Ren didn't know what he expected to find out, but for some reason he felt like he had to follow Elysia.

He made sure to keep enough distance because he didn't want to be discovered stalking a Bleisian Councillor. He didn't exactly know the laws here so the least thing he wanted to happen was get locked up in Bleise prison.

Elysia walked in a regal manner, her steps confident and her chin held up high. Every person that she passed by greeted her with sweet smiles and respectful nods, and even entertained some small talk if initiated. That alone indicated that she was well known and well respected everywhere in Bleise. All the while, Ren watched her in fascination. She was indeed capable of smiling, one that is bright enough to light up her surroundings. It was too bad that her smile was never directed towards him, and maybe not anytime soon. Regardless, her smile perfectly matched her angelic face, and Ren's admiration for her seemed to be shared as well by the Bleisian citizens.

Elysia eventually stopped on what seemed to be a medical tent, which had several people of varying ages already sitting outside. Most of them seemed to be unwell, but as soon as they saw Elysia, their faces lit up. Elysia immediately took out the vials in her satchel and started handing them out to each person, taking the time to instruct them how to drink it. Ren realized that those were actually medicine.

One by one the people left, until there was a remaining mother and her toddler who seemed terribly sick and had difficulty breathing. Elysia crouched down and gave the child a reassuring smile before laying her hand on top of her chest. She closed her eyes in concentration, and slowly, the child's breathing became more relaxed.

Ren's eyes widened. Normal people wouldn't have understood what exactly happened, but Ren felt it. Elysia just used the force to heal the child.

One of the people that just came from the medical tent passed by Ren, so he stopped her in her tracks to ask a question.

"Um, excuse me... but who is that woman?" He pointed towards Elysia.

"She's Councillor Elysia, an angel of the people." The old woman answered with a proud smile. "She's a healer too. She gives free medicine once in a while so many people come and wait for her."

"A healer?"

"Yes. She and her father Chief Vymirr established these medical tents all over the city. They can heal anyone, even travellers like you." The woman laid a hand on Ren's chest, as if she assumed that he was hurting.

He just looked at her in confusion, his mind still wrapped up at the new revelation that Elysia's father was the Council chief Vymirr. When he glanced back at the tent, Elysia was already gone so he immediately excused himself from the presence of the old woman. Ren frantically looked around, having no idea where Elysia just went.

When he failed to get a glimpse of her, he closed his eyes and reached through the force to find her presence. Sure enough, he felt her and started heading to the street where she was. Ren wondered why she was heading towards a more secluded area of the city, wondering where she could be heading next. Nevertheless, he continued following her. She turned into a corner and Ren waited for a few seconds before following suit. But then he was confused when he realised that it was a dead end, and Elysia was nowhere to be found.

Before he could process his confusion, he felt an ominous presence from behind. Ren instictively went into fight mode and tried to disarm the attacker, but they were good enough to block his attempts. As he turned around, he saw a glimpse of the hooded figure's face and was shocked to find out it was Elysia.

She took the opportunity at his moment of confusion and attempted to stab him once again, but he successfully disarmed her using the force. However, this did not stop her and pulled out a retractable metal rod, striking him with all her power.

Ren had to choice but to block her attacks with his arm, although it was painful enough to leave a bruise. To be honest, he was good enough to win a fight like this, but he was too caught off guard by the fact that it was Elysia attacking him, and he wasn't sure how to approach the situation without having to draw his lightsaber.

"I'm not here to fight!" He yelled amidst her furious attacks.

"Then why were you following me?" she growled as she swung for another hit. Ren sidestepped and managed to grab one end of her rod, allowing him to lock her in place from behind.

"Stop, I don't want to hurt you." Ren reasoned as he fought her struggle.

"Really? Or are you afraid that I will hurt you?" Ren was suddenly pushed back by a powerful force, causing him to fall on the cobblestone floor a few feet back. He stared at Elysia wide-eyed.

Not only could she fight, but she could also fight using the force.

