, save the deconstruction of a sample of Aphithiri DNA for study. The Jedi weren't about to do that, no scientists were interested in the origins of the chillingly beautiful Aphithiri songs, and the Aphithiri view it as something of a religious experience. A private one that should be shared only with the closest of family members, and anything more is considered to be worse than adultery.

The raven haired woman was about to continue on with her line of thought when, suddenly, she thought that she heard Levin say something about a physical. That completely derailed her train of thought, and that keen mind of hers was left with only blinking as a reaction. Rhissai's hair wobbled ever so lightly just to match the slight tilt of her head, "we have physicals?" Tones of slight confusion and surprise simply gushed from the woman's words like water out of a saturated sponge.

A few more moments of surprised, confused, and embarrassed blinking took place before the woman realized that there was another man standing next to her, and he hated greeted her. More than that... she ignored him. Rhiss' head quickly untilted itself and she swept her emerald gaze over to the man... she met him only a few days prior in the Room of a thousand fountains. "Apologies," she stated, no small amount of embarrassment plaguing her accent, "its good to see you alive and well, Locke, and it has been a long time. Perhaps longer still until the next time, by the looks of what is on the horizon." The Aphithiri woman was, of course, referring to the common-knowledge threat that had been brewing in the outer rim.

And her common-knowledge actions towards that threat.

A small smirk creased one side of her face at Locke's reaction to Levin simply ordering the two to follow him to the medical wing. He may not have wanted a physical, and she may not have wanted a physical, but when a Jedi Healer wanted something of you... it was generally in your best interest. Rhissai only shook her head mildly at Locke, and laced out a tendril of her own mind to the outer limits of his, "its for our own good, Locke." That smirk on her face soon grew into a half-false smile, and her feet propelled her body forward once more. Only this time they were guided by a paragon of his kind... of her kind... and not by a bestial instinct.

"Knight-Healer Levin Caelum, your current physician, so to speak. You'd know this if you were more regular with your exams."

Levin responded to Locke's comment about being at a disadvantage. A small smile would touch the Healer's lips as Locke thought. Lev brought a hand up to his right temple and tapped it knowingly. It was obvious Locke was comfortable within the Temple to not hide his thoughts better, but then again, Levin was trained to hear what others thought, as an injured person couldn't always say what was wrong.

"Mind your thoughts, Locke Nemsee. I know because I need to know. And I know you are due for a good thorough check."

The Healer was sure Locke would be disturbed by this insight, but also, it might show the young Knight that Levin knew what he was doing. But despite Locke's pleas, a tendril of the Force would more or less leash him. Those bright green eyes would turn to Rhissai as she spoke, her question nearly baffled the Healer. His eyes narrowed just ever so slightly to see if she was joking. She was not.

"Yes, we do. Let's pray the Force that you don't have a tumor the size of your ignorance. Now follow me."

Several long hallways and turns later, the trio arrived at the smooth white door to the medical bay. It slid open with barely a sound and Levin lead the duo into his domain. A few healers worked silently on patients, luckily no emergency was had in a few days, the silence was welcome. He turned into a private room that could be considered 'his' office. A simple oval shaped room with two metal exam tables, a desk that was built into the wall, and a curtain to go around the exam tables. Levin gestured towards the tables for the pair to have a sit.

"Please, sit down, get comfortable, it'll be a minute."

Levin moved to the wall near the desk and put a hand on it just as a tendril of the Force touched what lay behind it. With a hiss a hidden drawer slid forward. A faint blue glow came from the inside of the drawer as Levin used the Force to locate two particular items. His hands lifted those two items gently and pushed the drawer in. Lev stepped over to the exam tables, and plugged the two small glowing rectangles into them, one for each of the two Jedi. A pair of holograms popped up at the foot of the two tables, a picture of Rhiss and of Locke on each one, as well as a full list of notes, a map of their physiology, and a record of their past visits.

Silver rimmed green eyes looked first at Rhissai, then at Locke. He could tell the two were uncomfortable, most people were when they were revealed the way a Healer could see. Levin shrugged his Healers coat off and hooked it on an IV pole that was connected to Locke's exam table. His hand waved towards the door to the office and it slide closed silently.

"So, Locke Nemsee, Rhissai'arckan, do either of you have any complaints? Notice anything different as of late? Anything you mention in this room, will never leave it."

