Exquisite mentoring-Thrawn is exquisite. Part II.

"You're troubled," Thrawn said into the silence of the scout ship's bridge. [...] "They've never understood you, have they?" Thrawn said into her silence.

Che'ri made a face. Like he would know anything about that.

"You want more than what you've been given," he continued. "You don't know what you'll do when you're no longer a sky-walker, and it troubles you."

"I know what happens," Che'ri scoffed. "They told me. I get adopted by a family".

"That's what you'll be," Thrawn said. "That's not what you'll do. You'd like to fly, wouldn't you?"

Che'ri frowned. "How did you know that?".

"The pictures you've been drawing with the markers your care-giver gave you," Thrawn said. [...]

Thrawn paused and touched a key on his control board. And suddenly all the lights and keys on this board went out and the board in front of Che'ri lit up. She jerked back. What in the name–?

"There are two handgrips in front of you," Thrawn said. "Take one in each hand."

"What?" Che'ri asked, staring numbly at the handgrips and glowing lights.

"I am going to teach you how to fly," Thrawn told her.

"This is your first lesson".

"You don't understand," Che'ri said, hearing the fear and pleading in her voice. "I have nightmares about this." [...]

"It's fear that's driving those nightmares. Fear and helplessness." [...] He pointed to the handgrips. "Let's take some of that helplessness away."

Che'ri looked at him. He wasn't joking, she realized. He was deadly serious. She looked back at the handgrips, trying to decide what to do.

"Take them."

Abruptly, she realized something else. He wasn't ordering. He was offering.

And she really had always wanted to fly.

Setting her jaw, choking back the fear, she reached out and gingerly closed her hands around the grips.

"Good," Thrawn said. "Move the right one to your left, just a bit."

"To portside," Che'ri corrected. She knew that one, anyway.

"To portside," Thrawn agreed with a smile.

~

[Note: Che'ri is a 9-years old kid]

[In the photo: Thrawn absolutely wonderful desk stationery by @scifigirlnextdoor, and Listoria decals on my work binder]

[Note: I had a lot of fun with these photo settings. In my mind, the notes in Basic are Faro's, while the ones in Cheunh are Thrawn's]