How was it possible that everything this woman does surprises him?

"I'm going to ask one last time." She said ominously as she towered over him. "Why were you following me?"

"I'm not sure what answer you're looking for, but it's not because I intend to hurt you." He raised his hands in surrender as he very slowly stood up. "And I told you, I'm not here to fight."

"Why? Not used to being bested, Jedi?" she chuckled dryly.

"I was just curious. I saw you force heal. I haven't seen a non-Jedi be able to do that."

"You're not the only ones that can use the force." She stepped closer to point her rod right at his chest. "That's the issue with you Jedi's. You always think you're the only ones that have the right to use it. Otherwise, we're considered 'uncontrolled power.'"

"I think you misunderstand us greatly. The Jedi are not as selfish as you think."

"Really? But the more I deal with you people, the more I am proven right."

"I'm right, aren't I? This is not just about the temple. You hate us because of something deeper." Ren calmly stated despite being one inch away from being struck by her weapon. He wanted to show her that he had absolutely no intention of fighting back and just wanted to talk.

Elysia's grip on her rod tightened. "Yes, you're right. Because you Jedi's killed my father."

"Your father?" Ren's brows furrowed. "But isn't your father Chief Vymirr...?"

For some reason this made her snap, causing her to strike him with a roar. Ren had no choice but to withdraw his lightsaber, activating it just in time to clash against her rod. Strangely though, the metal was not sliced in half and they just parried as if she was holding a lightsaber herself.

"How long have you been investigating me?!" She asked furiously in between hits. Ren's attention was divided between her question, blocking her hits, and wondering what this rod was made of that it could counter a lightsaber.

"I wasn't, I just found out accidentally!"

He grew tired of fighting against Elysia so he finally took the offense and hit back with all his power, successfully disarming her. He used the force to grab the rod, swiftly retracting it and hooking it into his utility belt under his cloak.

Relieved that she was finally defenseless, Ren sighed and deactivated his saber and put it back in his utility belt as well.

"Calm down, please. I just want to talk."

Elysia just glared daggers at him, her chest still heaving at their intense fight.

"Elysia, if your father was innocent, the Jedi would never kill him. In fact, killing is our last resort no matter how guilty the other party is."

"He was the most innocent man I knew." She hissed, her emotions causing her voice to waver. "In fact, he used to be one of you. Yet you still killed him."

"Your father was a Jedi?" Ren's face was shrouded in confusion. "But... that's impossible. We would never kill one of our own. There would never be a good enough reason."

"Apparently, it was good enough reason that he fell in love and had a child. Me." She said bitterly, a lone tear managing to escape from her eye. "Your people casted him away to this planet, and for what? Just to kill him later."

"Elysia, I'm really sorry for your loss... but I think this is just one big misunderstanding." Ren said softly, knowing that by telling him all this, she was baring her most sensitive self.

"Misunderstanding?" she whispered in disbelief. "My father's body had a gaping hole because of a lightsaber. And the last thing he told me was that he was being called back by the Order. Now tell me, is that a misunderstanding?"

"There are other people that can use lightsabers, not just the Jedi. I think it could be someone else trying to put the blame on the Order."

"You're blind." She scoffed, shaking her head as if almost mocking him. "I feel sorry that you don't see what the Jedi truly are."

"How about a deal? I will investigate the truth about your father's death, and who really killed him." Ren paused for a moment, gauging her reaction. When she didn't react violently, he took it as a good sign. "And if it turns out that it's not really the Jedi that killed him, you will help me convince the Bleisian Council to allow the completion of the Jedi Temple."

Ren held forward his hand, waiting for Elysia to take it. She was silent and unmoving for a moment, her jaws clenching as if she was weighing her options. Her sharp eyes were boring through Ren, as if trying to assess if he was trying to deceive her in any way.

Though eventually, she shook his hand.

"And if it turns out that the Jedi did kill him, you will help me expose the truth and destroy them."

Ren smiled.

"Deal."

*****