"Well, it's, uh... good to meet you Levin," Locke said to the Jedi Healer with a bit of a nervous edge to his voice. "Mind if I just call you Lev?" Locke's olive skin paled more when the Aphithiri man told him that he knew, and it was his business to know that Locke was late for his appointment. For the first time in a long time, Locke was terrified. There were few things that put fear into the heart of the young Jedi Knight, but he hated doctor visits. Or Healer visits, or whatever they were called in the Temple. "That's uh... good to know, Lev," he said weakly. "Always good for a nice thorough checkup, right?" Locke let out a laugh that was a weak as his face was pale as Lev addressed Rhissai. Though, he was so caught up in his own thoughts he wasn't paying much attention to either of them as they went off down the hallway.

Surely there was something that Locke could say to get out of this. Training with his padawan? No, that wouldn't come 'til later in the day... He could just turn and leave... But from what he could tell, Lev was more powerful than he, and there wouldn't be much to keep the Healer--or Rhissai, for that matter--from simply binding him up with the Force and dragging him on his merry way. He couldn't claim that he felt ill, what with Lev being a Healer... A pang of despair ran through Locke. He was trapped. Here he was, a Jedi Knight, defender of the Republic, and he couldn't escape being dragged into a doctor's appointment. What a wonderful day, he thought morbidly. Here I go, following the Force, and I get dragged off to have the Force only knows what done to me... What did I do to deserve this? And Locke didn't rightly care if Lev picked his thoughts up or not; there were more important things to worry about than if the Healer was reading his mental mail--like what the Healer would do to him when they reached their destination.

Locke would soon find out. A short time later, they arrived at the room where the examination would be done. Locke's terror rose as the door slid open, crescendoing into a wave of nausea that threatened to make the Investigator pass out onto the smooth white floor. Thankfully, his knees held out and he sat down on one of the tables at Lev's instruction, though, unknown to Locke, his face had a rather wan look about it, as if he was about to vomit. He certainly felt like he was about to vomit. By the Force, Locke hated doing this! Stone grey eyes went wide when Levin turned to dig through his drawer, and Locke's imagination went wild with all sorts of terrible images as to what the man could be looking for. He soon found himself wringing his hands in anxiety and muttering the Jedi Code under his breath, though he fell into repeating "There is no emotion, there is peace" to himself in a decidedly fearful voice.

And then he felt his cheeks heating up in embarrassment when he saw that Levin was only getting holograms that contained their medical information. Way to make yourself not look like an idiot, Locke, he thought in irritation. It wasn't his fault that medical visits were so scary, though. "I was feeling just fine until I got here, thank you," he said flatly at Levin's question. "Now I can't escape the feeling that something terrible is going to happen..."

A wide smirk spread the raven maned woman's lips thin and a musical giggle played at her vocal chords as Levin's dry comment reached her ears. That keen mind behind those brilliant emerald eyes almost forced the woman to rattle out a snarky reposte, "and let us pray that they are half the size of your ego, Levin." Another musical giggle bubbled out of the woman's throat as she fell in behind the slightly taller Jedi Healer and the obviously scared-shiteless Jedi Investigator.

The woman shrugged it off, however, as even the Jedi needed to go to the dreaded space doctor from time to time. She took the brief amount of time that made up the transit from the hanger to the med bay (they had to be fairly close for obvious reasons, after all) to simply think. About what? Everything. The war. Her recruiting for the Blades. Vreem. Even Ramse-... a sharp, slicing pain shot up her arm and to her spine, cutting off the thought. Her face almost instantly scrunched together for the briefest of moments before slipping into a considerably more stoic look.

She'd first felt it a few weeks ago, but was too bull headed and tolerant of pain to actually see Levin about it. It was the inner warrior within her, the proud creature that kept its head held high under the guise of, 'if it don't kill you, it only makes you stronger.' Rhissai was a warrior, without question. But she was one that sought out peace at every turn, a living contradiction. At times, she allowed herself to live for the heat of combat... it was the very reason why the Aphithiri had given her the 'letter "Rhissai." But, most of the time, she lived for peace and tranquility.

Ever was her persona two sides of the same coin. The peaceful warrior.

Before she knew it, the woman had stepped into the feared mad doctor Levin Caelum's work room, and he had the pair sit down on high metallic table bed chair things. Despite the earlier pain, and thoughts preceding, the woman couldn't help the small smirk that crept across her lips at the sight of Locke: he was terrified. As if on instinct, the mischievous Jedi Master snuck a tendril of thought and latched it to the fringes of his mind, --calm yourself, Locke, Levin only does colonoscopies if you are two or more weeks late for your bi-yearly physical.--

A musical snicker reverberated her vocal chords and pushed past her grinning lips as those emerald green eyes flickered up to Lev as he asked his question. She simply shook her head in response, not deigning to answer with anything more. She had no complaints. Most humans at the age of sixty had myriads of crazy degenerative diseases... the way Rhiss saw it, she was damn lucky to have a quick shot of pain or two every so often. Though its frequency was picking up, she would probably ignore it.

Idiotic? Most certainly. But she was a proud creature, one that could take pain.

After neither Jedi voiced any complaints about their health Lev nodded more to himself than anything. His silver rimmed eyes peered up at Locke then back at his holo-reading. History of perfect health so far, no apparent signs genetic or psychological disease, to say the least, Locke was the very model of a healthy Jedi. Levin pressed a button on the small console that would record any notes Lev had to add to Locke's file. The Healer put a hand on Locke's shoulder and a small grin touched his lips. Relax Locke... your prostate exam isn't until next time. Thought Lev as he let a presence of calm wash off his mind. Some people just didn't handle being scanned well.

"Alright Locke Nemsee, I need you to relax your mind, and let me in. This may... tingle a bit. "

Levin raised his hands so that they hovered with an open palm on each side of Locke's head. His eyes slid closed and his fingertips moved to just barely touch Locke's head. The Healers bond used for these check ups was a dangers thing, one never knew what a person held deep within their own mind, but usually Levin could sense this before the scan. A deep breath would draw the Force deep into Levin before it was channeled from his chest outwards through his arms and down his fingers. Many described the experience as something close to jumping into water, an over-encompassing feeling that soothes and covers.

Slowly but surely Levin's mind melded into Locke's and soon, his mind dove into Locke's every nerve, bone, muscle, vein, organ. The Healer could almost see the organic material that made up Locke through the Force. A slow exhale sounded from Levin, a sigh of relief more than anything. After the Knight's entire body had been mapped out, Levin's eyes fluttered open and he withdrew his presence from Locke.

"Knight Nemsee, you are in perfect health.

Levin started and nodded to Locke. He stepped over to the console and muttered a few notes into it before it was switched off. His hand moved down, and a glass jar with multicolored candies was retrieved from under the console.

I usually save these for Padawans and Younglings, but this time, I think you could use one."

It was rare for Levin to jest so, but the only way to get one to start wanting to do something- in this case see Levin for their check-ups- was to reward them. After a moment Lev put the lid back onto the sweets jar and set it next to Locke. The Healer would pat Locke on the bicep and turn around to face Rhissai. His vivid green eyes met hers. Minus Levin's silver rim around his iris', they were the exact same shade. This was odd to the Jedi, he had always been curious about his heritage, most humans when they reached his age, showed signs of aging, and Levin barely showed any.

He stepped around to her table's console and pressed the same key sequence as Locke's. Something loomed around Rhissai, something only Levin would be able to see. It was something Levin had witnessed before, and was never a good sign. He walked back over to stand in front of Rhissai with a knowing expression.

"Rhissai'arckan, you are certain there isn't anything you have noticed different as of late?"

Locke's fear faded away slightly as he sat in the small room, though really, that would be like saying he'd gone into a state of minor panic. So many things he could do, Locke thought as Levin studied their medical records, and all of them unpleasant. Why oh why does this have to happen to me? He'd been a good Jedi... relatively... Well, he did what he was told to. Most of the time. The point was, he'd done nothing worthy of punishment, yet he was still being subjected to this. Fate was so cruel, at times.

His plight was apparently the source of some amusement to Rhissai, who decided to sneak a little tendril of thought into his mind. Ha, two or three weeks late... Wait! I'm three weeks late! That made him go pale. Or more pale than he already was, rather. The terror started to rise once more, and then his mind flashed back to when this terrible episode had started. Rhissai was two months late! So surely she would get a super-colonoscopy or something of the sort. The young Jedi's grey eyes took on a mischievous glint as they swept over to Rhissai. "Well then, Rhissai," he replied as he focused to speak through the Force as she had to him, "I hope you have fun with that tube up your ass, eh?" A smirk of his own worked across his mouth and he nodded slightly to her. If the Councilwoman's sense of humor if it was often like that little prank she pulled on him, the Locke could respect her. It was a welcome change from the usual overly-stoic Council member that most were used to thinking of.

Locke looked back at Levin to see the Healer reaching out for his shoulder. Instinct made him flinch back just enough to be noticeable, but he didn't do anything more. Though, he did see that grin on Levin's face. He was amused by all of this too! Locke didn't know if he felt embarrassed at his behavior or a bit mad at them for being so amused by his plight. But that was all soon gone as he felt a soothing aura emanate from Levin, though it didn't erase his fears completely. "Wait, do we have to do this," he asked when Levin told him to be calm and relax his mind. Locke knew what was coming next, and he hated it. Lev would do some weird bonding something-or-other with him through the Force for a moment as he scanned his body. It was relatively harmless, but Locke loathed the way it felt. Discussions with other Jedi around him had told him that to others, it felt like being dipped in water. Not for Locke. The water part was certainly there, but for him it felt more like being pushed violent into water that'd been chilled on the ice of Rhen Var. Not a pleasant experience.

Even so, he relaxed as best he could, and just in time, because the next thing he knew, Lev was reaching out to put his hands on Locke's head. Locke subconsciously cringed back, as if preparing for a blow, and he could feel his muscles tensing as he inhaled to prepare for what he knew was coming next. Levin's hands just barely touched his skin, and Locke suddenly exhaled sharply. Ice water? Perhaps liquid nitrogen would be a better way to put it. And it happened so suddenly! A few moments later, Levin withdrew his hand, and told Locke that he was in perfect health. "Well that's good," Locke said as a slight shiver ran through him. "I'd hate to think of what would happen if I wasn't."

Levin turned and got a jar of candy, telling Locke that he could have some. Locke laughed at Levin's joke, in spite of himself. Yes, perhaps he had been acting a bit childish, but he couldn't help it. It was just the way he was. At least he'd gotten candy out of it. Another smirk broke his face as he reached into the jar to remove one of the little pieces of candy and popped it into his mouth. "I hope you weren't planning on getting this jar back," he muttered, just loudly enough for Levin to hear. After all, he deserved it with what he'd been forced through...

Anyway, he looked up, satisfied for the moment, to watch and see what Levin would do with Rhissai as he went through her checkup. At least his part in this was done.

((brain = ded x.x sorreh))

Yet another musical snicker pushed past lips that were spread thin in an amused grin at Locke's reply. He was certainly a colorful man, though she couldn't help but think of a frightened rabbit running from a hawk when she felt the emotions under his mental walls. "Jedi I may be, but I'm a woman first," Part of that grin on her face grew, turning the form of her smile to a smirk at her reply. "You're a terrible Jedi, Rhiss," she couldn't help but think. Emotions were particularly hard for the Aphithiri woman to control simply because of her lineage.

Yet another slicing pain whipped up the center of her arm, the same one as before, even as that smirk was still written about her face. If she were a lesser woman, one that wasn't inclined to give pain a single inch, she may have done something more than simply furrowed her brow for a mere instant. For that mere instant was a reaction, and after that her face quickly returned to one of cold stoicism. Then, oddly enough, Levin turned to her and asked the same question... again. Her reply was quick.

"Indeed. Nothing that I'm willing to complain about, Levin. Most women my age have more pains than they care to mention... I can deal with what little comes my way." Green eyes shot up to Levin after he asked her the same question again, no concern whatsoever within her mind. Though, something within those silver-rimmed green eyes told her something... something bad. Almost instantly, the woman latched an extension of her consciousness onto the fringes of his mind, and sent a message to him, "why? Have you found something?"

Levin gave Rhissai a knowing look. Her words rang cold in his mind, even she, one of the Council's finest, couldn't see the taint within her own system. But he didn't blame her, or think her ignorant- it took years, far more than Levin would care to admit- to learn to see the way he saw. It was no simple Jedi sense that all possessed, it was an acute awareness to the very essence of the impure. He strode over to Rhissai, but didn't respond to her question. It wouldn't be until after the scan that he would speak, as Lev never acted before he knew what was happening. He squared off in front of her, and peered into her eyes, almost as if he was looking past the flesh, past the person, into her very core.

"Rhissai'arckan, I need you to relax, and let me in. This will only take a moment."

His hands rose, and the faint white glow of his aura began to show around them. They would get closer and closer until his fingertips just barely touched the sides of her surprisingly youthful face. It was at that thought that Lev's mind wandered for a second. She was young. Far younger than someone in her sixties would look. Just as Levin was in his mid forties, but didn't appear it. If his suspicious were correct, he would need to have a word with the Councilwoman later on. But first, he needed to make sure they would even have that conversation.

Lev dove his mind into Rhissai's body, the awareness of her every chemical, protein, and acids surrounded his mind. Her muscle structure, stronger than it looked, her heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, all worked gorgeously. Her brain was by far one of the best specimens he had ever witnessed, activity sparked and shot across and through it, her intelligence and link to the Force well formed. As he scanned her, a single name popped into his head: Apithiri. Levin dismissed it for now, even if the word sang to him in a way he rarely felt. He dove deeper, her nerves were wonderfully active, but tense, as if expecting some sort of stress. Deeper he pushed, to her very skeletal structure.

Something hissed malevolently at him, Levin was an unwelcome presence to a new occupant. His face scrunched into obvious pain as dull fire shot through his own bones, the empathetic bond seared his nerves with sympathetic pain. He gasped and coughed before he withdrew his hands. Levin's frame shook slightly and he covered his mouth which was agape in pain. An old enemy, but a strong one. He took a deep breath and straightened his posture. His eyes looked at Rhissai, the whites of them slightly reddened from strain and shock, and a cold sweat beaded his brow. A slow shaky breath would come from the Healer before he spoke.

"Rhissai'arckan, excuse my weakness for that moment. There is no other way to say this- you have a very advanced staged bone cancer. At this moment, nearly twenty-seven percent of your bone marrow has been replaced with cancerous tumors. Most people succumb to the disease at twenty-five percent. It is treatable, through me, but no meditation nor modern medicine at this rate will heal you. It may take some time, but I am certain I can purge this filth from your body- if you so choose to accept my help. I'm sorry."

{Alright, Locke's moving to an observer status as this part unfolds unless something directly involving him comes up. Carry on, gentlemen}

Locke proceeded to look down into the jar of candies that now sat in his lap. Ah, what luck! It was almost three fourths of the way full! He made a mental note to stop by his quarters and drop the jar off after leaving this Force-forsaken appointment, but for now, he'd wait around and see what played out.

Locke's hand went down into the jar, and for a moment, he played the choose-the-right-color game as his mind wavered between choices. Oh, that red one with the little streaks of yellow through it looked absolutely splendid! But that sky blue one with the white... There was only one way to solve this impasse. Locke's grey eyes closed as the Force flowed into him, and quick as a snake, his hand jabbed out and closed around one. He looked at his hand as he withdrew it from the jar, and was surprised to find that he'd grabbed a yellow one with streaks of red. Oh well, he thought as he looked over to Lev and Rhissai. Will of the Force or something like that, I'm sure.

His eyebrows furrowed with some degree of concern as Levin suddenly pulled his hands away from Rhissai, pain obvious on his face. "You alright, Lev?" he called out with a tinge of worry to his voice. He popped the little candy into his mouth as he awaited a response.

The response was not what he expected.

Locke suddenly found himself hacking violently as the candy found itself lodged in his throat. Oh, by the Force, he was choking! He pounded on his chest as he tried to get the foul thing out of his throat, but to no avail. Finally, after a few moments more, he was able to get it out with a particularly harsh cough that sent the candy down to bounce wetly on the floor. Sweet, sweet air filled Locke's lungs as he gulped down air like a man would water after being lost in the Tatooine desert. He could feel his face reddening, and his breaths came hard and ragged for a moment, but he was ok.

Cancer?! He thought in surprise as he stared at the two senior Jedi. Rhissai has cancer? How... The image of Lev, gasping with his face contorted in pain. Was that what she feels, he pondered as his eyes returned to Rhissai. He didn't know her that well, though he'd run into her a few times around the Temple as of late, but he never noticed anything that would belie the pain that Lev's reaction indicated. How does she bear it?

There were few times where Locke couldn't think of anything to say, or felt it would be best to keep his mouth shut. This was one of those times. Instead, he just continued to watch, waiting to see what Rhissai's response would be.